June 2006 Newsletter
Elevation Seminar
Back by Popular Demand
In addition to great color and color-infrared photography, the 2005 Orthophotography Project also
produced statewide digital elevation models (DEM) and digital surface models (DSM). Both the DEMs
and DSMs are now being delivered.
The May 25th the IndianaMap Seminar featured these elevation models. Brian Mayfield of Pinnacle Mapping
Technologies and Mike Kling of the US Geological Survey (USGS) presented to a full house. The focus was on practical
uses - working with different software applications to generate contours, hill-shades, 3-D fly-throughs, and
feature/building extraction. USGS's plans for integrating the data into the National Elevation Dataset (NED)
were also covered. Attendees will use the elevation data for a broad range of applications:
- WiFi Line-of-Site Mapping
- Watershed Delineation
- Improved Soils Maps
- Environmental Litigation
- Development Design
- Flood Map Modernization
- Agricultural Engineering
- Environmental Remediation
- Groundwater Protection
- Surface Runoff Analysis
If you missed it the first time, you're in luck. Demand dictates a repeat performance on this one, folks!
This seminar is FREE of charge, but seating is limited. Please sign up early by sending your complete contact
information (name, phone number, email, and address) to polis@iupui.edu or call 317.274.2455.
Digital Elevation (and Surface) Models Seminar
Thursday, June 22nd 9:30am-12:00pm
Indiana State Library, Room 401
Indianapolis
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GIS vs. Bird Flu
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Poultry experts are turning to sophisticated computer imaging to help them prepare for
the expected arrival of the deadly bird flu virus in the US later this year.
Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is being used to pinpoint the location of commercial poultry flocks,
feed mills and processing plants, said Sherrill Davison, professor of avian medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
The information will be used to help create buffer zones around an infected flock and contain the H5N1 strain when it
makes its US appearance.
Experts have also been using Google Earth to get details of locations like buildings, schools and roads near large
chicken and turkey farms and production houses.
Get the full Reuters story at
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060530/tc_nm/birdflu_mapping_dc_1 or by going to
http://news.google.com/news and searching on "GIS & Poultry."
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The IndianaMap
What is it and what does it mean to me?
The IndianaMap is a single statewide map for Indiana. It includes the information people need most in a
format that is accessible to both expert GIS users and the general public. IGIC has championed the development
of this vital resource for the last five years.
The IndianaMap Project is a portfolio of ongoing projects that lead to the creation of this map. That means gaining
consensus on what's needed, building the map, educating people on its use, and making it widely available.
Activities this year alone include:
- Developing an online version of the IndianaMap which includes the ability to stream data into other applications
- Pioneering the $7.3M statewide orthophotography project
- Working with government, private industry and the public to develop "Framework Data," the information of most use to the most people
- Putting the IndianaMap on DVD in 100 libraries around the state
- Developing online tools like the self-reporting GIS inventory and data library
- Conducting outreach through seminars, public forums, and exhibits
Want more information? Visit
www.indianamap.org to see and use your IndianaMap.
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Software Discounts
IGIC members are eligible to receive 15% discounting on MAP2PDF from TerraGo. MAP2PDF leverages
the Adobe® Acrobat® PDF document standard to provide a portable mapping format, known as a GeoPDF™.
With MAP2PDF, users are able to create and publish georegistered maps. Simply create a map using your
GIS software, then export the data to a GeoPDF using MAP2PDF.
You can share GeoPDFs with anyone who has Adobe Reader®. They can view the maps, turn layers on and
off, query attributes, display coordinates, and create redlines and notes. Changes can be exported for
review and consumption back into the master GIS database, all without the need for non-GIS users to have
GIS applications, databases or any knowledge of how they work.
To take advantage of this discount, contact the IGIC offices at 317.234.2924 or
info@igic.org.
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Show Us Your Big Brain
IGIC is hosting a series of forums this summer to discuss Indiana's framework data for the IndianaMap:
defining what it is, how to get it, how to fund it, and how to maintain it. If you have a stake in
obtaining statewide addresses, roads, tax or district boundaries, parcels, orthophotography or any number
of other essential datasets, you are invited to join us.
Bring your little grey cells for a meeting of brainstorming and problem solving.
Addresses and Roads I
June 16, 2006 9am-12pm
Indiana Farm Bureau
225 S East Street
Hall C
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Addresses and Roads II
August 25, 2006 1pm-3pm
Indiana Farm Bureau
225 S East Street
Hall B
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Boundaries and Parcels
June 16, 2006 1pm-3pm
Indiana Farm Bureau
225 S East Street
Hall C
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Orthophotography: 2005 project wrap-up
July 28, 2006 9am-12pm
Indiana Farm Bureau
225 S East Street
Hall D
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Orthophotography: Maintenance
July 28, 2006 1pm-3pm
Indiana Farm Bureau
Hall D
225 S East Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Waters
August 25, 2006 9am-12pm
Indiana Farm Bureau
225 S East Street
Hall B
Indianapolis, IN 46202
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Orthophotograph Update
On May 10th, Pinnacle Mapping Technologies finished delivering the color tiles and 1:20 MrSIDs to all 92 counties.
Acquisition vendor EarthData has shipped all elevation and infrared products and Pinnacle is packaging those for
delivery in early June. Final production of the First Responder and AccuGlobe viewing applications are underway
with delivery scheduled for mid-June.
EarthData finished 2006 reflights for the areas with heavy leaves. The new photos are scheduled for delivery in July.
IGIC has arranged for US Census, US Geological Survey, Google and Microsoft to receive the photos. The EROS Data Center
at the US Geological Survey will receive a copy of the photos for long term archiving and access to other federal agencies.
The IGIC Board voted to recognize Anna Radue and Indiana University - University Information Technology Services for their
efforts in setting up the download site, the webmap and web feature services. These sites get hundreds of hits per day.
Visit gis.iu.edu to see why.
The IGIC Board also voted to recognize the Indiana Geological Survey for their efforts to post the orthophotography on
their webmap server.
http://129.79.145.5/arcims/framework/ortho/Run.htm
and
www.indianamap.com.
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Google Earth Pro: Out for a Test Drive
By Kevin Jordan, Schrader Real Estate & Auction
Google Earth (GE) is a free interactive map application for your computer, available for both the PC and Mac.
In its simplest operation, type in an address or city and fly straight to the aerial of that location. If that
location happens to be Seattle, WA you'll notice that GE gives you the option of showing the terrain of the land
- Mount Rainier in the distance - and even the buildings downtown. Layers of information which can be projected
onto the map include shopping malls, banks, lodging, and more. Need driving directions as well? Just click the
Directions tab and enter your endpoints and receive back your route, turn by turn.
GE Pro's additional features extend the usefulness into professional and commercial uses. Let's say you are
doing some research on a neighborhood in your hometown and need to estimate its size. GE Pro allows you to measure
the area of a polygon or circle in several different scales. You can also import and display a spreadsheet of
addresses or annotate site features on a map. A recent example in my work made use of the native ESRI shapefile
import mechanism that allowed me to leverage technical work and data into the marketing of a property. The GE
interface allows you to bring a level of information about a property to potential customers in a way that cannot
be duplicated on printed material.
Try it out for yourself at
http://earth.google.com.
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ESRI and Trimble Announce the Launch of the 2006 Mobile Government Grant Program: Coastal Communities
ESRI, the leading developer of GIS software and spatial solutions for local government, and Trimble, a leading
innovator of GPS technology, announce the launch of the 2006 ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Grant Program:
Coastal Communities.
Totaling more than $96,000, the ESRI and Trimble software, hardware, and training grants will be awarded to a total of 10
state, regional, and local governments within the United States. The grant program is open to all disciplines engaged in
activities that serve coastal communities. Both ESRI and Trimble recognize the need to support those government agencies
whose work efforts must consider the distinctive issues that coastal government must address in dealing with development,
delivering public services, and developing sound environmental and conservation policies.
The grant program has been established with two goals in mind. The first objective is to provide assistance to state,
regional, and local government agencies in establishing 10 models that demonstrate concepts related to the development
and implementation of innovative GIS and GPS applications aimed at improving government processes. The second objective
is to provide reusable applications that can be shared between governments with similar projects via ESRI's public domain Web site.
The ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Grant Program is a vehicle that provides additional applications specific to mobile
government. Applications developed by the grant recipients will be posted on the ESRI public domain Web site beginning in
November 2006. Government agencies can visit this Web site to download applications that have been posted throughout the
past year and exchange ideas on issues that affect their communities, helping them better serve the public. Through
this grant program and the ArcPad public domain Web site, governments can continue to meet their objectives via the
open exchange of ideas and shared resources.
To learn more about the ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Grant Program: Coastal Communities, visit
www.esri.com/grants/mobilegovt.
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Imagery for the Nation Needs You
Several national organizations, including Urban & Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and
the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), are asking for input from all counties,
cities, tribes, state agencies, regional governments, and others regarding current use and need for
orthoimagery. This input will help with a Return on Investment analysis for a proposal that is being
put forward to Congress asking the federal government to fund orthoimagery for the entire nation on an
ongoing basis. Your input is important to the success of this initiative. It is gaining more support
every day, and seems likely to be successful, but we need to continue to be proactive in building more
support. Please review the brochure describing the initiative at:
http://www.nsgic.org/committees1/documents.cfm?cid=67,
then take the brief survey at the link below. It only takes a few minutes. Thanks!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=142981927739.
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Free Seminars: Whole Lotta Learnin'
IndianaMap Seminars and Road Shows
These half-day seminars and full-day Road Shows are all
FREE of charge, but seating
is limited. Please sign up early by sending your complete contact information (name,
phone number, email, and address) to
polis@iupui.edu or call
317.274.2455.
Practical Uses of the 2005 Color Infrared Imagery
Monday, June 19th, 1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, Room 401, Indianapolis
The 2005 Indiana Orthophotography Project includes statewide color infrared imagery.
What can these oddly-colored aerial photos tell us about the Hoosier State? Kelly
Johnston from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Dr. Lin Li of
IUPUI will explore practical applications of this unique infrared dataset. What
hidden secrets otherwise invisible to the human eye are revealed about water, soil,
vegetation, and the built environment in Indiana? Learn how color infrared imagery
gives us another tool to understand the world around us.
Digital Elevation and Surface Models
Thursday, June 22nd 9:30am-12pm, Indiana State Library, Room 401, Indianapolis
Among the most exciting deliverables of the 2005 Statewide Orthophotography Project is the DEM
(Digital Elevation Model) and DSM (Digital Surface Model) data. This workshop will show working
applications using this data. Topics covered will include visualization, site modeling, data analysis,
and product animation in 3-D. The workshop will also provide attendees with helpful tips and tricks for
translating, mosaicking and working with the data. Brian Mayfield of Pinnacle Mapping Technologies will present.
Addressing Do's and Don'ts
Wednesday, July 26th,1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, Room 401, Indianapolis
Addresses are vital to nearly everyone in Indiana - government, private sector and
public alike. But finding and knowing which ones are "correct" can pose a problem.
Find out what's going on in the effort to create a statewide address database, where you
can go in the meantime, and how to use the data intelligently once you get it. Speakers will include
Larry Stout of Hamilton County, Brooke Gajownik of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and
Jill Saligoe-Simmel of IGIC.
IndianaMap: Orthophotography Road Shows
Join us for a full day of presentations and discussion on the statewide orthophotography,
elevation data and color-infrared imagery. Topics will include product descriptions, release
schedule, public availability and - most important - practical uses. Afternoon topics will
vary by location, and special attention will be given to a free viewer packaged specifically
for First Responders to use in emergency planning and response. More details are available
at the IGIC website.
Terre Haute, Thursday June 8th
Ferdinand, Thursday June 22nd
Richmond, Tuesday May 23rd
Sellersburg, Tuesday July 18th
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New Definition of "Building Site"
http://imaps.indygov.org/ed
Indianapolis needed an easy mechanism to maintain and disseminate information about commercial and
industrial properties that are available for sale or lease. The solution was to develop an online guide
http://imaps.indygov.org/ed to economic development opportunities in
the city. The Indianapolis Economic Development Portal provides a webmap-based property search tool to locate
commercial and industrial properties for sale or lease, online resource guides, economic development links,
demographic data, and information about local amenities.
The on-line map and real estate display system shows each property with color aerial orthophotography and parcel
boundaries. Each property has a photo and details about square footage, lease or purchase information, and broker
contacts. The map displays Community Development Corporation boundaries, enterprise zones and revitalization
districts. One especially creative component is that all other businesses in the area can also be displayed.
There is a huge amount of information available on the site. Users can get demographics, information about taxes,
housing and employment, and learn about Indy's cultural districts. The site also creates a demographic report
(population, age, race, labor force, employment, housing stock, etc.) for a user-defined buffer around any
specific site of interest.
The portal is a state-of-the-art tool to attract business, bring buyers and sellers together, and inform everyone
about the many amenities of Indianapolis. The site gives Indianapolis a very competitive advantage in bringing new
businesses to the city.
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Story Time
Do you have a story about how your organization is using the 2005 orthophotography? Know of someone who is
applying the imagery in creative or effective ways? We want to hear about it! More than festive cocktail banter,
your story can help IGIC build a case for continued maintenance of the statewide orthophotography. If you're using
it now, you can play an important part in making sure you have it in the future. Send us a short email at info@igic.org.
Even a sentence or two can make a difference.
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