March 2006 Newsletter
Indiana GIS Conference
The Indiana GIS Conference is just around the corner. Visit www.igic.org to
register and take advantage of workshops, exhibits, networking opportunities and more…
Pre-Conference Mixer
Want to get started off on the right foot this year? Then the Pre-Conference Mixer on Monday,
March 6th is just what you're looking for. From 7-9pm there will be a new-to-conference orientation,
and tips on how you can get the most out of the event. It's also a chance to meet other GIS
professionals of all skill levels and talk about the issues that are on your mind. Finger
foods and soft drinks are included in the $15 cost. It's the jump start you need because in
two days, it's done. To register, send your contact information (name, organization, address
and email) to info@igic.org.
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PLSS and the GIS Cadastre
How does the Public Land Survey System apply to GIS?
The workshop "Using the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Legal Descriptions to Build
the GIS Cadastre" is a must for 2006 GIS Conference attendees to learn about the pubic land
system. The PLSS is the framework for legal property boundaries and should be the framework
for our mapping, but this method will exemplify gaps and conflicts, since deed lines do not
always match correctly. We'll address questions like:
Is there a difference between what maps show versus what is legally accurate?
How can surveyors and GIS professionals can work together to build the PLSS Framework?
What are the legal requirements for defining the PLSS?
What do GIS professionals need to know about how the PLSS applies to them?
Bartholomew County will discuss the way they used the PLSS to map their county. Learn
about the statewide initiative to link scanned images of the County Surveyors public
records to a GIS application (Tie Card Pilot Project results). Plus, licensed surveyors
can earn continuing education credits for attending the workshop (approved by the Indiana
State Board of Registration for Land Surveyors)!
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Workshops Galore!
Designing Maps to Maximize Impact Make the most of those five minutes with
decision-makers. See how to plan a project that shines.
The GISCI Certification Program for GIS Professionals Get details and strategies
for filling out a successful application.
Using the Public Land Survey System and Legal Descriptions to Build the GIS Cadastre
Projects, perspectives and detailed information on the PLSS: what it means and how to use it.
GIS 201 Get some help wading through the alphabet soup of new GIS technology:
WMS, WFS, RSS feeds, GoogleMaps and enterprise GIS.
End-User Customization of the Indiana First Response Map Application Using out-of-the-box
functionality and data layers, end-users can customize this application to meet a variety of needs.
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Census Offers New Geography
TIGER files are used by communities for address and street data, demographic analysis,
voting districts, and more. The TIGER Map Modernization program is actively re-aligning the
Census TIGER line files to significantly improve their horizontal accuracy. Re-alignment
will be completed nationwide by 2008. In Indiana, 26 counties have been completed (see map).
The Census Bureau is using the best available data sets to improve horizontal accuracies to
7.0 meters or better. So far, the results are quite promising. Below is an example of TIGER
2000 street centerlines and the new TIGER 2005v.1 data.
If you have been approached by the Census Bureau to provide local GIS files for their
re-alignment process, IGIC strongly encourages you to participate. The easiest way for you
to get the best Census TIGER data for your community is to provide them with your local
GIS files for their reference. If you do not have horizontally accurate GIS data for your county, please
ask the Census Bureau to use the 2005 Indiana Orthophotography.
IGIC will be providing the newly released TIGER 2005 First Edition data shape (.shp)
files downloadable from www.igic.org beginning in March. The statewide TIGER data sets combine
all the re-aligned counties as well as all other counties. Census periodically will release
updated versions through 2008. IGIC will continue to make future versions of the re-aligned TIGER
files available through the completion of all Indiana counties.
Follow the links for more information on the
Census MAF/TIGER Accuracy Improvement Project
and TIGER 2005 First Edition.
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Orthophotography Update
At the end of February, acquisition vendor EarthData had shipped nearly all of the photo
tiles statewide while continuing to process those rejected for aesthetic issues. One area of
1,300 photo tiles is being reprocessed to correct a problem with accuracy. EarthData also
resampled and delivered almost all of the 2,700 photo tiles on the border between 6-inch and
1-foot counties.
QC vendor Dewberry has reviewed the digital elevation tiles, and has received 20% of the
color infrared tiles. Pinnacle Mapping, which is handling the deliveries, has sent final
packages to 24 counties, and is packaging and shipping about 2 counties per day. About 70%
of the compressed photo tiles (MrSID) have been delivered to the State, and will be posted for
public download. Reflights for leaf-on tiles started, and new photos for Perry and Dubois
counties have been captured.
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Next Steps in Orthos Availibility
University Information Technology Services (UITS) at Indiana University has been instrumental in
making the 2005 orthophotography available to almost anyone with a computer and an internet connection.
UITS is taking a multi-pronged approach to image distribution, including traditional file-based
download and online viewing/data streaming.
Step One is loading the images to Indiana University's Massive Data Storage System.
This provides a long-term backup of the data and makes them available for free download from
the Indiana Spatial Data Portal website. Imagery for 12 counties is
currently downloadable from the ISDP. See the status map for the latest updates.
Step Two involves loading the images into an Oracle database and creating the necessary
pyramid files which make the imagery available for online viewing. Imagery from this database will
ultimately be accessible from desktop GIS software and server-based applications like ArcIMS.
Imagery for 15 counties has been loaded into Indiana University's enterprise geodatabase.
Step Three will involve creating Open GIS Consortium (OGC) compliant Web Mapping
Services (WMS) to make the imagery widely available for viewing from web and desktop GIS
software clients. The Indiana Geological Survey plans to make these map services available
for public use before the Indiana GIS conference March 7th.
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Welcome New IGIC Board Members
The results are in! Congratulations and welcome to the newest members of the IGIC Board of Directors.
Jim Binkley, City of Scottsburg
Steven Hook, Noble County
Irv Goldblatt, Indiana Center of Excellence for GIS
Bruce Nielsen, US Department of Agriculture
Brad Buening, Indiana Farm Bureau
Kevin Jordan, Schrader Real Estate & Auction Co
Matt Colley, Indiana Underground Plant Protection Service
Steve Adams, Cinergy
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Cooperation Benefits Counties
The Huntington County Surveyor's Office needed a more reliable way to calculate
drainage assessments for land owners. When rain runoff flows into county-regulated drains,
the quantity of water is calculated and land owners pay a fee based on that amount. The fees,
in turn, fund drainage reconstruction and maintenance projects. The Huntington County Surveyor
wanted to replace antiquated, unsupported assessment software with software that could utilize
the County's GIS data. It also needed to be dependable, open source, user-friendly, and affordable.
The Surveyor recognized that working with other counties would result in a well-rounded,
less expensive assessment program. He contacted the consulting firm that had created Huntington
County's GIS and asked if they were aware of any counties who might be interested in working together.
In the end, seven counties agreed to collaborate on designing the software specifications.
The specs improved compliance with state guidelines for drainage assessment and meet the counties'
specific requirements. The partnership also meant that overall expense for the project was lowered,
while customers receive more accurate assessments.
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Seminars
Introduction to ArcGIS for ArcView GIS and ArcInfo (II)
The Polis Center is offering this three-day ESRI Authorized course from March 1-3, at their
training facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. The hands-on course builds upon the skills and knowledge
presented in the Introduction to ArcGIS for ArcView GIS and ArcInfo (I) course by focusing on spatial
analysis, automation of spatial and attribute data, editing, and advanced options for cartographic
display. Special emphasis is placed on building a geodatabase from the design stage through
integration and creation of data and spatial analysis. Course fees as well as online registration
are provided at The Polis Center website.
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