October 2006 Newsletter
IGIC's Top 5 Priorities to Establish the IndianaMap
The IGIC Board of Directors has approved the top 5 priorities required to support the creation of the
IndianaMap. Over the coming months, IGIC members will develop materials which outline the value and
benefits of a single, statewide, accurate basemap. These will be provided to elected officials and other decision-makers.
- Officially recognize the IndianaMap and its role as critical information infrastructure by
defining "framework data," oversight authority, and stewardship
- Amend the Access to Public Records Act 5-14-3 to encourage multi-jurisdiction data sharing of
framework and other geographic data
- Establish a sustained funding mechanism to support creation, maintenance, integration and distribution of framework data
- Provide guidance regarding security issues and appropriate access for public and private geospatial data providers
- Establish a Geographic Names Authority as an official liaison to the National Board on Geographic Names
If you are interested in joining the IGIC Legislative Committee, or have suggestions on the initiative, contact info@igic.org.
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NSGIC 2006 Annual Conference Provides Glimpse of Future
The National States' Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) Annual Meeting took place in Little
Rock, Arkansas last week. IGIC is a member of NSGIC and it is our forum for national initiatives
that benefit Indiana. NSGIC is also the place where we interface with federal geospatial program
leaders and learn about new initiatives. NSGIC has 3 priorities this year, all of which impact Indiana:
- Imagery for the Nation to produce high-resolution, nationwide
imagery as a base for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)
- Ramona GIS Inventory is a nationwide inventory of the current
status and planned geospatial activities in each state (see Indiana at www.in.gisinventory.net)
- 50 States Initiative which identifies criteria, characteristics and activities that
will lead to effective coordination councils in all 50 states
The NSGIC annual meeting covered such topics as "Geospatial Support Task Force" for emergency
management, discussion of future NSDI initiatives, overview of MAPPS federal legislative agenda,
and unique state activities, like the "New York State GIS Helpdesk."
This year, the meeting was well covered by the All Points Blog and NSGIC Blog:
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Call for Abstracts
2007 Indiana GIS Conference
March 13-14, 2007
Crown Plaza Hotel and Conference Center
Downtown Indianapolis
The deadline for submitting abstracts for the 2007 Indiana GIS Conference is fast approaching. Its time
to share your knowledge, ideas, projects and best practices. Submissions for 30 minute presentations are
due by November 1, 2006. More details at www.in.gov/igic/conference.
Don't forget to include:
- Presentation Title (10 word limit)
- Presentation Description (100 word limit)
- List of Any Special Requirements
- Presenter Bios (25 word limit each)
- Contact Info for Primary Contact
Please submit your abstracts by November 1, 2006 in Microsoft Word format to bmg@co.hamilton.in.us, or mail a CD to:
Brooke Gajownik
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
18100 Cumberland Road
Noblesville, IN 46060
(317) 776-2461
bmg@co.hamilton.in.us
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GIS Technology Behind the Scenes of "24"
Geospatial technology education has gone fun and high-tech. Check out this movie clip of how the
producers of the TV show "24" use geospatial technology.
www.geospatial21.org.
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How Can I Get Some Orthos?
or
A Dataset to Call my Own
IGIC has been working with a number of partners in 2006 to make the statewide orthophotography as widely
available as possible, often for low or no cost. Here are a few of your options for obtaining this ground-breaking statewide data:
Download it from Indiana University for free. Hint: Download and install the custom "Download Tool" and visit before 10am,
after 3pm, or on the weekend for best results.
Check it out from your local library. Over 100 libraries around the state have their county's orthos packaged
with a viewer and 70 bonus maps. Visit the
IndianaMap pages for a list of participating libraries.
Purchase individual counties online from the
Indiana Geological Survey
or
IGIC.
Statewide sets of orthophotography, elevation data and color infrared photography are available
by arrangement with IGIC. Contact us 317.234.2924 for pricing and details.
Stream it in to your GIS application. Avoid downloading and conserve much-needed computer space by streaming
in the imagery. Visit the
IGIC website
for how-to instructions on web map services.
View online through the IndianaMap.Look Mom, no software needed! Coming soon to Google Earth and local.live.com.
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National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure
A new traveling exhibit arrives this month at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. National Geographic
Maps will "provide families with an exciting opportunity to immerse themselves in the thrilling world of
maps! Dynamic exhibit elements, grouped by land, sea, air and space themes, invite families to become
explorers, chart new territory and plan their own adventures." Visit the
Museum's website to play games,
meet an explorer or check for upcoming map-related events.
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IGIC Dashboard
IGIC has developed a free, easy-to-use, self-contained mapping application for locating Indiana counties
and county seats. Great for introducing people to GIS, getting basic economic and demographic snapshots,
contact information for local officials, or just finding a co-worker. Download this simple desktop mapping
tool from the IGIC homepage. It's one small way GIS can make everyone's lives easier. www.igic.org
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Free Classes
2007 Seminar Series
IGIC is currently developing the 2007 Seminar Series, and now is your chance to get what you want. Is
there something you need to know more about? Heard of a great innovation but don't know the details?
Suggestions are always welcome - send us an email with your idea and we'll do the legwork. Tentative
seminar topics for 2007 include…
Transportation Applications
How Your Neighbors' Are Using the 2005 Orthophotography, Infrared Imagery, and Elevation Data
Introduction to GIS
GIS for K-12 Teachers
We love to hear from you at info@igic.org.
IndianaMap for Economic Development
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 1:30pm-3:00pm, Lafayette
IGIC has partnered with economic development professionals around the state who have trained on the
IndianaMap package. They will be presenting what they've learned: the basics of digital mapping and how to use the IndianaMap.
Through support from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, copies of the IndianaMap
packages - orthophotography for one county, free viewing software, and 70 additional statewide
data layers - will be provided to up to 6 participants free of charge. Other attendees may
purchase the packages for $30, or check one out from their local library.
To register or for more details, visit www.in.gov/igic/class or call 317.234.2924. Other opportunities
may be available in your area this fall.
HAZUS-Multihazards Training
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will be sponsoring a series of HAZUS-Multihazards
courses to be held at the Indiana State Emergency Operations Center in Indianapolis. HAZUS-MH is a free application
developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that provides users with the ability to conduct scientifically-
based assessments of risk from floods, hurricanes, and earthquake hazards.
All courses provide hands-on instruction using professionally developed curricula. These courses are free to
all participants. Seating is limited, so early registration is strongly recommended.
Basic HAZUS-Multihazards
Thursday-Friday, November 30-December 1, 2006 8:30am-4:30pm
This course provides students with an understanding of the multi-hazard applications of HAZUS-MH
for mitigation, response, recovery, and risk management of earthquake, flood, and hurricane hazards. It also
discusses how HAZUS-MH inventory data can be applied to assessing exposure to other types of hazards.
This course is recommended for anyone involved with or interested in planning for emergencies associated with
flooding or earthquake events. This includes government officials, students and researchers, insurance
companies, utilities and others.
Register by sending your complete contact information to hazusgis@yahoo.com.
Advanced HAZUS-MH Flood Modeling
Monday-Wednesday December 18-20, 2006 8:30am-4:30pm
This course will provide in-depth instruction and hands-on exercises that develop the skills needed to
effectively use HAZUS-MH for modeling the impacts on communities from riverine and coastal flooding. It
includes a detailed review of the methodologies used to compile the extensive out-of-the-box inventory
that is provided with HAZUS. It also discusses techniques for updating the inventory, which is largely
composed of best available national data sources, with more accurate aggregate and site specific local data.
Of particular importance, it identifies those inventory elements that should be given updating priority in
order to produce the best possible loss estimates.
It is recommended that participants of this course complete the Basic HAZUS-Multihazards course and that
they have skills equivalent to those taught in the Introduction to ArcGIS for HAZUS-MH Users Course.
Register by sending your complete contact information to hazusgis@yahoo.com.
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More Landsat Imagery
Additional Landsat 5 & 7 scenes have been added to the IndianaView GloVis server. There are now over
140 Landsat TM scenes and Pathfinder MSS scenes available at the
IndianaView website.
You can also download the Landsat 7 Ortho Image of Indiana. Note that though this is a 260MB zip file, it uncompresses to 580MB.
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Knowing What You've Got
In the process of consolidating Help Desk technology staff, the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT)
requested the mapping support of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) in depicting
the locations of desktop locations and service staff.
Lists of remote facilities and the count of desktop/laptop units at each were being tabulated by IOT.
The locations of service area technicians was known, but it was unclear whether their designated service
areas were reasonable in size or proximity to remote facilities.
Time was of the essence as in any reorganization process, and access to accurate information vital to
making informed decisions.
INDOT made available to IOT one Spatial Analyst resource, and access to a host of spatial layers,
including State, County, and IOT's own service region boundaries.
IOT's lists were Geo-Coded against INDOT's address location layer, and points generated for each facility
and service technician, tying the attributes associated with that particular facility or technician to a point in the state.
A map was created for each of the 13 agencies that responded to IOT's survey of desktops at agencies undergoing
consolidation. An overview map of all agencies under consolidation, and their relative desktop and facilities
count by County was created. Summaries were provided back to IOT in excel format for quality assurance purposes.
According to Sandy Jones of IOT, the "dedicated help and GIS expertise has quickly provided IOT with our Remote Desktop Locator Map."
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