GIS Used to Fight Drunk Driving

Not every new application for GIS gets posted here. However, this one was so different from the norm it was worth a mention. KUSA-TV in Denver has a story on how Weld County Sheriff's Deputies are using GIS to help prevent DUI crashes:

Several years back, law enforcement started working with the Weld County's GIS (Geographic Information System) department to create a map that would pinpoint the stretches of road where DUI crashes are most prevalent.

"Before having this, it was basically by word of mouth," said Paul Wood, Weld County Traffic Division Commander. "[We tried] to get officers together and go through old traffic reports and so forth and try and come up with these hotspots."

The sheriff's office saw new technology as a way to escape that subjective practice.

"What we wanted to do is get out of that paper format of looking at these crash reports and put them on a map and get the human bias out of it," said Matt Dixon, GIS analyst.

Now armed with a map that uses a color system to show the location of hotspots and how "hot" they are, deputies are more confidant as they pick out places to set up DUI checkpoints.

"I think it helps us to target the deployment of our assets and make the most use out of manpower," Wood said.

The spokesman for the Sheriff's Office says that a number of other law enforcement agencies have taken a look at their system with plans to adapt it to their own jurisdictions.

$5 Million Awarded to Promote GIS Education

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $5 million grant to Del Mar College (DMC) and project partners through the NSF Advanced Technological Education Program to establish the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence (GeoTech Center) at DMC. The goal of the GeoTech Center is to increase the number and quality of educated geospatial technicians in the fields of GIS, GPS, remote sensing and mobile- and location-based services (LBS).

Dr. Phillip Davis, DMC professor of computer science says their is shortage of geospatial technicians in the U.S. "Institutions and businesses are worried that this type of work will be outsourced to other countries. We want to keep these jobs here; but right now, there’s not a sufficient number of geospatial technicians to meet the demand," he said. Geospatial technology was listed among the top three high-technology, high-growth industries in the country as part of President Bush’s High Growth Job Training Initiative.

The GeoTech Center is a partnership that includes seven community colleges, four universities, ESRI, and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station.

GE to Add Mapping Software Firm to Utility Group

Corporate behemoth General Electric (GE) is expanding its “Smart Grid” Capabilities for utilities, with the announcement that its GE Energy unit will acquire MapFrame. Dallas-based MapFrame produces applications that allow utility company employees access to real-time information through its mobile mapping system called "FieldSmart." Bob Gilligan, general manager of GE Energy’s transmission and distribution business cited MapFrames software expertise and proven technology in announcing the deal.

FieldSmart is a combination of mobile mapping technology and field automation processes. The system is designed to interface with multiple office systems including the most popular GIS and CAD systems. The firm claims 35,000 users among the utility industry.

MapFrame’s employees will join GE’s transmission and distribution operations as part of the Smallworld business. Smallworld, which focus on GIS applications joined GE Energy in 2000. The deal is scheduled to close at the end of June.

High School Students Learn to see Things Differently in GIS Course

Two California high schools are using GIS to educate students about their community as well as the technology systems used by decision-makers in a new program.

The North County Times has more:

After spending two months analyzing maps, studying topography and cataloging information by locations, Valley Center High School sophomore Abraham Chambers said he sees his city in a whole new light -- from above.

Abraham, 16, is one of 60 students enrolled in a new Geographic Information Systems course at Valley Center and Fallbrook high schools that brings high-tech computer hardware and software used for environmental research and urban planning into the classroom. The class aims to educate students about the community and the technology systems used by decision-makers. It was introduced to the campuses this year after the districts secured a two-year, $450,000 career-technical education grant from the state in 2005.

"This has opened my eyes to a whole different realm of what (computerized maps) can be used for," Abraham said Monday, as he built a map of Valley Center with recently released San Diego Land Use and Management Data.

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With the help of Global Positioning System software and the computerized mapping database, provided by a Redlands-based Geographic Information Systems software company -- Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. -- students learn how to take satellite images of an area and turn them into their own maps that chart trends and store information on everything from crime data to water sources.

Some of the projects the students have worked on include locating all the possible helicopter pads for pilots making emergency landings, mapping popular surfing beaches against known shark attacks and identifying all area water sources. Students who pass the course with an A or B earn course credits for the introductory Geographic Information Systems course at Palomar Community College.

See also: Using GPS to Turn Kids on to Geography

GIS Big in World's Largest Country

China's self-developed Geographic Information System (GIS) industry hired more than 300,000 people and produced 400 billion yuan (about $53 billion U.S.) in aggregate output last year, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The news service attributed the numbers to Zhong Ershun, deputy president of the China Association for Geographic Information System, which also stated that there 20,000 Chinese enterprises engaged in GIS.

The country's growing economy, and government spending, were cited as the main factors driving growth in China's GIS industry. Between 2001 and 2005, more than 20 million yuan has been earmarked by the Ministry of Information Industry as a special fund to fund the development and application of domestic software for GIS.

See also: China to Crack Down on Foreign Surveyors & Mappers

Charting the Unknown: Mapping Bangladesh's Capital

In an age where digital maps are available on your cellphone, it's hard to imagine a place where digital maps simply don't exist. Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries, is such a place. However, University of Alabama at Birmingham Associate Professor Akhlaque Haque, has set out to change that.

Dr. Haque has begun a four-month project to create the first comprehensive digital maps of Bangladesh’s capital city, Dhaka. A native of Bangladesh, Dr. Haque is teaching graduate students at BRAC University in Dhaka to map the capital city. He and the students will travel around the city by car and rickshaw collecting location-specific data on major roadways, railway stations, hospitals and other public service facilities using GPS units.

The team will then import the data into GIS software to create the digital map of the city. The maps will be made available online and presented to local government officials. The team intends to map alternative routes for entering and exiting the city during times of crises, including natural disasters such as the recent floods.

See also: GIS for the Third World

Indian GIS Market to be $10 billion in 10 Years

The market for geographical information systems (GIS) in India is expected to be $10 billion in 10 years The Economic Times reported today. The times quoted speakers at the 58th International Astronautical Congress currently being held at Hyderabad.

Globally, the GIS market is expected to grow from an estimated $4 billion to $150 billion in the next decade.

"India is sitting on a goldmine with tremendous business potential for GIS and its use for land records in 600,000 villages," said Mukund K. Rao, CEO of Bangalore-based Navayuga Spatial Technologies (NST), at a session on GIS and high-resolution imagery market.

With more and more government agencies, private companies and individuals using GIS and high-resolution imagery services, the market is growing in leaps and bounds.

Increasing use of spatial information for planning, infrastructure development, disaster management, business development, and natural resources management are the main reasons given for the growth forecasts.

See also: Still More Indian Complaints About Google Earth
India Publishes First Atlas & GIS Tool
GIS for the Third World

Web-Based Maps No Match for Real GIS

While web-based mapping applications like Google Earth may grab the attention, they can't come close to the power of "old school" Geographic Information System programs produced by companies such as ESRI and MapInfo. So says Patrick Marshall in a recent article on Government Computer News:

To do more in-depth geospatial analysis, you’re going to need a full-fledged geographic information system, or GIS.

GIS solutions offer more than just map displays. They combine the analytical power of databases with the geographic capabilities of maps. As a result, they can produce reports that show at a glance anything from demographic trends to the most appropriate site for a new hospital.

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GIS programs have long been used by engineers, transportation planners and other specialists to track and analyze geographically oriented data, from the location and age of utility lines to deforestation trends.

The snag was that buying a GIS solution meant spending many thousands of dollars on software and thousands more on high-end workstations and training. In recent years, however, GIS programs have gotten both less expensive and easier to use, encouraging broader use in government for a variety of purposes.

Among the varied uses for GIS Mr. Marshall cites are:

• Track the incidence and location of gang crimes to help prioritize resources.
• Analyze demographic data to select optimal sites for neighborhood service centers or new elementary schools.
• Analyze accident data to select the best site for an emergency room.
• Track the location of emergency-response vehicles to help speed their dispatch.

County Stops Selling GIS Data; Cites Security Risk

Santa Clara County, California, has stopped selling GIS data, citing concerns the information could end up in the hands of terrorists. But the plaintiffs in a lawsuit over the high costs of that data claim the security concerns are nothing more than a convenient cover.

More from the San Jose Mercury News:

The lawsuit brought by the First Amendment Coalition alleges the county overcharges for the mapping information - which shows the location of property lines, roads, water and sewer lines and more...

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At the old price of $150,000 for the data necessary to create a map of the entire county, only a telecommunications company and some other government entities have bought and used the data and its accompanying code.

The News says that after Santa Clara County was sued, officials asked the state and federal offices of Homeland Security to evaluate the information in question. Those agencies ruled that some of data - including some the county has already sold - is "protected," which restricts who can view it.

See also: Connecticut Cities Differ On Providing GIS Data

County Assessor Claims GIS Not Accurate Enough; Refuses to Apologize

Mississippi County Assessor W.R. “Bill” Thompson will not apologize to the county’s GIS vendor, Midland GIS Solutions, it was reported by the Standard Democrat:

Thompson said he never received mylars he was promised, according to [County Commissioner Homer] Oliver, and has noted discrepancies of 2 to 3 feet between maps and overlays. Oliver and Commissioner Martin Lucas agreed the discrepancies shouldn't matter as legal descriptions for lots are not affected. The map is just to assist officials with finding the lot in question and there are usually small errors when maps are digitized, they said.

“It’s a best-fit situation,” Lucas said. “It’s an image to see where the property is, period.”

New Madrid County’s GIS, which is supposed to be the same system as Mississippi County’s, may have fewer discrepancies because officials there are able to update aerial photography more regularly, commissioners speculated. “We don’t have the resources to do that,” Lucas said.

While the assessor blames the GIS consultant, in a previous story the Standard Democrat quoted the County Clerk as saying that shortcomings in the GIS were the fault of the assessor, saying:

Without cooperation from the Assessor’s Office to keep parcel information updated, however, “ours will never be completely up-to-date,” [County Clerk] DeLay said. “The (assessor’s) office doesn’t know how to use it because they didn’t take the training we paid for,” Lucas said. “You practice it, you learn it.”

Land Cover Database Completed

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Multi‑Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC) recently announced the completion of the 2001 National Land Cover Database (NLCD). This database describes the land surface condition of each 30-meter cell of land in the continental United States. NLCD 2001 data portrays 16 classes of land cover, the percent of tree canopy, and the degree of surface imperviousness in urban areas.

The NLCD is based on satellite imagery taken in 2001 and was constructed by a collaborative effort of the MLRC. The information in the database enables land managers, planners, agricultural experts, and scientists to identify critical characteristics of the land for a wide variety of uses. "Just as the U.S. Census is fundamental in assessing patterns of national population growth, we also require an authoritative, periodic review of land conditions ‑ a Census of the Nation's Land Resources ‑ to understand how people and the land interact," said USGS Director Mark Myers.

You can download NLCD products from the MRLC website. USGS says they are working with software developers to create publicly available tools that can be used to conduct geospatial analyses of NLCD data on the web. Updated coverage of NLCD 2001 data for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico is expected by December.

The Future of GIS

Jonathan at The Map Room pointed me to a post by Catholicgauze on "The Future for GIS".

Among his thoughts:

What is happening is that many GIS users have no knowledge of geography. With a few clicks of a button a GIS jockey can describe data's distribution but cannot explain why things are the way they are. A monkey can do that work.

So are GIS users destined to become the next administrative assistants? Wander over and post your own thoughts.

See also: Geospatial Technology Is A Burgeoning Industry
Schools Using GIS To Teach Students To Think Spatially

GIS for the Third World

There's a good article today on the Science and Discovery Network's website about how GIS is helping developing countries deal with disease and disasters.

One focus is how Third World countries are using GIS to combat infectious diseases. An example is the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where health officials at the National Informatics Centre are using GIS to track outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis.

GIS is also being used in Thailand, to deal with the bird flu epidemic that still plagues much of Asia. The Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok has started a project to map and track fatal strains of the virus, identifying risk zones and the trajectory of any potential outbreak.

GIS is also increasingly used for disaster management and planning. Emergency workers can use GIS to prepare maps of disaster zones and develop plans. Indonesia is using GIS to identify areas with strong erosion in the Bandung Basin of West Java to combat landslides.

The biggest hindrance to using GIS to solve more of the Third World's problems? A lack of resources, a lack of good software, and a lack of skilled GIS specialists. There is also a reluctance among many governments to make GIS information publicly available due to security concerns.

See also:
GIS Maps Clean Water in Africa
When Disaster Strikes, GIS is a Key Tool

Former MapInfo Exec. Invests in Irish Mapping Firm

Sean O’Sullivan, a former president and chairman of U.S. based, MapInfo Corporation has invested $5.1 million in Dublin-based Mapflow it was announced today. The investment was made through Mr. O'Sullivan's venture fund, SOSventures Investments Ltd. Another
$6.6 million is promised if the company achieves future milestones.

Mr. O’Sullivan will also assume the position of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mapflow founder Simon Dick will leave the board. Harvey Appelbe, another founder of the firm, will remain as Chief Technology Officer and a member of the Board of Directors.

Commenting on his investment, Mr. O'Sullivan praised the current management team and said, “It is truly a gem of the Irish software industry, and the challenge is now to make it a global leader, #1 or #2, in its markets worldwide.”

Mapflow provides location intelligent solutions to the insurance, transport and location services markets. The firm says that the investment will be used primarily be used to fund additional R&D by the company.

GIS Maps Clean Water in Africa

Scientists, working with volunteers, at Earthwatch have compiled a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database of water availability and water quality in Kenya’s Samburu region.

The new GIS database maps water sources, quality, seasonal variability, as well as habitat quality for wildlife and livestock. These maps provide the latest information on water resources, and will be shared with local communities to inform management plans for settlement, grazing, and conservation lands.

The map may also help with public health issues, an important feature in a land where 80% of the diseases diagnosed are waterborne. “If we know a patient comes from a community where the database shows the water is high in amoebas, we know that the patient has a higher chance for that,” said Philip Leitore, a coordinator at Wamba Mission Hospital, which has a partnership with the Earthwatch's Samburu Field Center. Last year the lab at Wamba Mission Hospital detected cholera in a water sample by Earthwatch-supported scientists, prevented a public epidemic that could have affected many in the Samburu population.

The GIS database also shows how wet and dry seasons affect water quality, helping to warn people when and where outbreaks might occur. “We can share data in a context that communities will understand,” said Fred Atieno, a GIS expert. Layers of information can be added to the GIS maps that show the region’s roads, villages, markets, schools, and other features familiar to local communities. Different layers show water source locations and quality, seasonal rivers, and where there is good grazing land or scrubland.

U.S. Defense Dept. Releases Geospatial Standards

The U.S. Department of Defense National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has issued a document, "Enabling A Common Vision", which outlines the overall National System for Geospatial-Intelligence (NSG) standards baseline, Military & Aerospace Electronics reported.

In the document, the NSG has endorsed a set of key specifications known collectively as the OGC Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) 1.0 baseline. These OGC standards include the OpenGIS Specifications for Web Feature Service (WFS), Geography Markup Language (GML), Web Map Service (WMS), Styled Layer Descriptor (SLD), Catalogue Services (CS-Web), and Filter Encoding Specification (FE). Other standards included are ISO 19115 Geographic Information - Metadata, and ISO 19119 Geographics Information - Services.

The NSG standards have a lot in common with those in use by other government agencies and civilians. That was done to allow those involved in Homeland Security to share geospatial data and knowledge other organizations.

Formed in response to September 11, the National Center for Geospatial Intelligence Standards (NCGIS) develops and coordinates geospatial standards with the Department of Defense and other intelligence agencies.

Enabling a Common Vision here.

When Disaster Strikes, GIS is a Key Tool

Canada's Globe and Mail had a story yesterday on the work of MapAction, a British volunteer organization that uses satellite maps and geographic information system (GIS) software to assist in humanitarian relief efforts.

Most recently, the group helped relief efforts during severe flooding in Kenya. MapAction volunteers assisted workers and the Kenyan government in identifying the worst-hit areas and moving resources quickly to where they were needed most.

More from the Globe and Mail:

More and more, relief groups and rescue organizations are turning to satellite-based mapping that can give them a bird's-eye view of a disaster area. GIS software can provide such life-saving information as which way winds are blowing a forest fire, a way of identifying and contacting people who live in an affected area and where food and shelter are available.

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During record flooding in Alberta in 2005, for example, Emergency Management Alberta relied on a GeoExplorer system from Telus Geomatics, a unit of Burnaby, B.C.-based Telus Corp., to manage relief efforts. Rick Brown, acting executive director of the provincial agency, says EMA superimposed more than 375 layers of data on maps of the province that showed current weather conditions, the latest information on homes evacuated as well as the location of roads, waterways, oil and gas wells, residences and other infrastructure.

Before GIS, the agency relied on paper maps tacked up on walls and people in the field calling in information. Numbers written on maps would correspond to notes on separate situation boards, a process that proved to be slow and cumbersome.

You can view some of MapAction's Kenyan flood maps here.
See also: Geocoding Saves Lives After Katrina.

Census to use Handhelds to Minimize Map Errors

In 2010 census, the Census Bureau will equip its temporary work force of 500,000 people with hand-held computers to help them make a more precise count of the people living in the U.S. it was reported today.

The bureau will mail the traditional census form to all U.S. addresses in March of 2006. Experience shows that about 35% of the recipients will not respond. In order to count those people, the Census Bureau plans to send out 500,000 enumerators. The enumerators will carry wireless hand-held computers, specially made by Harris Corp. Over a three-month period, data will be collected and transmitted to computers at 455 regional offices.

About half of census-recording errors come from mapping mistakes, Preston Jay Waite, Associate Director for the Decennial Census said. In the past, the bureau printed paper maps identifying each U.S. household. But census-takers often had trouble deciphering the maps. This time, they'll use computer maps that pinpoint each address to an accuracy of 3 meters.

Field trials so far have resulted in a 91 percent accuracy rate, which Waite said is better than expected. "At first, we wanted to develop the technology ourselves, but we realized that we didn't have the expertise," Waite said.

Researcher Urges Mapping the Great Barrier Reef

A marine scientist today called for the preparation of a "risk map" of the Great Barrier Reef today. Dr. Russell Reichelt with the Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation told The Age that such a map would fill an important gap in knowledge in order to help the reef survive. "There are so many variations around how coral bleaching impacts from place to place, at different depths and locations, and on individual reefs," he said.

Dr. Reichelt proposed creating, "...a map of several layers, similar to a geographic information system. It is quite difficult science — we want to make a map of 350,000 square kilometres of world heritage area." He placed the cost of such a project at, "millions of dollars".

Small Firm Combines GIS With Historic Maps

Two students from the University of Southern Maine (USM) have recently gone full-time with their firm which specializes in combining Geographic Informations Systems (GIS) technology with historic maps and other records. Maine Today has a story about Rosemary Mosher and Kirsten Read Boettcher, co-founders of Orbis, LLC.

Orbis specializes in "land use investigations and historical forensics." The firm uses GIS to create layered maps that show historic geographies and ways property was used in the past.

From Maine Today:

They make innovative uses of mapping software and combine it with painstaking and extensive historical document searches to create rich and graphic portrayals of areas. The end result can tell a real estate developer, for instance, what the history of a parcel is, whether he might encounter graves from a century-gone churchyard or ground contaminated with arsenic from a tannery that was there 80 years ago.

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That sort of graphic interpretation is valuable to many different types of businesses, said Meriby Sweet, director of the Maine Small Business and Technology Development Center at the Maine Technology Institute. Sweet has advised Orbis on the company's business model.

"It provides the linkage between the sort of dry, flat map that says, 'Here's where we sit on the surface of the earth, this is where the boundaries are, where the lakes and rivers and oceans are,' and it adds the dimension - 'look, there's this whole long history of people actually inhabiting this not-so-flat surface,' " said Sweet.

The two principals met at USM. A professor suggested they work on a project together - one that combined GIS with history. When the project ended, they worked various freelance jobs together, combining historic and modern maps using GIS. In 2004, they founded Orbis.

The firm seems to have a found a niche in the environmental field. Ms. Mosher told Maine Today she thinks Orbis can help developers recognize potential issues before they become problems through a better understanding of historical land uses.