19/06
Contributed by: Becky McKinley, GISP
Hammond Sanitary District
With this recent addition, the framework data layers are now available for all of Northwest Indiana (including all 5 counties which make up the DHLS District 1). Thanks to the Lake County Commissioners and Surveyor George Van Til for agreeing to provide the data and Jim Sparks and the Indiana Geological Survey for getting it done.
Hammond Sanitary District
With this recent addition, the framework data layers are now available for all of Northwest Indiana (including all 5 counties which make up the DHLS District 1). Thanks to the Lake County Commissioners and Surveyor George Van Til for agreeing to provide the data and Jim Sparks and the Indiana Geological Survey for getting it done.
14/06
Contributed By: Chris Dintaman
Geologist/GIS Specialist
Center for Geospatial Data Analysis
Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana University
812 856 5654
cdintama@indiana.edu
IndianaMap County Data Sharing Initiative Layers Updated:
The four layers that provide county-based framework data (including address points, street centerlines, land parcels, and Misc. Government Boundaries) have been updated. The layers were compiled from data maintained by various county agencies in Indiana, as part of the IndianaMap Data Sharing Initiative between Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC), Indiana Office of Technology (IOT), Indiana Geographic Information Office (GIO), Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS), Indiana Geological Survey (IGS), and participating Indiana counties. NOTE: These layers are part of the FIFTEENTH set of data harvested through the ongoing DSI program by IDHS from local government sources on April 27, 2013. These layers are provided "as-is" and have not been quality control checked for completeness, accuracy, or content, and should not be used for any official or business purpose. Be sure to read the full metadata for each layer.
Institutional Control Sites Layer Updated:
The layer showing Institutional Control Sites (IDEM, Office of Land Quality) has been updated with information that is current as of June 5, 2013. IC’s are legal measures that protect human health and the environment by restricting property activity, use, or access when contamination is present.
Geologist/GIS Specialist
Center for Geospatial Data Analysis
Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana University
812 856 5654
cdintama@indiana.edu
IndianaMap County Data Sharing Initiative Layers Updated:
The four layers that provide county-based framework data (including address points, street centerlines, land parcels, and Misc. Government Boundaries) have been updated. The layers were compiled from data maintained by various county agencies in Indiana, as part of the IndianaMap Data Sharing Initiative between Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC), Indiana Office of Technology (IOT), Indiana Geographic Information Office (GIO), Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS), Indiana Geological Survey (IGS), and participating Indiana counties. NOTE: These layers are part of the FIFTEENTH set of data harvested through the ongoing DSI program by IDHS from local government sources on April 27, 2013. These layers are provided "as-is" and have not been quality control checked for completeness, accuracy, or content, and should not be used for any official or business purpose. Be sure to read the full metadata for each layer.
Institutional Control Sites Layer Updated:
The layer showing Institutional Control Sites (IDEM, Office of Land Quality) has been updated with information that is current as of June 5, 2013. IC’s are legal measures that protect human health and the environment by restricting property activity, use, or access when contamination is present.
11/06
There are those who say America is losing its regional identity. They say the mass media has homogenized our culture, making us all look the same, dress the same, act the same, and talk the same. Joshua Katz, a Ph. D student in statistics at North Carolina State University, just published maps of a linguistic survey begun by Professor Bert Vaux an Associate Professor of Linguistics at Harvard University that looked at how Americans pronounce words and shows that we still have some diversity in language across America.
So when you have some time to kill and you find yourself "Standing on line at the bubbler with a hoagie in your hand" click on this link from your smartphone and enjoy these dialect maps of America!
Interactive Map Site: http://spark-1590165977.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/jkatz/SurveyMaps/
Or to read more about the study:
http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6?op=1#ixzz2VvVuNobF
Interactive Map Site: http://spark-1590165977.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/jkatz/SurveyMaps/
Or to read more about the study:
http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6?op=1#ixzz2VvVuNobF
10/06
Contributed By: Jim Sparks
Indiana Geographic Information Officer
Indiana Office of Technology
100 North Senate Ave.
N551 Government Center North
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Office: (317) 234-5889
gio@iot.in.gov
I’m pleased to announce that Hamilton County is the latest participant in the statewide Data Sharing Initiative! The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners voted last week to allow the County’s land parcels, point addresses, street centerlines, and local administrative boundaries to be added to the IndianaMap.
The IndianaMap helps us to:
• Save time and money
• Increase efficiency, accuracy, and productivity
• Improve communication & collaboration
• Make better decisions and inform policy
• Support economic development
• Increase public access to government
Indiana has created a model for the nation of how to share and distribute state and local data sets. This benefits Hoosiers by saving substantial taxpayer funds by “reusing” the same maps and data many times, and benefits others by strengthening our national geospatial data holding.
Indiana Geographic Information Officer
Indiana Office of Technology
100 North Senate Ave.
N551 Government Center North
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Office: (317) 234-5889
gio@iot.in.gov
I’m pleased to announce that Hamilton County is the latest participant in the statewide Data Sharing Initiative! The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners voted last week to allow the County’s land parcels, point addresses, street centerlines, and local administrative boundaries to be added to the IndianaMap.
The IndianaMap helps us to:
• Save time and money
• Increase efficiency, accuracy, and productivity
• Improve communication & collaboration
• Make better decisions and inform policy
• Support economic development
• Increase public access to government
Indiana has created a model for the nation of how to share and distribute state and local data sets. This benefits Hoosiers by saving substantial taxpayer funds by “reusing” the same maps and data many times, and benefits others by strengthening our national geospatial data holding.
Only four of our 92 counties are not taking advantage of this opportunity to increase the return on taxpayers’ investment in these data – Boone, Marshall, White and Warren. If you have contacts in these counties, please ask them to support this important initiative.
More details about the Data Sharing Initiative can be found at:
http://www.in.gov/gis/datashare.htm
More details about the Data Sharing Initiative can be found at:
http://www.in.gov/gis/datashare.htm
05/06
Contributed By: John C. Steinmetz, PhD
Director and State Geologist
Indiana Geological Survey
Indiana University
Bloomington 47405
jsteinm@indiana.edu>
LiDAR data promise to provide investigators at IGS with an entirely new look at the Earth, very much like putting on a strong pair of glasses and seeing surface details sharply for the first time. Just look at the difference in the detail visible in the two images below. The image on the left is of Indiana's previous Digital Elevation Model (DEM) dataset, and the one on the right is the new DEM created from our new LiDAR dataset.
Director and State Geologist
Indiana Geological Survey
Indiana University
Bloomington 47405
jsteinm@indiana.edu>
LiDAR data promise to provide investigators at IGS with an entirely new look at the Earth, very much like putting on a strong pair of glasses and seeing surface details sharply for the first time. Just look at the difference in the detail visible in the two images below. The image on the left is of Indiana's previous Digital Elevation Model (DEM) dataset, and the one on the right is the new DEM created from our new LiDAR dataset.
Remotely sensed LiDAR data are providing Hoosiers with an exciting new and affordable technology with a multitude of research and practical applications, which we are only now beginning to explore.
We are very excited about these new elevation data products for Indiana, and the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) recently posted this story about these new statewide elevation data assets - http://igs.indiana.edu/Lidar.cfm
We are very excited about these new elevation data products for Indiana, and the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) recently posted this story about these new statewide elevation data assets - http://igs.indiana.edu/Lidar.cfm
05/06
On May 30, 2013 the US Geological Survey assumed operation of the LDCM mission from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Operation includes collecting, archiving, processing, and distributing data products from Landsat 8, continuing the 40 year legacy of the Landsat Project. Landsat satellites give us a view as broad as 12,000 square miles per scene while describing land cover in units the size of a baseball diamond. From a distance of more than 400 miles above the earth surface, a single Landsat scene can record the condition of hundreds of thousands of acres of grassland, agricultural crops, or forests.
Landsat 8 Products and Availability
Each day, 400 or more scenes acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) will be archived at the USGS EROS Center, and are processed to be consistent with current standard Landsat data products. Data will be ready to download within 24 hours of reception.
The Landsat 8 acquisition schedule and calendar is available here:
http://landsat.usgs.gov/tools_acq.php
The standard Level 1 data and LandsatLook (full-resolution jpg) products will be available for download at no charge from GloVis, EarthExplorer or the LandsatLook Viewer.
Landsat 8 images on IndianaView
Additionally Larry Biehl, IndianaView Coordinator reports that processed Landsat 8 images for Indiana are being made available from the IndianaView web site. Each image file contains 10 channels of data representing both the OLI and TIRS sensors. The direct link to this data is: http://www.indianaview.org/glovis/Landsat8_images.html
About IndianaView
The overall purpose of IndianaView is to promote sharing and use of public domain remotely sensed image data (aerial and satellite platforms) for education, research and outreach across universities, colleges, K-12 educators and state and local governments.
Google/TIME Annual Timelapse Viewer
Google also recently released the Landsat Annual Timelapse Viewer - http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/.
Timelapse is an interactive video that allows user to pan and zoom anywhere on Earth and view annual mosaics from 1984 to 2012 of historic Landsat imagery. One feature of the viewer is that users can create custom views of their own areas of interest. The easiest way to do this is to zoom and pan to a particular view, and then click the "Share this view" button, which presents you with a custom URL that you can send to anyone. Alternatively, a user can construct URLs by inserting the appropriate latitude, longitude, and zoom level.
Some Timelapse examples for Indiana:
I69 corridor:
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=38.77038,-87.05304,8.804,latLng&t=2.02
What is going on here???
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=38.6108,-87.02761,10.608,latLng&t=1.55
Bypass around east side of Kokomo:
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=40.46593,-86.14633,8.804,latLng&t=1.47
Fishers/Geist Area Development:
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=39.95363,-85.96973,10.812,latLng&t=2.79
Landsat 8 Products and Availability
Each day, 400 or more scenes acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) will be archived at the USGS EROS Center, and are processed to be consistent with current standard Landsat data products. Data will be ready to download within 24 hours of reception.
The Landsat 8 acquisition schedule and calendar is available here:
http://landsat.usgs.gov/tools_acq.php
The standard Level 1 data and LandsatLook (full-resolution jpg) products will be available for download at no charge from GloVis, EarthExplorer or the LandsatLook Viewer.
Landsat 8 images on IndianaView
Additionally Larry Biehl, IndianaView Coordinator reports that processed Landsat 8 images for Indiana are being made available from the IndianaView web site. Each image file contains 10 channels of data representing both the OLI and TIRS sensors. The direct link to this data is: http://www.indianaview.org/glovis/Landsat8_images.html
About IndianaView
The overall purpose of IndianaView is to promote sharing and use of public domain remotely sensed image data (aerial and satellite platforms) for education, research and outreach across universities, colleges, K-12 educators and state and local governments.
Google/TIME Annual Timelapse Viewer
Google also recently released the Landsat Annual Timelapse Viewer - http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/.
Timelapse is an interactive video that allows user to pan and zoom anywhere on Earth and view annual mosaics from 1984 to 2012 of historic Landsat imagery. One feature of the viewer is that users can create custom views of their own areas of interest. The easiest way to do this is to zoom and pan to a particular view, and then click the "Share this view" button, which presents you with a custom URL that you can send to anyone. Alternatively, a user can construct URLs by inserting the appropriate latitude, longitude, and zoom level.
Some Timelapse examples for Indiana:
I69 corridor:
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=38.77038,-87.05304,8.804,latLng&t=2.02
What is going on here???
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=38.6108,-87.02761,10.608,latLng&t=1.55
Bypass around east side of Kokomo:
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=40.46593,-86.14633,8.804,latLng&t=1.47
Fishers/Geist Area Development:
http://earthengine.google.org/#timelapse/v=39.95363,-85.96973,10.812,latLng&t=2.79
04/06
The World Wind API http://goworldwind.org/ is written in Java so as to be cross-platform and easy-to-use.
World Wind allows developers to quickly and easily create interactive visualizations of 3D globe, map and geographical information. Curated by NASA, work on World Wind began in 2002 and is released under the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA).
World Wind is different from a 3D globe like Google Earth because it is not a completed application targeted at end users. Instead, it is an SDK (software development kit) that software engineers can use to build their own applications. World Wind provides a geographic rendering engine for powering a wide range of projects, from satellite tracking systems to flight simulators.
With World Wind taking care of the hard work of visualizing geographic data (generating terrain from elevation models, selecting and displaying images from imagery servers, etc), software engineers are free to focus on the solving the problems specific to their own domains and quickly building whatever geospatial applications they choose.
World Wind allows developers to quickly and easily create interactive visualizations of 3D globe, map and geographical information. Curated by NASA, work on World Wind began in 2002 and is released under the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA).
World Wind is different from a 3D globe like Google Earth because it is not a completed application targeted at end users. Instead, it is an SDK (software development kit) that software engineers can use to build their own applications. World Wind provides a geographic rendering engine for powering a wide range of projects, from satellite tracking systems to flight simulators.
With World Wind taking care of the hard work of visualizing geographic data (generating terrain from elevation models, selecting and displaying images from imagery servers, etc), software engineers are free to focus on the solving the problems specific to their own domains and quickly building whatever geospatial applications they choose.
04/06
"We are providing worldwide geospatial infrastructure to empower people," says company CEO Kevin Montgomery.
Combine some of your favorite social media tools found in sites like Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin, Blogger, Twitter and Google Earth into a single Geospatial-Centric Collaboration tool and you have Collaborate.org.
Launched earlier this month Collaborate.org already has thousands of layers of geospatial data with the ability to create custom Portals to focus on any issue that can be represented on a map. The image below shows the home page for the "Hawaii Disaster Monitor Network" portal.
So how might we use Collaborate.org here in Indiana? My initial thought is to create the new "Indiana LiDAR User's Group" and "Indiana Census User's Group" that IGIC is sponsoring using Collaborate.org. So stay tuned for more details coming soon.
Read this CNET press release - http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57585660-76/collaborate.org-launches-new-platform-to-map-the-world/, and then go to Collaborate.org and and create your own user account.
Combine some of your favorite social media tools found in sites like Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin, Blogger, Twitter and Google Earth into a single Geospatial-Centric Collaboration tool and you have Collaborate.org.
Launched earlier this month Collaborate.org already has thousands of layers of geospatial data with the ability to create custom Portals to focus on any issue that can be represented on a map. The image below shows the home page for the "Hawaii Disaster Monitor Network" portal.
So how might we use Collaborate.org here in Indiana? My initial thought is to create the new "Indiana LiDAR User's Group" and "Indiana Census User's Group" that IGIC is sponsoring using Collaborate.org. So stay tuned for more details coming soon.
Read this CNET press release - http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57585660-76/collaborate.org-launches-new-platform-to-map-the-world/, and then go to Collaborate.org and and create your own user account.
15/05
Congrats to all this year's Excellence in GIS Award winners!
Large Community
City of Hammond/Hammond Sanitary District: Google Maps API
County (tie)
Allen County Election Board: Voter Registration Application
Marshall County: Permitting Solutions
State or Federal
Indiana DNR, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology: SHAARD GIS
Business or Commercial
Indiana American Water: Mobile Utility Application
14/05
The City of Hammond wanted to leverage its extensive spatial library, compiled over more than 15 years, and stand-up an interactive WebMap. Being a department of two, with only ArcGIS licenses, no server technology, and a bare bones budget, the challenge seemed daunting.
The project began with a request from the Mayor to publish a precinct map with polling locations. Using only an ArcView license, internet connectivity and free Google technologies, GIS staff were able to design a simple map in a single afternoon. Seeing the potential of this free technology, staff spent a week learning it, and by July launched a fully functional, multi-layered interactive WebMap, dubbed HammondGIS. The map includes over 50 layers and is the only place on Gohammond.com where information from multiple city departments, schools and transit systems is brought together and presented on a single page. Using Fusion tables and the Google Maps API, more functionality was added, including the ability to take measurements, find addresses, create links to customized map views, and incorporate Google Traffic and Google Weather.
After approximately 200 work-hours and absolutely no capital investment, the City of Hammond has an interactive WebMap that rivals those produced commercially. First launched to give the public easy access to information, the site is also being used by City staff to streamline their work. Because it is based on Google Maps, people are comfortable with the interface and find it easy to navigate and access the spatial data. By giving Hammond a more user-friendly and professional way of presenting information, potential residents and businessmen are giving the city a second look and everyone is getting more out of the website.
See more at:
http://www.gohammond.com/web/maps/main/HammondGIS.html
http://www.gohammond.com
The project began with a request from the Mayor to publish a precinct map with polling locations. Using only an ArcView license, internet connectivity and free Google technologies, GIS staff were able to design a simple map in a single afternoon. Seeing the potential of this free technology, staff spent a week learning it, and by July launched a fully functional, multi-layered interactive WebMap, dubbed HammondGIS. The map includes over 50 layers and is the only place on Gohammond.com where information from multiple city departments, schools and transit systems is brought together and presented on a single page. Using Fusion tables and the Google Maps API, more functionality was added, including the ability to take measurements, find addresses, create links to customized map views, and incorporate Google Traffic and Google Weather.
After approximately 200 work-hours and absolutely no capital investment, the City of Hammond has an interactive WebMap that rivals those produced commercially. First launched to give the public easy access to information, the site is also being used by City staff to streamline their work. Because it is based on Google Maps, people are comfortable with the interface and find it easy to navigate and access the spatial data. By giving Hammond a more user-friendly and professional way of presenting information, potential residents and businessmen are giving the city a second look and everyone is getting more out of the website.
See more at:
http://www.gohammond.com/web/maps/main/HammondGIS.html
http://www.gohammond.com