November 2006 Newsletter
Indiana University Does GIS Day
Indiana University will celebrate GIS Day Wednesday, November 15, 2006, from 10:00am to 3:00pm in the Herman B.
Wells Library on the Bloomington Campus.
The event will include a keynote presentation by Indiana State Senator David C. Ford, chair of the Senate's
Economic Development and Technology Committee. Senator Ford's presentation, entitled, "A Vision for Future
Applications of GIS," will begin at 12:00pm. Indiana University will provide a live broadcast of the presentation
at
http://dms.iu.edu/stream/gis/. You can send GIS-related questions
for Senator Ford to uitsgis@indiana.edu.
In addition to Senator Ford's keynote address, GIS professionals in the Bloomington area will give brief
presentations on a wide variety of topics including global positioning systems (GPS), the City of Bloomington's
interactive map, and Monroe County's award-winning GIS. Chat with educators about on-line and classroom GIS training
opportunities. Learn how to access the new 2005/2006 Indiana Orthophotography data and online services. Come talk with
GIS professionals who will showcase their GIS applications and services which are shaping the future of how we live and do
business in Indiana.
Visit the IU
GIS Day Website for more information on events, speakers
or to download a brochure.
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Evening @ the House - Innovation in Networks
This year's Spirit & Place Festival includes an event that could prove interesting to GIS professionals…
"What innovations are needed in Central Indiana to build a strong economy and develop human capital? What is
the economy of the future? Join a lively conversation led by Ed Morrison, Director of Leadership at the Indiana
Humanities Council, to explore these questions. Over drinks and light appetizers learn about the Open Source
Economic Development model, which has accelerated economic development in the Cleveland area. Open Source software
technology will be used to map participants' key networks, measuring the connectivity and human capital ties within the
group. The purpose of the conversation is to convene and inform a critical mass of leaders that will act as a catalyst
for change and innovation in three key action areas: building strong economies, developing human capital, and encouraging
connectivity between the public, private, and government sectors. This discussion and workshop will combine traditional,
age-old economic challenges with innovative software technology. Participation is free. Please register for this event
by e-mailing info@tld.org. Presented by Indiana Humanities Council and Trustee Leadership Development. Questions? Call
(317) 638-1500 or e-mail lptaylor@iupui.edu."
Thursday, November 16th 5:00pm-7:00pm
Indiana Humanities Council
1500 North Delaware
Indianapolis, IN 46202
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NSGIC Honors Indiana GIS Advocate
The National States' Geographic Information Committee presented Indiana representative Jill Saligoe-Simmel with
high honors at their annual conference in Little Rock in September. Ms. Saligoe-Simmel was awarded the
organization's Outstanding Service Award for "upholding the highest ideals of promoting good and effective government."
Congratulations, Jill, on being recognized for your exceptional and dedicated service to NSGIC and the nation.
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Grant Opportunity for Local Government
ESRI, the National Vacant Properties Campaign, and Magellan have announced that funding is available for the
National Vacant and Abandoned Properties Grant Program.
Applications are due December 1, 2006.
Fifty thousand dollars in grants of software, hardware, and training will be provided to 10 state or local governments to
foster innovative approaches to solving government and community problems through the combined use of GIS and GPS technology.
Application guidelines for this grant are accessible at www.esri.com/grants/esri/econ_dev.html.
For additional information, contact Shelley Christensen, ESRI Industry Marketing at shelley_christiansen@esri.com
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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 has been extended! So you still have
time to share your knowledge, ideas, projects, and best practices.
Please submit your abstracts by November 15, 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
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A Single Version of the Truth: Empowering Governments with a Single Mapping Database
By Kenneth Clay
Many state, county and municipal governments are plagued with a fundamental problems which can severely hinder
the goals of their individual agencies, interagency collaboration and the overarching mission of protecting and
serving the public. The problem is the lack of a single, highly accurate, shared mapping database and subsequent
uniform spatial understanding.
At best, the lack of a common mapping database can result in minor inconveniences - duplicate street naming,
mailing errors or traffic snarls from insufficient signage. At worst, results can include serious public health
hazards, poor emergency response and lapses in environmental protection. When armed with different maps, multiple
agencies do not share a common understanding of reality or mode of communication, which can lead to serious
operational and policy disconnects.
The key is to develop a single, comprehensive mapping database including all the common information needed by state
agencies (as well as counties and municipalities within the state), while supporting the unique data, applications
and "language" of each agency. The goal is to develop a uniform understanding of location.
Read Mr. Clay's full article at
www.in.gov/igic/policy
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Giving Something Back: 2010 Census LUCA Program
The Local Update of Census Addresses program, also known as LUCA, is a geographic partnership program of the
US Census Bureau. It provides an opportunity for state and local governments to review (and correct) the data
contained on the Census Bureau's master address list. By ensuring the Census Bureau has an accurate list prior to
taking the census, local governments can help ensure an accurate count for their jurisdiction.
Why is the LUCA program important to your community? A February Government Accountability Office report indicated
that in 2000, about $283 billion in federal grant money was distributed to state and local governments by formula;
states received their share of this money based in part on annual population estimates derived from the 1990 census.
When the population estimates were updated to reflect 2000 census results, an additional $388 million in federal grant
funding went predominately to the 23 states that had above-average estimate revisions. Clearly the stakes are high, and a
complete count is vital to cities and towns nationwide.
LUCA program announcement letters are scheduled to be mailed in January 2007, and the Census Bureau will conduct a series
of orientation workshops March through June. These orientation workshops will explain the LUCA program, the various options
available, and offer a demonstration of the Census Bureau's new MAF/TIGER Partnership software. By attending an orientation
workshop, a local government will be able to determine which of the participation options is right for them.
The Census Bureau will also be conducting 3-4 hour technical workshops, tentatively scheduled for August through October 2007.
The hands-on events will be for people conducting the address reviews.
Visit the
IGIC website or the
Census Bureau for more information on the LUCA program.
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Student Poster Competition
IGIC is announcing the opening of the 2007 GIS Poster Contest. It provides an excellent forum for students to present
their handiwork to the entire Indiana GIS community. All current undergraduate and graduate students from Indiana
universities are eligible to submit posters showing how GIS is used successfully.
PRIZES!!!
First Place: $250
Second Place: $150
Third Place: $100
The posters will be displayed during the 2007 Indiana GIS Conference, and pictures of the winning posters will appear
in the IGIC newsletter and website. It could open the door to future job opportunities or even cash rewards!
For more information on submission criteria, visit the
conference pages.
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Free Classes
2007 Seminar Series
The 2007 seminar series events have tentatively been scheduled for the first half of the year. Topics will include:
January: Keep it Moving with Maps: GIS for Transportation
February: Introduction to GIS for Policy-Makers
May: GIS in the K-12 Classroom
June: Making Credible Maps: How and Why
July: GIS Applications for Business
Exact dates, times, and complete information will be posted to the IGIC website next month. If there is a hot topic you'd
like to hear more about, just send us an email at info@igic.org.
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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IndianaMap Exhibit
A new exhibit on the IndianaMap is coming to the Indiana Statehouse. The display explains what GIS is, and
shows how people in Indiana are using GIS to make our state a safer, healthier, and more profitable place to live.
If you plan to be in downtown Indianapolis from November 15-30th, stop by the south atrium of the Statehouse to check it out.
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Just the Facts
The South Bend Police Department has always kept records on all crimes officers respond to, but analyzing any
relationships between individual crimes or identifying any emerging patterns has been difficult.
Working with the City, the police department created the Regional Crime Intelligence Unit (RCIU) to map out
where crimes are occurring. The City made software, training and a manual available. The Bureau of GIS maintains
information on streets and addresses, including an Address Locator Manager that eliminates the need to manually adjust
addresses due to spelling or abbreviation issues. Crimes are entered and weighted based on the severity of the incident,
and maps are produced monthly.
The new tools are used by the police department to:\
- Identify neighborhoods with comparatively high concentrations of crime. With this information, commanding officers can more effectively distribute police resources to those areas.
- Show the impact of police resources in a community. While people's perceptions of police action can be subjective, the new tools provide objective and quantifiable measurements of crime levels.
- Develop investigative leads to solve burglaries, robberies, motor vehicle thefts and a variety of other crimes. Without the new tools, police would not have a "map of attack."
- Map parolees and sexual offenders. This information can be invaluable when there is a sudden rash of crime.
- Quickly discern if drug and weapons violations occur within 1,000 feet of prohibited areas. Formerly, police would have to physically measure the distance between a drug violation and a school. With the new tools, police get spatial information instantly.
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