May 2007 Newsletter

IndianaMap Legislation Update: Senate Bill 461

The 2007 Legislative session has come to a close, and Senate Bill 461 has reached another milestone: it has been passed by both houses. The final stop for the bill is the Governor's Office. You can read the full text of the IndianaMap legislation on Bill Info. If signed, the bill will:

Establish a Geographic Information Officer for the state
Define framework data
Create statewide data integration plans and data exchange agreements between all levels of government
Require standards to promote data interoperability

IndianaMap on PBS

This month, the IndianaMap will be featured on the local award-winning PBS show "Across Indiana." To see what the IndianaMap is and how people all over the state are using it, tune in to channel 20 at 7:30 on Tuesday, May 15th. You may even see someone you know!

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Storm Data and Weather Effects Mapping

Two very good resources for storm and weather effects have recently been made available by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

The Storm Data Resource Guide can be downloaded at www.csc.noaa.gov/storm_info/guide.html and outlines current weather-related internet resources in a one-page reference document. The Guide organizes these data sources into time-phased categories: before, during, and after the storm.

The second NOAA resource is the Storm Mapping Tutorial, which can be downloaded at www.csc.noaa.gov/storm_info/tutorial.html.

This detailed tutorial covers a wealth of valuable weather data that NOAA creates and distributes before, during, and after hurricanes. Examples include rainfall forecasts, flash flood warnings, wind speed forecasts, and cumulative rainfall estimates. Many of these datasets are available through NOAA but are scattered over many websites and are in different formats. This tutorial guides users, click by click, through the process of downloading, converting, and displaying the data in GIS.

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Lake Rim GIS is Back

From the Northwest Indiana GIS Forum…

The Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are undertaking an update of the Lake Rim IMS site. Over the next year, IGS will redesign the viewer application and coordinate an update of the data layers.

While the Lake Rim GIS internet mapping website is of particular interest to those of us in Northwest Indiana, we realize that there may be other non-local users of the website, and we would like to hear from you as well. Please visit the website http://129.79.145.5/arcims/lrim/index.html to view its current functionality.

The Lake Rim development team requests your comments and suggestions for the Lake Rim redesign. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below so your suggestions can be included in the new site.

www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=739693389158

2007 Indiana Data Users Conference

May 24, 2007, 9am-3:45pm
Indiana State Library

If you use data, especially federal or state data, this is your conference. Featuring presentations by the US Census Bureau, the Indiana Business Research Center, the Indiana State Library, the Indiana Geographic Information Council, and a keynote address by Morton Marcus, this event has something for everyone, regardless of number-crunching experience.

Presentations will be given on many topics, including: the American Community Survey, Census 2010, GIS projects in Indiana, Indiana State Documents, Census "101", and the STATS Indiana website.

For an agenda, or to register online, visit www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/sdc/may2407conference.html.

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Secrets of the Dead

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem encloses the tomb in which Jesus was said to have been buried. Over the centuries, the church was destroyed and restored many times. See how archeologists used photogrammetry to solve the mystery of this edifice. Go to www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_tomb and click on "Clues and Evidence."

Back to Top

GloVis Updates: More Data for You

Another 63 scenes of ASTER data have been added to the IndianaView GloVis server. These include images from June through December 2006, and a few for 2001 and 2002. The data are all in hdf file format. If you have trouble reading the data in this format, you can use MultiSpec ( http://dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu/~biehl/MultiSpec/) to read and display the images and convert them to GeoTiff format.

An additional type of data has been added to the IndianaView GloVis server: the declassified Corona data (from the sensor menu, select De-classified image: Corona). These are black & White images collected on September 25, 1965. They start around Monroe County and go well into the state of Ohio. Another nine scenes will be added in the future, and will cover the majority of southeast Indiana. These data are not registered to any projection; however, there are 12 or so control points in the GeoTIFF files to provide some tie points to latitude/longitude.

Back to Top

Follow the Pollution

The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act identified urban storm water runoff as a source of water pollution. The amendments - and Indiana statute - also recognize the need to study sources of water pollution like runoff. The challenge for counties and cities with urban runoff was to meet compliance requirements, and develop a long-term water quality analysis plan.

The Monroe County Planning Department used GIS to do just that.

They completed a stream assessment showing where runoff originates, indicates land use on each property, and determines which water bodies are affected by the runoff. This combined data provides a baseline for future comparison, and is a key component in analyzing the effects of land use on water quality over time.

Results of the study are available to the public at www.co.monroe.in.us/planning/data.html.

Back to Top

My Maps

My Maps is a new feature of Google Maps that enables users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing. With this release, Google is bringing maps mashups to the mainstream. My Maps allows users to mark locations on a map from a library of icons; draw lines and shapes to highlight paths and areas; add text, photos, or YouTube/Google Videos to a map; add HTML for further personalization; and view their maps in Google Earth.

Users can choose to make their maps unlisted (for personal use or sharing by email) or public (accessible through Google Maps search along with maps shared by other web sites in the KML format). My Maps users can also store maps they have created or viewed when signed into their Google account.

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New Online Seminar Series

IGIC is pleased to announce a new series of educational events: the 2007 Webinars. Webinars combine live online demonstrations with a conference call, letting you fill your brain without ever leaving your office.

The first webinar will be held June 1st. Upcoming topics will include surveyors' online tie cards, a series on cartography, conservation tools, and more!

Surveyor Tie Card Project: Online Access and Use
Friday, June 1st, 1:30-2:30pm
WEBINAR
FREE

Scanned copies of surveyor's section corner description cards (also called tie cards or tie sheets) are being added to the GIS Atlas for Indiana, an online mapping website. The scanned images are available on the new "surveyor tie card - map layer," which allows surveyors, engineers and the public to see this information online. Three counties have already posted their tie cards to the site, affording them secure offsite storage and countywide access to the information.

At this online event, attendees will:

Get step-by-step instructions on how to use the new surveyor tie card layer
Learn tips and tricks for getting the most out of the new layer and the GIS Atlas
Learn how your county can participate in the project

To learn more about this project, championed by the IGIC Geodetic Control Workgroup, visit the project information pages.

Registrants will receive an email with login information and phone number one week prior to the event. Note: This is not a toll-free phone call, long distance charges may apply.

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Classes & Seminars

Geo-Spatial Technologies in the K-12 Classroom
Thursday, May 3rd, 4:30-7:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis
FREE

Register

Are you looking for ways to incorporate orienteering, GPS, GIS, aerial photography or satellite imagery into your classroom? Join us for a quick journey through successful lessons and activities from educators throughout the state. Connections to Indiana Academic Standards, resources, and organizations will be offered. Food will be provided, and professional development points are available.

Project Management Methods for Making Credible Maps
Thursday, June 14th, 1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis
FREE

Register

How can you make maps that are convincing and reliable? How can you make sure that the knowledge you have is passed on accurately? What can you do if your organization's mapping guru leaves? Cele Morris of the Northwest Indiana Center for Data Analysis will guide you through data development practices for creating maps that mean what they say, with accurate, credible data behind them, providing a greater return on your data investment.

Team Navigation!™ and Treasure Hunts!
Friday, July 13th, 1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis
FREE

Register

This unique presentation will engage participants in fun, practical ways of using maps as real navigation tools. It will begin with a Treasure Hunt, using a Treasure Map and a secret puzzle to find a Treasure Chest! Participants, lead by Jeff Coates of TrueNorth and Associates, will learn about:

How you can easily make accurate maps using aerial photographs available on the internet
How to read and use a topo map
Fun interactive ways to introduce maps to others
How to use map and compass together as a navigational tool
More about the family sport of orienteering
How to have a little fun actually navigating!

Exploring Statewide GIS Resources
Tuesday, November 13th, 1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis
FREE

Register

This seminar will include a review and exploration of the considerable resources that are available to Indiana GIS users through the Indiana Geographic Information Council. These resources include opportunities for networking, education for both new and experienced GIS users, guidelines that can help users more effectively develop projects within their communities, and much more. The seminar will also provide an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts and ideas regarding how IGIC can best support the needs of GIS across Indiana. The presenter for this seminar will be Jill Saligoe-Simmel, PhD.

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Online Maps Standards GIS Policy & Guides Projects IndianaMap GIS Inventory What's GIS? GIS In Action Awards Classes & Seminars Links GIS Council Membership Committees Annual Conference Funding Jobs & Internships News Calendar Contact Us Home	home > news > newsletters In this issue... Legislation Update IndianaMap on PBS Storm Data Lake Rim GIS is Back Indiana Data Users Conference Secrets of the Dead GloVis Updates Follow the Pollution My Maps New Online Seminars Classes & Seminars May 2007 Newsletter IndianaMap Legislation Update: Senate Bill 461 The 2007 Legislative session has come to a close, and Senate Bill 461 has reached another milestone: it has been passed by both houses. The final stop for the bill is the Governor's Office. You can read the full text of the IndianaMap legislation on Bill Info. If signed, the bill will: Establish a Geographic Information Officer for the state Define framework data Create statewide data integration plans and data exchange agreements between all levels of government Require standards to promote data interoperability Back to Top IndianaMap on PBS This month, the IndianaMap will be featured on the local award-winning PBS show "Across Indiana." To see what the IndianaMap is and how people all over the state are using it, tune in to channel 20 at 7:30 on Tuesday, May 15th. You may even see someone you know! Back to Top Storm Data and Weather Effects Mapping Two very good resources for storm and weather effects have recently been made available by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The Storm Data Resource Guide can be downloaded at www.csc.noaa.gov/storm_info/guide.html and outlines current weather-related internet resources in a one-page reference document. The Guide organizes these data sources into time-phased categories: before, during, and after the storm. The second NOAA resource is the Storm Mapping Tutorial, which can be downloaded at www.csc.noaa.gov/storm_info/tutorial.html. This detailed tutorial covers a wealth of valuable weather data that NOAA creates and distributes before, during, and after hurricanes. Examples include rainfall forecasts, flash flood warnings, wind speed forecasts, and cumulative rainfall estimates. Many of these datasets are available through NOAA but are scattered over many websites and are in different formats. This tutorial guides users, click by click, through the process of downloading, converting, and displaying the data in GIS. Back to Top Lake Rim GIS is Back From the Northwest Indiana GIS Forum… The Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are undertaking an update of the Lake Rim IMS site. Over the next year, IGS will redesign the viewer application and coordinate an update of the data layers. While the Lake Rim GIS internet mapping website is of particular interest to those of us in Northwest Indiana, we realize that there may be other non-local users of the website, and we would like to hear from you as well. Please visit the website http://129.79.145.5/arcims/lrim/index.html to view its current functionality. The Lake Rim development team requests your comments and suggestions for the Lake Rim redesign. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below so your suggestions can be included in the new site. www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=739693389158 2007 Indiana Data Users Conference May 24, 2007, 9am-3:45pm Indiana State Library If you use data, especially federal or state data, this is your conference. Featuring presentations by the US Census Bureau, the Indiana Business Research Center, the Indiana State Library, the Indiana Geographic Information Council, and a keynote address by Morton Marcus, this event has something for everyone, regardless of number-crunching experience. Presentations will be given on many topics, including: the American Community Survey, Census 2010, GIS projects in Indiana, Indiana State Documents, Census "101", and the STATS Indiana website. For an agenda, or to register online, visit www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/sdc/may2407conference.html. Back to Top Secrets of the Dead The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem encloses the tomb in which Jesus was said to have been buried. Over the centuries, the church was destroyed and restored many times. See how archeologists used photogrammetry to solve the mystery of this edifice. Go to www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_tomb and click on "Clues and Evidence." Back to Top GloVis Updates: More Data for You Another 63 scenes of ASTER data have been added to the IndianaView GloVis server. These include images from June through December 2006, and a few for 2001 and 2002. The data are all in hdf file format. If you have trouble reading the data in this format, you can use MultiSpec ( http://dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu/~biehl/MultiSpec/) to read and display the images and convert them to GeoTiff format. An additional type of data has been added to the IndianaView GloVis server: the declassified Corona data (from the sensor menu, select De-classified image: Corona). These are black & White images collected on September 25, 1965. They start around Monroe County and go well into the state of Ohio. Another nine scenes will be added in the future, and will cover the majority of southeast Indiana. These data are not registered to any projection; however, there are 12 or so control points in the GeoTIFF files to provide some tie points to latitude/longitude. Back to Top Follow the Pollution The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act identified urban storm water runoff as a source of water pollution. The amendments - and Indiana statute - also recognize the need to study sources of water pollution like runoff. The challenge for counties and cities with urban runoff was to meet compliance requirements, and develop a long-term water quality analysis plan. The Monroe County Planning Department used GIS to do just that. They completed a stream assessment showing where runoff originates, indicates land use on each property, and determines which water bodies are affected by the runoff. This combined data provides a baseline for future comparison, and is a key component in analyzing the effects of land use on water quality over time. Results of the study are available to the public at www.co.monroe.in.us/planning/data.html. Back to Top My Maps My Maps is a new feature of Google Maps that enables users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing. With this release, Google is bringing maps mashups to the mainstream. My Maps allows users to mark locations on a map from a library of icons; draw lines and shapes to highlight paths and areas; add text, photos, or YouTube/Google Videos to a map; add HTML for further personalization; and view their maps in Google Earth. Users can choose to make their maps unlisted (for personal use or sharing by email) or public (accessible through Google Maps search along with maps shared by other web sites in the KML format). My Maps users can also store maps they have created or viewed when signed into their Google account. Back to Top New Online Seminar Series IGIC is pleased to announce a new series of educational events: the 2007 Webinars. Webinars combine live online demonstrations with a conference call, letting you fill your brain without ever leaving your office. The first webinar will be held June 1st. Upcoming topics will include surveyors' online tie cards, a series on cartography, conservation tools, and more! Surveyor Tie Card Project: Online Access and Use Friday, June 1st, 1:30-2:30pm WEBINAR FREE Scanned copies of surveyor's section corner description cards (also called tie cards or tie sheets) are being added to the GIS Atlas for Indiana, an online mapping website. The scanned images are available on the new "surveyor tie card - map layer," which allows surveyors, engineers and the public to see this information online. Three counties have already posted their tie cards to the site, affording them secure offsite storage and countywide access to the information. At this online event, attendees will: Get step-by-step instructions on how to use the new surveyor tie card layer Learn tips and tricks for getting the most out of the new layer and the GIS Atlas Learn how your county can participate in the project To learn more about this project, championed by the IGIC Geodetic Control Workgroup, visit the project information pages. Registrants will receive an email with login information and phone number one week prior to the event. Note: This is not a toll-free phone call, long distance charges may apply. Back to Top Classes & Seminars Geo-Spatial Technologies in the K-12 Classroom Thursday, May 3rd, 4:30-7:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis FREE Register Are you looking for ways to incorporate orienteering, GPS, GIS, aerial photography or satellite imagery into your classroom? Join us for a quick journey through successful lessons and activities from educators throughout the state. Connections to Indiana Academic Standards, resources, and organizations will be offered. Food will be provided, and professional development points are available. Project Management Methods for Making Credible Maps Thursday, June 14th, 1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis FREE Register How can you make maps that are convincing and reliable? How can you make sure that the knowledge you have is passed on accurately? What can you do if your organization's mapping guru leaves? Cele Morris of the Northwest Indiana Center for Data Analysis will guide you through data development practices for creating maps that mean what they say, with accurate, credible data behind them, providing a greater return on your data investment. Team Navigation!™ and Treasure Hunts! Friday, July 13th, 1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis FREE Register This unique presentation will engage participants in fun, practical ways of using maps as real navigation tools. It will begin with a Treasure Hunt, using a Treasure Map and a secret puzzle to find a Treasure Chest! Participants, lead by Jeff Coates of TrueNorth and Associates, will learn about: How you can easily make accurate maps using aerial photographs available on the internet How to read and use a topo map Fun interactive ways to introduce maps to others How to use map and compass together as a navigational tool More about the family sport of orienteering How to have a little fun actually navigating! Exploring Statewide GIS Resources Tuesday, November 13th, 1:00-3:30pm, Indiana State Library, History Reference Room, Indianapolis FREE Register This seminar will include a review and exploration of the considerable resources that are available to Indiana GIS users through the Indiana Geographic Information Council. These resources include opportunities for networking, education for both new and experienced GIS users, guidelines that can help users more effectively develop projects within their communities, and much more. The seminar will also provide an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts and ideas regarding how IGIC can best support the needs of GIS across Indiana. The presenter for this seminar will be Jill Saligoe-Simmel, PhD. Back to Top

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