GISMO - Geographic Information Systems and Mapping

NYC Tech in Government conference to host Geosymposium

2011-08-23T16:03:00.001-04:00

We got the go-ahead to hold a 9/11 Geosymposium concurrently with New York City's Technology in Government conference, to be held in November. Stay tuned for details, but it looks like we will have a full day of presentations on Day Two of the conference, November 16. GovTech will be handling registrations and logistics for us. More details to come.

ESRI's Jack Dangermond to Host WWW.WWW

2011-07-13T22:09:00.000-04:00

WWW.Wow. Where else could you find TED founder Richard Saul Wurman, Yo Yo Ma, Herbie Hancock and ESRI's Jack Dangermond all in one place? It's the WWW.WWW Conference, currently planned for September 18/20, 2012.

The conference website describes it as:

WWW.WWW will be a gathering of the greatest, most interesting & curious minds in the world engaged in immersive & improvised conversation. It will celebrate the 21st century while drawing attention to the new patterns & convergences effecting our health & that of our planet.

A unique un-conference that pairs two incredible and unique minds in a single venue. No presentations. No schedule. Just 100 interesting people and 50 conversations.

Richard Saul Wurman, who also founded TEDMED and the eg conferences, and coined the term information architect, is himself a M.Arch graduate who has been exploring the themes of design and place and livable urban environments since the sixties, so it is fitting that ESRI president and fellow mapping pioneer, Jack Dangermond should host the conference. You will recognize other great names associated with the event incuding glass artist Dale Chihuly, who will create an installation for the event and SEED Media Goup's Adam Bly as Science Curator. SEED was an original creator of what was to become one of my all-time favorite MOMA shows, Design and the Elastic Mind.

With conversations interlaced with threads of improvised music, I won't want to miss WWW.WWW, so I've already added it to my calendar. The event will be streamed live to multiple locations and the talks will also be available via a yet-to-be-released, multi-platform tablet application.

Watch http://www.thewwwconference.com for details.

2nd Annual NYCArc User Group Symposium

2011-05-14T16:38:00.001-04:00

pollacks@fdny.nyc.gov

Please join us at the 2nd Annual NYC Arc User Symposium on Friday, June17th, 2011 at the 26 Federal Plaza Conference Center!

There is no cost to attend but registration is required.

Please register at: NYCArc User Group Symposium - ESRI Registration

http://events.esri.com/info/index.cfm?fuseaction=seminarRegForm&shownumber=14674

Registration is filling rapidly so please register soon! Doors will open at 8am. Symposium will begin at 9 am.

Speakers include:

* Keynote: Matthew Ericson, Deputy Graphics Director at The New York Times
* Dave Kraiker, US Census Bureau
* Mark Christiano, National Park Service - Gateway National Recreation Area
* Jim Hall, NYC Department of Education
* Brenden Duffy, MTA Long Island Railroad
* Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont, Spatial Analysis Laboratory

Lightning Talks by:

* Chris Goranson, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
* Sam Wear, Westchester County GIS
* Matt Knutzen, New York Public Library
* Liz Barry co-founder, TreeKIT; director urban environments, Public Laboratory; adjunct faculty Columbia, Parsons, Pratt

NYS GeoSpatial Summit website and online registration now open!

2011-04-26T20:13:00.000-04:00

From Michael Crino:

Hi Folks,

Details on the upcoming NYS GeoSpatial Summit, to be held June 16th, 2011 at the Welch-Allyn Lodge in Skaneateles, NY are now posted on the Summit website at www.nygeosummit.org. Register online today to reserve your attendance at this very special event. Registrations will be limited to the first 200 people. Thanks to a grant from the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, we have been able to roll back the registration fee to the 2008 level. Early registration (until June 1st) is just $85 and includes outstanding food service prepared by the Lodge's in-house chef for the day. A special student rate is also available for the first 20 students to register. You won't want to miss the evening reception on June 15th at the Lodge where you can mingle with our speakers and enjoy world-class acoustic guitar music, wine tasting, hors d'oevres, cooked-to-order pasta, and a special screening of the GeoSpatial Revolution videos with introductions and background stories by Adena Schutzberg.

Don't miss out – register today!

Mercator Society Lecture, April 26

2011-04-13T14:19:00.001-04:00

Matt Knudson invites you to attend an upcoming lecture of the Mercator Society.

http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2011/04/26/toward-national-cartography-american-mapmaking-1782-1800

For details and to RSVP, email Matt at or call him at 212-930-0562.

Toward a National Cartography:American Mapmaking, 1782-1800
Michael Buehler, of Boston Rare Maps, will address the development of mapmaking in the United States in the years immediately after the American Revolution. That period saw the emergence of a cartography that was distinctly American, different in goals, subject matter, methods, iconography and aesthetics. Michael will focus on core features of this new American cartography, particularly how American maps reflected the ambition and optimism characteristic of the early Republic, as Americans sought to transform the landscape in the service of their economic and political goals. The talk will be illustrated with examples and vivid stories from his "Toward a National Cartography" exhibit now on view at the Harvard Map Collection.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
5:30-6:00 Reception
6:00-7:30 Lecture

Margaret Liebman Berger Forum, Room 227
The New York Public Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street

By the City/For the City Map Application

2011-04-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

http://urbandesignweek.org/by-the-city/reports/submit

By the City/For the City invites you to partipate in design for a better New York City. The Institute for Urban Design presents an application that maps ideas for the City submitted by individual website users. By the City/For the City is a "digital placemaking app" designed by PPS: Project for Public Spaces as part of Urban Design Week to be held on September 15-20.

Upcoming Events: GISMO meeting Wed March 23, 2-4:30pm

2011-03-16T13:05:00.000-04:00

Join us for the next GISMO Meeting at the Fund for the City of New York - 121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor (west side Avenue of the Americas/6th Avenue between Broome & Watts Streets)

Mark Your Calendar for Wednesday 23 Mar from 2-4:30pm

Alan Leidner - Information Broker, Northeast Region/US Department of Homeland Security - will present as well as give a live demonstration of DHS Earth.

Doors Open at 1:45pm
Pay on your own social to follow -- 4:45pm at Antarctica Bar/287 Hudson Street
http://www.antarcticabar.com/Directions.html

Upcoming GIS Events - April

American Planning Association National Planning Conference
April 9-12, 2011
Boston, Massachusetts
http://www.planning.org

GITA Geospatial Solutions Conference
April 10-13, 2011
Grapevine (Dallas), Texas
http://www.gita.org

GIS/SIG 20th Annual Spatial/Digital Mapping Conference
April 12, 2011
Burgundy Basin Inn
Pittsford, New York
Get the details on the Conference page
http://www.gis-sig.org/conference.html

NY Time's Japan Interactive Earthquake Map

2011-03-16T12:59:00.001-04:00

The New York Times' Interactive Map of the Damage from the Earthquake in Japan:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/flash/newsgraphics/2011/0311-japan-earthquake-map/index.html?hp

I was able to locate the towns where my friend's brother is teaching English (center of quake zone but far from the nuclear plants, very little structural damage, no casualties) and where my daughter's camp friend's family lives (quite a bit south of Tokyo, out of quake zone).

On a cheerier note, a friend pointed me to this T-shirt on Treadless.com combining Eisenlohr's projection with an image of radio broadcast signal. This is an entry for Oceanic Preservation Society T-shirt Challenge. Theme: Singing Planet. Really neat design.

http://causes.threadless.com/singingplanet/subs/#/submission/1009/

Noreen

WNYC story on GISMOer Jack Eichenbaum's work as the Queens Borough Historian

2010-07-19T12:50:00.001-04:00

(via Lee Ilan)

Was delighted to wake up to WNYC's interview with Jack this morning.

Check out the story about the "new kid on the block", and ask him questions about Queens! http://beta.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/jul/19/passion-all-things-queens/

Congratulations, Jack, and good luck!

House OKs bill to strengthen penalties for 'virtual map' crimes

2010-07-19T11:58:00.003-04:00

...and if they are texting while driving the bomb into the building maybe we can give them another ten....ooo, ooo, can we get them on tax evasion too?

Despite some concern, I doubt that a map site would be charged for providing access to publicly available information. I haven't read the legislation though, but it would seem to open the field for extending sentences on a number of other technical "accessories" that could become a civil liberties issue. Could a defendant get additional time for using a phone to see if the person is home? Or for reading their twitter/foursquare feed?

(via Tom Lowenhaupt)

From Louisiana USA -

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/05/house_oks_bill_to_strengthen_p.html

House OKs bill to strengthen penalties for 'virtual map' crimes
By Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune
May 25, 2010, 7:30AM
A Senate bill to toughen penalties for crimes committed with the aid of Internet-generated "virtual maps," including acts of terrorism, won quick approval Monday in the House.

By an vote of 89-0, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 151 by Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, sending the measure back to the Senate for approval of clarifying amendments made by a House committee.

Adley's bill defines a "virtual street-level map" as one that is available on the Internet and can generate the location or picture of a home or building by entering the address of the structure or an individual's name on a website.

Rep. Henry Burns, R-Haughton, who handled Adley's bill on the House floor, said that if the map is used in an act of terrorism, the legislation requires a judge to impose an additional minimum sentence of at least 10 years onto the terrorist act.

Expand your Geo-Horizons! CUNY Exhibit on Experimental Geography

2010-07-19T11:42:00.003-04:00

(via Jack Eichenbaum)

Experimental Geography debuts in New York this summer at a moment when human engagement with geographic phenomena -- from earthquakes to oil spills -- is markedly on our minds. The exhibition explores the distinctions between geographical study and artistic experience of the earth, as well as the junctures where the two realms collide. Experimental Geography features new practice in a wide range of mediums, including sound and video installations, photography, sculpture, and experimental cartography, created by nineteen artists or artist teams. Exhibition curator Nato Thompson states, "Experimental Geography considers numerous aesthetic approaches that emerge from interpreting space as a cultural phenomenon. As the artists and researchers in this exhibition comfortably move between discursive territory from geography, to urban planning, to cartography to art, so too should the audiences."

Date:
June 24, 2010 - August 27, 2010

College:
CUNY Graduate Center

Address:
365 Fifth Avenue
Manhattan

Building:
The Graduate Center

EXPERIMENTAL GEOGRAPHY PANEL DISCUSSION
Tuesday, July 20, 6.00PM
Issues of artistic engagement with the earth's surface will be explored in this panel discussion with Experimental Geography exhibition curator Nato Thompson, artists Lize Mogel and Trevor Paglen, and David Harvey, social theorist and Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at The Graduate Center, CUNY.

--

Phone:
212-817-7392

Website:
http://www.gc.cuny.edu/events/art_gallery.htm

Admission:
Free

Notes on Geospatial Summit

2010-07-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

Steve Romalewski posted notes on NYC GIS Summit 2010 at

http://spatialityblog.com/2010/05/24/notes-from-nysgissummit2010/

Feel free to post any comments, different opinions, more detailed feedback if you attended.

Also check out Steve's post about a new feature in Google Maps – the ability to modify the cartographic styles used in Google’s basemap. He's interested in thoughts about how this might impact online cartography.

http://spatialityblog.com/2010/05/21/thoughts-about-google-map-styles/

GISMO Summer Meeting: Wed 28 July (3-5pm) @ FCNY

2010-07-12T11:47:00.000-04:00

GISMO Summer Session - Wed 28 July (3-5pm)

Hi, Folks-

Quick note to say GISMO is lined up for a summer meeting at FCNY on Wed 28 July
from 3-5pm. I will also "reserve" space at Antartica for a post-meeting social.
(details on program later this week)

Atlas of Global Conservation

2010-06-01T12:14:00.003-04:00

The Nature Conservancy has produced a lovely hardcover Atlas of Global Conservation. An interactive version is available at http://www.nature.org/atlas/.

A Groundbreaking Look at Conservation
With The Atlas of Global Conservation, readers can take measure of their own place in the world, not only by longitude and latitude but also by the types of habitats surrounding them, by the species that flourish at home but not elsewhere, and by the amount of conservation that has been done — or could be.

The atlas breaks critical new ground in global mapping, for the first time delineating specific freshwater and marine systems such as salt marshes and kelp forests. It also includes first-ever maps of where high concentrations of freshwater birds, seabirds and marine mammals occur.

The edition includes 100 full-color maps and charts, prepared from databases from 70 institutions, including a equation on how quickly humans move in natural areas donated by the Swedish army. Web map viewer developed by ESRI. Data sources are listed at: http://www.nature.org/tncscience/maps/art31241.html

Mapping the Biosphere

Shaan W recently pointed us to another source of environmental maps called Mapping the Biosphere, a project of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), part of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Datasets are downloadable in ESRI ArcView format.

http://www.sage.wisc.edu/atlas/maps.php

NYCArc GIS User Symposium - June 18 at John Jay College

2010-05-28T12:43:00.000-04:00

The NYCArc User Group is hosting a seminar on Friday 18 June. The full day session will take place at John Jay College - 899 Tenth Ave @ 59th Street.

Doors open at 8:00 am. The symposium will run until approximately 4:30pm. Please note that seats are on a first come first serve basis: you must confirm with Steve via email to nycarcuser@gmail.com

8:30AM John Jay College Welcome
Jack Dangermond, President, ESRI— Welcome Video

9:00AM Keynote Address
Inside Out: Analyzing Your Facility in its Geospatial Context
Michael Parkin, Facilities Information Systems Manager
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

10:00AM Break

10:15AM Certificate of Appreciation Presented to GISMO,
in honor of the group's 20 year anniversary

10:30AM Emergency Management: Preparing for Rapid Map Production
Lynn Seirup, Project Manager
Public Safety GIS Data Development Center
NYC Office of Emergency Management

11:00AM Geographic Information Support to United Nations Peace Operations -
Alice Chow, Chief
Geographics Operations Unit
United Nations Cartographic Section

11:30AM Young Street Tree Mortality Study
Jessie Braden, GIS Manager, Central Forestry & Horticulture
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation

12:00PM Vendor Sponsored Lunch & Technical Presentations

1:00PM Providing GIS Support When Getting to the Office is Not An Option:
EPA Region 2 Continuity of Operations (COOP)
Harvey Simon, GIS Coordinator
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2

1:30PM Bad Air Day: Using GIS in the New York City Community Air Survey
Grant Pezeshki, Geographer
Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

2:00PM Technical Presentation

2:20PM GIS examples from the DEP Bureau of Environmental Planning and Analysis
Kaled Alamarie, Senior Hydrogeologist
Ecological Services/Bureau of Environmental Planning and Analysis
*with* Vlada Kenniff, Director, Planning and Water Demand Projections
GIS/Bureau of Environmental Planning and Analysis
NYC Department of Environmental Protection

2:50PM Break

3:10PM Technical Presentation

3:30PM CUNY's Online Maps: Integrating Open Source and ESRI Map Visualization
Tools - Steven Romalewski, Director - CUNY Mapping Service
Center for Urban Research/CUNY *with*
David Burgoon, Application Architect, Center for Urban Research/CUNY

4:00PM Underneath the Hot Spot: What is Causing All That Crime?
Chris Herrmann, Adjunct Professor - John Jay College/CUNY

GISMO Meeting - Wednesday 30 June (3-5pm)

2010-05-26T12:41:00.001-04:00

GISMO is Back! Come Join Us for a Re-launch Meeting on Wednesday 6/30 from
3-5pm at the Fund for the City of NY
http://www.fcny.org/fcny/about/contact/

Elisabetta (Lis) DeGironimo, GISP & Bruce Oswald are traveling downstate to
present the benefits of formal association between GISMO & the NYS GIS
Association http://nysgis.org.

Steve Romalewski will provide an update on the CUNY Mapping Service
http://www.urbanresearch.org/about/cur-components/cuny-mapping-service

Pay on your own social to follow: 5:30pm at Antarctica Bar
http://www.antarcticabar.com/Directions.html

GISMO was founded in 1990 and was, in its' heyday, the New York Metropolitan
Area's largest geographic information systems (GIS) users' group, with over 700
members from city, state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations and the
private sector.

GISMO continues to be a valued forum for sharing information on
well-established and emerging geospatial technologies along with news from GIS
publications, meetings, vendors as well as business, internship and software
training opportunities.

GISMO members range from students to savvy practitioners in & out of
government: all cite significant benefits over the years from the networking
promoted both virtually and in-person.

GISMO meetings will once again be scheduled bi-monthly beginning in July 2010.
We will generally gather at the Fund for the City of New York, with other venues
adopted depending on group size & nature of presentation(s) – "unconferences"
anyone?

GISMO programs typically run two-hours. Future schedules may vary between late
afternoon or early evening to accommodate various sectors of the local
geospatial community.

Check Out the New NYS GIS Association Web Site

2010-04-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

www.nysgis.org

The new site will include improved organization, content and a members only that will provide members with reports on their participation in the organization to assist them in their GISP certification.

Visit the site and send any quesitons or feedback to: info@nysgis.org.

GreenMap.org Goes Mobile

2010-02-17T12:07:00.000-05:00

(via Wendy Brawer)

Dear friends at GISMO

Joining the mobile revolution, Green Map System has two new resources for green living - a mobile website and the first Green Map iPhone App!

Ideal for locals and tourists alike, both are free and feature the beta version of "What's Green Nearby?™" a handy tool for connecting with green resources on the go.

Gain a unique insight into the work and outcomes of locally-led Green Map projects of over 600 projects in 55 countries with Version 1.0 of the iPhone App. Explore Green Maps, videos, photos, Twitter, blog and much more.

Simply type GreenMap.org into any phone's internet browser for the mobile website, or click http://GreenMap.org/app for the App (or search Green Map in the Apple Store).

Questions – call us at +1 212 674 1631 or email info@greenmap.org

Please download a full press release here
http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/files/Green_Map_Goes_Mobile_2-10.doc

Find screen shots and promo images here
http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/en/news/press/presskit

Blogpost
http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/en/node/7844

Feel free to forward this message to all!

Thank you!

Wendy E. Brawer
Founding Director
Green Map System

Think Global, Map Local!

Global - http://GreenMap.org
NYC - http://GreenAppleMap.org

+1 212 674 1631
web@greenmap.org

Geospatial Summit

2010-02-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

*The Summit is BACK!* *

*On May 18-19th the 2010 NYS GeoSpatial Summit will be held at the historic Otesaga Hotel overlooking beautiful Otsego Lake in Cooperstown. Sponsored by the NYS GIS Association and the NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination, the event will be kicked off with a reception on the evening of the May 18th at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Enjoy the reception and talk one-on-one with geospatial leaders from New York State and beyond. In addition, take advantage of the setting to conduct a free tour of the Hall of Fame, and, later, stroll the shores of the pristinelake that James Fenimore Cooper featured in many of his novels and dubbed "Glimmerglass."

The main event will occur on May 19th at the Otesaga Hotel and will feature speakers from the avant-garde of the geospatial industry. They include Steve Coast founder of OpenStreetMap, a collaborative map of the world and organizer of the Atlanta Mapathon; James Fee, GIS developer, analyst, consultant and founder of the provocative James Fee Blog; Nicholas Roy,a member of MIT’s Robust Robotics Group, which is developing unmanned vehicles that can fly without GPS through unmapped indoor environments and robots that can drive through unmapped cities; and Ted Morgan, co-founder of Skyhook Wireless, a company founded to take advantage of the demand for location based services using Wi-Fi technologies. Attendees will have both an opportunity to learn about the latest in geospatial concepts from these speakers and more while being able to take part in the Summit’s interactive panel discussions with each of them.

*Mark the date on your calendar now and REGISTER NOW!

*Make sure to take time out to visit one of the most beautiful spots in New York this spring.

*Also, don’t forget that the NYS GIS Conference will be held this year October 24th-October 26th in historic Saratoga Springs, NY.

* -- Bruce Oswald
NSGIC Homeland Security Liaison
Oswald Associates
Phone: (518) 729-5442
Mobil: (646) 808-4070
E-Mail: bruce.oswald@gmail.com

NYC BigApps Competition

2009-11-19T10:15:00.001-05:00

Check out the NYC BigApps Competition:

$20,000 cash prizes including lunch with Mayor Bloomberg.

http://www.nycbigapps.com/

The City of New York is improving the way it provides information and transparency to citizens. But delivering great information requires great tools. The NYC BigApps Competition will reward the developers of the most useful, inventive, appealing, effective, and commercially viable applications for delivering information from the City of New York's NYC.gov Data Mine to interested users.

Be a GeoMentor!

2009-11-10T11:52:00.005-05:00

Amy Jeu sent me this announcement. If you love mapping and love mentoring kids, don't miss this opportunity:

The Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) software company ESRI has partnered with National Geographic to recruit GIS professionals to mentor students. In true GIS form, they present a map of who is mentoring where. So far, no one has volunteered in NYC (as of Nov. 5). Participation is a great way to kick off GIS Day, which is November 18, just a few days away. Also, see details on Geography Awareness Week, which begins next week.

Please use the http://www.geomentor.org/ website to sign up for the GeoMentor program.

Map Preservation Volunteer Opportunity - October 24

2009-10-09T13:24:00.002-04:00

Map Preservation (literally)

Posted by: "Baruch" barry@droginconsult.com bdrogin
Date: Thu Oct 8, 2009 7:45 am ((PDT))

Volunteers needed to help preserve 1964 World's Fair 130'x166' terrazzo replica of Texaco New York State Road Map designed by Philip Johnson.

Please RSVP to Michelle Langlie (Michelle.Langlie@Parks.NYC.gov) if you wish to participate and forward to anyone you may think would be interested. Full details below.

Saturday, October 24th, 9a.m. - 4 p.m.

Designed by famed American architect Philip Johnson for the 1964 World's Fair, the large-scale terrazzo art pavement was commissioned by Governor Nelson Rockefeller for the New York State Pavilion. Johnson's Pavilion featured a complex of structures: a Theaterama building, three observation towers, and the "Tent of Tomorrow," a 12-story open-air elliptical pavilion capped by the world's largest suspended cable system roof fitted with colored acrylic panels. The "Tent of Tomorrow" became a symbol of the fair, and for its main floor, Johnson designed the largest-known representation of any area of the earth's surface: a 130-foot by 166-foot terrazzo replica of a Texaco New York State road map.

Although the Fair buildings were intended as temporary, 1965 plans for creating Flushing Meadows-Corona Park identified the Pavilion for preservation and reuse. While the Theaterama was later successfully renovated as a community theater, the remaining complex is closed and derelict. Today the Tent is used for storage, and the Road Map is in an advanced state of deterioration from weathering, vandalism, and past inappropriate recreational uses.

We're looking for volunteers to help out onsite on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24th, performing a range of activities from removal of invasive vegetation, to the careful and systematic collection and bagging of map fragments that have been dislodged from the floor of the Pavilion. Instruction would be given to the volunteers on how to go about collecting the fragments before any work would begin. We're looking for volunteers who are responsible, pay close attention to detail, and can follow instructions. Given the historical nature of the work, a certain degree of sensitivity is required. Everyday more of the famous map disappears, making the proposed conservation work critical.

Volunteers should meet at the Olmsted Center (Flushing Meadows Corona Park) by 9 a.m. Preservation Alumni will provide lunch. All alumni, friends, family, co-workers and associates are welcome. There is a lot of work to be done and many volunteers are needed so please feel free to forward to others whom you think might be interested. Additional details will be sent out closer to the volunteer work day. Please visit www.conlab.org to read about previous work done at the site by the University of Pennsylvania and the related exhibition held at the Queens Museum.

If you are interested, please RSVP as soon as possible at Michelle.Langlie@Parks.NYC.gov or at 718.760.6677.

Interesting Article on NYC as User Interface

2009-10-09T13:20:00.003-04:00

Found via twitter:

@redmolly23: Enjoying new Cooper Journal article on NYC as user interface: http://tinyurl.com/yjcljgo.

Cool Ideas:

* "Newbie" versus "Power User" Interfaces (maps for tourists vs residents)

* High Line Park as example of vertically layering natural spaces and pauses into this interface.

ESRI User Conference Plenary Session Videos Now Available

2009-07-21T08:47:00.002-04:00

Watch these videos of the ESRI UC Plenary Session held July 13. Hear from Jack Dangermond, keynote speakers Hernando de Soto and Willie Smits, and leaders who are applying GIS in ground breaking ways. Plus, see demonstrations of the latest ESRI software.

http://www.esri.com/events/uc/agenda/plenary.html
http://www.esri.com/events/uc/index.html

NYCMap Update

2009-07-14T12:04:00.002-04:00

GISMO members,

DoITT has updated the NYCMap data and expanded the feature classes available for free download. The update is the most recent and is based on the 2006 aerial flyover.

To download the data, you must first accept the license agreement. To do so follow the link below.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doitt/html/eservices/eservices_gis.shtml

This is the same basemap data used by NYCityMap - http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/. Make sure to check out this new and enhanced application as well.

Thanks,
Colin Reilly
Director, DoITT Citywide Geographic Information Systems
59 Maiden Lane, 33rd floor
New York, NY 10038

Now Available: DCP's Bytes of the Big Apple and DoF's PLUTO files

2009-06-30T17:36:00.003-04:00

Zoning data for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is now available on the Bytes of the Big Apple page of the DCP website (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/applbyte.shtml) The data is provided as a free download in ESRI Shapefile or file geodatabase format. The data set consists of 4 classes of zoning features: zoning districts, special purpose districts, commercial overlay zones, and approximate locations for restrictive/environmental declarations. The downloadable zoning data will be updated on the last Monday of every month. Updates will include recent zoning changes adopted by the City Council.

Also, the Department of Finance's 09v1 release of MapPLUTO is available. It is
the first release of MapPLUTO using the tax lot features from the Department of
Finance’s Digital Tax Map. More at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/applbyte.shtml

OASIS Beta Launched

2009-06-22T18:37:00.004-04:00

The Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center has released the beta version of a completely transformed OASIS (www.urbanresearchmaps.org/oasis/map.aspx) map site. The updated information system covers New York City open space, including block level detail of land use, parks, evironmental impact and cleanup zones, and community district and political district data. View video tutorials about the site's new features and an updated summary of how the OASIS maps have changed.

NYS GIS Conference, Lake Placid, NY, Oct 25-29

2009-04-28T09:19:00.002-04:00

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Silver Anniversary 25th Annual New York State Geographic Information Systems Conference will be held in Lake Placid, NY on October 25-29.

Topics: Mobile technology, geospatial web, energy, community sustainability, collaboration and technology, climate change, land use change, asset management, data on the internet, and best practices in government, education and in the private sector.

Submit your abstract online by June 24^th:
http://www.esf.edu/nysgisconf/2009/papers.htm

Arab Language GIS Software Launched

2009-04-20T09:48:00.001-04:00

GISMO member Mohamed Elshayar launches first Arab Language GIS Software.

Visit http://www.smartwebonline.com/

Join Elshayal Smart GIS Users Group :

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ElshayalSmartGIS/

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing North Atlantic Region Meeting

2008-11-30T21:07:00.000-05:00

The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
North Atlantic Region Meeting

FEATURING

Mike Umansky from Applied Imagery onÂ

"LiDAR Survey Comparison: Morris County, New Jersey vs. Ramadi, Iraq

on Wednesday, December 3, 2008

6:00 PM Cocktail Hour
7:00 PM Dinner TalkÂ
$30 ($20 Students)

at the Somerset Ramada in New Jersey
60 Cottontail Lane 732-560-9880
RSVP asprs@att.net ASAP
or by Monday December 1, 2008
Walkups may not have a dinner reserved.

Abstract
LiDAR Survey Comparison:Â Morris County, NJ vs. Ramadi, Iraq

LiDAR is used in a diverse array of applications that range from glaciology to archaeology, from defense to urban planning. There are common threads that run through all LiDAR surveys, even though the end uses can vary dramatically. 2 Two examples of the opposite ends of the spectrum are LiDAR surveys in Morris County, New Jersey and in Ramadi, Iraq. One was commissioned by the Morris County government primarily for land use planning, and the other was collected by the US Army for defense applications. This discussion will highlight the similarities and differences in LiDAR survey planning, collection constraints, resultant accuracies, and end user exploitation of the two surveys.

Michael Umansky is the Director of Product Marketing for Applied Imagery, maker of the Quick Terrain Modeler LiDAR exploitation software.Â He currently is responsible for state, county, and civilian markets.Â Prior to joining Applied Imagery, Michael was a Geographic Information Systems Specialist with the Department of Planning, Development and Technology in Morris County, New Jersey.Â While at Morris County, Michael spearheaded the LiDAR acquisition and integration with the county's GIS infrastructure. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resource Management and an Environmental Geomatics Certificate from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

GreenMap Followup

2008-11-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

Wendy Brawer presented at GISMO's November meeting. If you missed it, you can peruse the new website-in-progress at http://OpenGreenMap.org. There are over 2250 sites and the first 30 Open Green Maps to explore today. Click Design Preview on the top bar for the Slideshow or a 5 minute video about the project and some of the forthcoming features.

We welcome you all to add your email to our newsletter box on the homepage at http://GreenMap.org - then you will receive the invitation to this new interactive platform's launch party in the Spring (you can review these monthly emails at http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/en/news/newsletters

GISMO November Meeting - Green Map System will be demonstrating the OpenGreenMap

2008-11-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

Date: Wednesday November 12, 2008
Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Location:
Fund for the City of New York
121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor

Green Map System will be demonstrating the OpenGreenMap.org participatory website-in-progress and sharing the potential of this new new tool for inclusive participation in sustainable community development. Presenters include Thomas Turnbull, lead developer (using Drupal, Google Map and more), Carlos Martinez, Latin America Coordinator (managing interface translations and social network outreach) and Wendy Brawer, founding director. Now involving 500 diverse communities in 54 countries, the locally-led global Green Map movement continues to expand and impact our city and our world.

For more on the origins of Green Map & an interview with Wendy see: http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2006/04/18/sprinkle/

For directions to the fund, go to:
http://www.fcny.org/portal.php/fcny/directions/

Election 2008 Cartograms

2008-11-10T21:14:00.000-05:00

Jack Eichenbaum posted a link to interesting cartograms covering the 2008 Election results:

Cartograms are maps where shape is rudimentarily maintained but traditional areas are distorted to represent another variable like population.

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2008/

Districts and LION 08B Released

2008-10-22T11:59:00.001-04:00

The NYC Department of City Planning is pleased to announce the release
of LION and Districts 08B. The following files are available for free
download from our website.

1. The DCP LION single line street file (08B)- available in both
MapInfo Table and ESRI File GeoDatabase formats.
data >> http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/dwnlion.shtml
metatdata >> http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/meta_lion.shtml

2. The Political and Administrative Districts (08B)- available only in
ESRI shapefile format.
data >> http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/dwndistricts.shtml
metadata >> http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/districtsmetadata.shtml

3. NYC Projection Areas (08B) - available only in both ESRI shapefile.
data >> http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/dwn_pa.shtml
metadata >> http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/meta_pa.shtml

For all other NYC Department of City Planning GIS products, please
visit the BYTES of the BIG APPLE website at:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/applbyte.shtml

Uttam Bera
GIS Specialist, ITD
Department of City Planning
22 Reade Street, 5N
New York, NY 10007

Next GISMO Meeting on Wednesday 12 November 2008

2008-10-22T11:53:00.000-04:00

Green Map System will be demonstrating the OpenGreenMap.org participatory website-in-progress and sharing the potential of this new new tool for inclusive participation in sustainable community development. Presenters include Thomas Turnbull, lead developer (using Drupal, Google Map and more), Carlos Martinez, Latin America Coordinator (managing interface translations and social network outreach) and Wendy Brawer, founding director. Now involving 500 diverse communities in 54 countries, the locally-led global Green Map movement continues to expand and impact our city and our world.

For more on the origins of Green Map & an interview with Wendy see: http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2006/04/18/sprinkle/

NYC OEM Position: GIS Intern

2008-10-07T11:56:00.000-04:00

NYC Office of Emergency Management
Geographic Information System (GIS) Unit

Position: GIS Intern
The GIS unit seeks a self-motivated intern to carry out activities
relating to application and web map programming, map production, and
database design. Familiarity with programming language such as C# or
Java is required. Also knowledge of GIS software packages such as
ArcMap is preferred.

Responsibilities
General:
• Investigate providing GIS functionality on mobile devices
• Assist in serving up aerial imagery via ArcGIS Image Server.

OEM GIS Portal:
• Assist in implementing functionalities as determined by the project
manager
• Assist in code documentation and refining the overall system
documentation
• Develop a user interface style guide that conforms to OEM intranet
style
• Investigate JavaScript API for ArcGIS Server and propose
methodology for implementation within OEM GIS Portal

Minimum requirements
• Currently registered undergraduate or graduate student
• Majoring in Computer Science, Information Science, Geography or
related fields
• Taken at least 2 semesters of programming course.
• Proficient in application programming languages such as C# or Java
and databases such as MS. Sql Server.
• Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems preferred but not
required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of web application development in ASP.Net.
• Willingness to learn new technologies as project implementation
requires.

Applicants should submit résumés and cover letters by email to
jobs@oem.nyc.gov or by mail to the Director of Personnel, New York
City Office of Emergency Management, 165 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn,
NY 11201.

The full position announcement can be found at:

Next GISMO Meeting on Wednesday 10 September

2008-09-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

Thanks to GISMO member & project contributor John Emerson for bringing An Atlas of Radical Cartography to our attention. September’s meeting will feature one – hopefully both – editors of this "collection of 10 maps and 10 essays about social issues from globalization to garbage; surveillance to extraordinary rendition; statelessness to visibility; deportation to migration."

Lize Mar, our confirmed speaker, is an interdisciplinary artist who works with the interstices between art and cultural geography. She & Alexis Bhagat also co-curate the exhibition "An Atlas" now touring nationally - www.an-atlas.com for more information.

Meetings are held at the Fund for the City of New York
121 Sixth Avenue, 6th Fl., New York, NY
Doors Open at Noon

Next GISMO Meeting on Tues 20 May

2008-05-07T12:01:00.002-04:00

Dom Elefante and Eric Yadlovski of the New Jersey Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) will present a functional overview of ERIS, a customized Emergency Response GIS Tool that integrates critical information from easily-queried, right-to-know databases, developed under a regional initiative to share GIS resources among local governments. ERIS data is displayed using available online mapping services and standalone laptops which have been provided to emergency town officials. It has been deployed on emergency vehicles and on Interactive Mapping Services (IMS) as well as a Google Earth-based application designed to be Web accessible.

http://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/GIS/eris.php

http://www.meadowlands.state.nj.us/municipal/gis.html

Thanks to Dom for agreeing to reprise this session, which MERI offered at GITA’ recent Spring meeting in New Jersey!

New York Metro InfraGard Alliance Security Summit May Meeting

2008-04-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

Date: May 22, 2008
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Cisco Systems
1 Penn Plaza, 9th Floor, New York
Topics National Cyber Defense Exercise
Registration, Networking and Vendor Exhibits 9:00 – 9:30

THIS MEETING IS IS FOR SECURE MEMBERS ONLY & RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
To Attend This Event, Please Register at http://www.nym-infragard.us

Agenda

9:30 – 10:30
Introductions and Key Business Issues (IMA Elections)

Joseph R. Concannon, President, NYM InfraGard
Charles A. Muldoon, Jr., InfraGard Coordinator, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI

10:30 – 12:00
Cyber Defense Exercise Briefing

LTC Joe Adams, Professor of Electrical &Computer Engineering US Military Academy West Point
Erik Dean, Information Technology Specialist/Lead Developer US Military Academy West Point
LT Joe Benin, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering US Coast Guard Academy
Keith O’Brien, Visiting Professor, US Coast Guard Academy – Cisco Systems
Bob Marshall, National Security Agency, NSA White Cell, Referee for CDX
Jon Zeigler, National Security Agency, NSA Red Team Lead for CDX
Tamara Yu, Associate Technical Staff, MIT Lincoln Labs

12:00 – 12:30
Lunch

----------------
The National Cyber Defense Exercise is held annually by the NSA where the NSA Red Team and the Air Force 92nd Aggressor Squadron attacks networks designed and built by students at the nations five military academies.

In preparation for the CDX, students from the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD), United States Military Academy (West Point, NY), United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO) United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY), United States Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT), and U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology (Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, participating on a noncompetitive basis) have been directed by NSA computer specialists and faculty in their efforts to incorporate and then defend a network of various commercially-available operating systems, applications and hardware platforms against the backdrop of a simulated military operation that provides an air of added realism.

The talk will provide a background on Cyber Defense Exercise, discuss design trade-offs, review exploits and cover “lessons learned.” There will also be significant time set aside so that attendees can ask questions.

NYC Dept of Finance Handheld Device Presentation Now Available

2007-11-26T12:56:00.000-05:00

Steve Romalewski (CUNY Mapping Service) Michael Ufer (dev408) and Herb Stratton's (NYC Dept of Finance) presentation on "Handheld mapping and data connectivity for NYC Dept of Finance" is now available for download:

handheld_presentation_to_GISMO_11-14-07.pdf

And for fun, David LaShell presented ESRI's very own robot, SARA. SARA was created for ESRI by Penobscot Bay Media. Their Robotic Solutions business unit focuses on developing cutting edge solutions at the crossroads of GIS and the very best of the robotics world.

Find out more about SARA at: http://sara.spatialrobotics.com/labels/ESRI.html

New Jersey GIS Groups

2007-11-20T12:50:00.000-05:00

Ken Reid recommends two New Jersey GIS resources:

New Jersey Geospatial Forum (NJGF) and NJMunicipalGIS at yahoogroups as GIS resource for NJ. NJGF is an umbrella organization for NJ and NJMunicipalGIS has over 160 members.

https://njgin.state.nj.us/OIT_NJGF/njgf_organization.jsp

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/NJMunicipalGIS/?yguid=89749886

GIS Day Event Roundup and GISMO General Meeting

2007-11-05T12:29:00.000-05:00

November 14 is GIS Day. GISMO will be holding its General Meeting on Nov 14 at the Fund for the City of New York.

Some other events of note:

The NYS Dept of Health & Mental Hygiene is offering a map gallery and workshop
125 Worth Street
(212) 788-2221

New Jersey Institute of Technology plans panel discussions and demos by faculty involved in teaching/research in "Information Technology and GIS" to promote interdisciplinary collaborations.

Visit http://www.gisday.com/ for more November 14 events .

GISMO General Meeting - Sept 19

2007-09-05T09:48:00.000-04:00

The next GISMO General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept 19, 2007 at the Fund for the City of New York, 121 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY. For details, please visit the GISMO website.

2007 NEMO Map Design Awards Announced

2007-08-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

The 2007 North East Map Organization (NEMO) Map Design Awards have been annouced. The competition has been established both to honor mapmakers in the Northeast and to promote map making and best practices. Categories have been established to honor professional and amateur mapmakers and those in high school, undergraduate and graduate programs. Groups composed of up to four students may submit collaborative projects.

Best Data Integration—Gregory Fiske, The Albertine Rift: Protected Area Watch
Best Cartographic Design: Small Format—Steve Signell, Documented Terrestrial & Aquatic Invasive Plant Species
Best Cartographic Design: Large Format—Angus McCusker, Mt. Mansfield Hiking Trail Map
Best Analytical Presentation—Jens Hilke, Wildlife Corridors and Suitability in Vermont
Best Interactive Presentation—Sohyun Park, Ithaca Fire Department Gorge Rescue Map: Six Mile Creek
Most Unique—Gregory Fiske, The Albertine Rift: Protected Area Watch
Best Overall Graduate Student Map—Joel Caplan, Parole Officer Caseload Distribution (color version)
Best Overall—Angus McCusker, Mt. Mansfield Hiking Trail Map

View all entries at:
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/maps/nemo/comp/map-comp2007.html

Map Usability

2007-07-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

For a research project I am working on, I am interested in what your favorite usability issues are regarding using online and mobile maps.

Some thoughts:

Everyone is using Google mashups to add maps to their websites. It looks the same, works the same, returns the same kind of data, etc. Is this a good thing?

You spend a lot of money on GIS software, you put a lot of thought into figuring out what data to use, what level of detail, etc, you take advantage of all the nifty little usability enhancements that ESRI put into the latest version, you you publish your map on your website. Are people using it as intended? Are people having trouble? What indicators are you using to find out?

How often does your in car GPS system get you where you want to go? Can you rely on it enough to keep your paper maps at home?

Can you provide examples of web-based maps that you find to be incredibly useful and usable?

Thanks.

I'll keep you updated on what I find, but feel free to add your comments here.

Noreen

IDEA 2007 Conference - Call for Presentations

2007-05-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

The Information Architecture Institute (http://iainstitute.org) is bringing IDEA to New York City on October 4-5 at Parsons School of Design's Tishman Auditorium. Our conference focuses on finding information in overlapping physical and virtual spaces. We are seeking local speakers to talk about the unique information design challenges of GIS, 311, urban planning, etc.

Please review our vision statement and look at last year's conference website. If you are interested in presenting, please send a brief abstract to me for review by our Conference Committee. Also, if you know someone who might be interested in speaking, please forward this
information to them.

IDEA 2007 website: http://www.ideaconference.org

IDEA Vision Statement

Throughout their days, people are engaging with complex information to manage their lives.

And designers now realize that information isn't simply this stuff you find -- the appropriate presentation of information helps people make sense of the world around them.

This conference addresses issues of design for an always-on, always-connected world. Where "cyberspace" is a meaningless term because the online and offline worlds cannot be made distinct. Where physical spaces are so complex that detailed wayfinding is necessary to navigate them. Where work processes have become so involved, and so digitized, that we need new processes to manage those processes.

This conference brings together people who are addressing these challenges head on. Speakers from a variety of backgrounds will discuss designing complex information spaces in the physical and virtual worlds.

GISMO General Meeting - May 23

2007-05-01T09:51:00.000-04:00

Next GISMO Meeting: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 12:00

Chris Goranson – Director, GIS Center/Bureau of Epidemiology Services

NYC Department & Health & Mental Hygiene: Google Mash-Up Sucesses

The meeting will be held in it's usual location:

Fund for the City of New York
121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor

The Fund is on the west side of 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) between Broome Street and Watts Street.

For directions, follow this link: http://www.fcny.org/portal.php/fcny/directions/

Network Neutrality: NYC Council Committee on Technology in Government

2007-04-15T10:48:00.000-04:00

On April 30, 2007, the Committee on Technology in Government will hold an oversight hearing on establishing strong network neutrality principles in order to protect the Internet. The hearing will also examine the issues surrounding the network neutrality debate in the Federal Government and focus on Resolution No. 712, which calls on Congress to create strong network neutrality principles. The Committee is interested in hearing testimony on what network neutrality entails, community concerns regarding its use, and the future of the Internet without protections for network neutrality.

InfraGard Annual Geospatial Meeting

2007-03-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

InfraGard Annual Geospatial Meeting
Wednesday March 14, 2007, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Great Hall at The Cooper Union, Foundation Building, 7 East 7th St, NYC<
http://www.nym-infragard.us

The March GISMO Meeting will be held in conjunction with the 2007 InfraGard Annual Geospatial Meeting.

InfraGard is an FBI program dedicated to promoting ongoing dialogue and timely communication between the private sector and the FBI concerning critical infrastructure protection issues. The FBI and InfraGard members are engaged in this cooperative undertaking in recognition that a public/private strategic partnership is of vital importance to our nation's security.

We are looking for interested Speakers and Vendors and Volunteers for this years meeting. Contact Geospatial Coordinator George Davis at 516-694-1722 for information or email gdavis@nym-infragard.us.

First Reponders: NYC Council Committee on Technology in Government

2006-11-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

On November 16, 2006, the Committee on Public Safety, the Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services, and the Committee on Technology in Government, will hold a joint oversight hearing on improvements in communication technology among New York City first responders.

This hearing will focus on the progress of radio communications for New York City first responders since the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, as well as the creation of the Citywide Mobile Wireless Network (“CMWN”) for public safety personnel and other New York City agencies. Radio communications provide for the immediate exchange of voice information between first responders, while mobile wireless networks offer high-speed data access to support large file transfers, such as anti-crime databases and video footage.

Following the events of September 11, the NYPD and the FDNY each enlisted the services of the management-consulting firm of McKinsey & Company to identify the effective and ineffective aspects of the responses to the World Trade Center attacks the previous year so that New York City can be better prepared for large-scale emergencies in the future; communication technology was discussed in both final reports. In addition, this past September, the Northrop Grumman Corporation was selected to build the CMWN, which will give New York City first responders high-speed access to data, such as fingerprints, city maps, and full-motion streaming video, and allow other city agencies to retrieve real-time emergency management data and share information between incident managers at operations centers and first responder personnel on-scene.

NYS Subway Mashup

2006-10-01T10:34:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty cool NYC Subway/Google Maps mashup...

http://www.onnyturf.com/subway/

Call for GISMO Coordinators/Volunteers

2006-08-10T10:32:00.000-04:00

From Jack Eichenbaum:

Dear GISMO colleagues,

At the last GISMO Steering Committee Meeting (in July before the regular meeting) I spoke about withdrawing from much of my leadership role at GISMO. I've been doing this for 16 years.

I have been retired (from NYC DOF) for more than a year now and I no longer have access to property data files or GIS software. My urban interests have shifted almost entirely to teaching and the understanding of the changing city through the medium of walking tours. I still retain an engaging interest in data and its interface with reality. I will continue to be advisor to OASIS. And I can consult on related NYC urban issues.

GISMO needs additional committed leadership. Leaders should be younger and more GIS-technically aware than I am.

I told the Steering Committee that I would maintain my present leadership level through the end of the year.

Meanwhile, here are some immediate needs:

1. One or more persons who lead or co-lead meetings (I will continue to do this sometimes!)

2. A person to be listed on the GISMO website who can respond to questions about GISMO (might be George

Davis) This should be a GISMO veteran)

3. A liaison with the Fund for the City of NY- our hosts. (possibly filled)

4. An overall leader ready to deal with organizational issues and the stuff between the cracks. As I have.

Possibly this could be done by two people but I'd shudder to hear that it became a committee.

If you have an interest in these issues or in helping with GISMO in general, please attend the next GISMO Steering Committee meeting, Thursday, September 7 at 3:30pm- location TBA. It will be important to know your colleagues. If you think you will be coming please email me (jaconet@aol.com) with any ideas and so I can advise you of any schedule change.

Let me list some colleagues who continue to provide leadership and service to GISMO:

Ken Reid runs meetings and services new members.

Noreen Whysel manages our listserv and yahoo site.

Amy Jeu updates our website (@Hunter).

Mark Ryvkin manages our database.

Karen Rutberg organizes GISMO programs.

George Davis, Joel Grossman, Zvia Naphtali, Wendy Dorf and Dorothy Nash are active members of the GISMO Steering Committee.

We recently feted Greg Studwell (ran meetings) who has moved to Massachusetts.

Mobile Workforce: NYC Council Committee on Technology in Government

2006-06-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

On June 12, 2006, at 10 A.M. at 250 Broadway in the 14^th Floor hearing room, the Committee on Technology in Government, chaired by Council Member Brewer, will hold an oversight hearing on mobile workforce technology initiatives in New York City.

GoogleMaps

2005-02-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

Discussion of GoogleMaps has been lively on my User Interface design lists. Overall ratings for Google Maps are good, but I have problems with the way they locate places based on search.

GoogleMaps
http://maps.google.com/
Posters say they like that you can drag the map and that the directions appear to be more accurate than MapQuest or Yahoo! Maps. To find places on the map, you can use their search boxes on the right or enter a search in the bar above. It wasn't apparent at first exactly how to find groups of things like hotels or grocery stores, which is organized as a layer on Yahoo (click a box marked restaurants). I had to take the Tour to figure that the search bar is the way to do this. Using the search bar you can plot places like restaurants, hotels, etc. based on info on web pages they have stored, which is sort of wild but not always accurate or complete. I prefer Yahoo!'s ability to plot items that are categorized as what they are vs having the word in its name, e.g., if you search for "Farm" you get a lot of State Farm agents.

But one thing Google does well is to tie a particular location to its "more like this" search function. If you click a search result, it will point you to the website of the entity in question or a list of websites of nearby related entities. This is less seeing it on a map than finding what may be nearby. Unfortunately, if you try to use the back button to return to the map search results, you get the default GoogleMaps view.

As for the interface, I had a tendency to reset the map back to the entire US view by accident, while using the zoom function. The Zoom and Reset buttons are a bit close and not otherwise labeled. Reset button looks a lot like "Recenter" to me. Also, if you pan off of the US and try to zoom in, you get a lot of blank images with red Xs. And don't try to find South America, Europe or Russia. The oceans go on forever....

Here are a some similar maps in other parts of the world:

Search.ch Map (Switzerland)
http://map.search.ch/
A blogger recently suggested that Google copied the interface from this site. It uses an aerial photo layer that is fun to zoom into, but probably not entirely necessary for the purpose of the site.

Map My India
http://mapmyindia.com

from a post on sigia-l:

Although the quality, accuracy and detail [of mapmyindia] isn't comparable but at least in some respects such as download speed and ease of marking major landmarks, it's actually better than Google Maps and Mapquest.

To see how it works, search for Juhu, Mumbai, Maharashtra. You can plot hotels, banks, ATMs etc on the map using the menu on right. One cannot however, link to a particular location without subscription.

The design of the site is led by a 19 years old Stanford sophomore,
Rohan Verma. http://nripulse.com/Archives/Profile_Rohan.htm

Maps Aid Community Decision-Making

2005-02-10T14:01:00.000-05:00

February 9, 2005, Municipal Art Society
CITI map technicians Earl Dunn and Marcus Sheftall from Bushwick’s Academy of Urban Planning are becoming celebrities at their local community board meetings. At each meeting of Community Board 4 and its land use committee, the10th graders project large maps on a screen by accessing www.myciti.org with a wireless laptop.

Following the meeting’s agenda, students zoom into areas and properties being discussed and answer questions from board members about local zoning, property ownership and other planning related issues.
Map Technicians at Brooklyn CB4 Map Technicians at Brooklyn CB4 Marcus Sheftall and Earl Dunn compare a rendering of a proposed new firehouse design for their community with its building footprint and surrounding land uses.

Earl and Marcus were chosen after a month-long application process that included applications, map-making, resumes, cover letters, and interviews Nadine Whitted, District Manager at CB4. “Once they told me I got the job I was very excited, being that it’s my first job,” Marcus says. “Then when I found out that a friend of mine Earl Dunn was employed also, it helped because at least I would know someone else there. We went through training for two weeks, which was fun because I learned a lot.”

The training program for the students and their teachers was designed by the Municipal Art Society Planning Center and the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, lead partner at the Academy of Urban Planning (AUP), a New Visions school.

“The students really look forward to coming to the meetings and see that they are making a valuable contribution to discussions,” says Meredith Phillips, Urban Planning Coordinator at AUP who has integrated the program into the school’s theme-based activities. “They are learning a lot about community participation – and having a great time in the process!”

After the last CB 4 meeting in January, several members of the board came over and marveled as the students created and queried the maps for information. Even NYPD officers asked for maps to use as reference for their work in the area.

How to Get Involved

The CITI Youth program is expanding into new high schools and community boards next fall and has only 4 spots left for new host schools. If you are a community board member or educator that would like to find out more about the CITI Youth program contact citi@mas.org.

Municipal Art Society
Community Information Technology Initiative
http://www.myciti.org

Newsweek features GIS

2004-06-08T13:02:00.000-04:00

Mainstream magazine, Newsweek, includes a piece on GIS in its June 7 cover feature on wireless technology:

Newsweek, June 7, 2004
Making the Ultimate Map
http://www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.do?itemID=480037&extID=10032&oliID=213

Street Maps in Political Hues

2004-05-20T13:02:00.000-04:00

Excerpt from Street Maps in Political Hues
By TOM McNICHOL
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/20/technology/circuits/20dona.html?th

Published: May 20, 2004
The New York Times

"FOR proof that all politics is local, look no further than Fundrace.org, which follows the political money to your front door. While records of campaign contributions have long been available online, Fundrace has a twist: plug in any address and retrieve a list of all the donors in the neighborhood, the names of their favored candidates and the amount bestowed."

GISMO Meeting July 15, 2006

2004-05-10T13:02:00.000-04:00

The next GISMO meeting is tomorrow, May 11th from 12:00pm-2:30pm at the Fund for the City of New York, 121 Sixth Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY. Michael Schill of the NYU Furman (Real Estate) Center will discuss the NY Times 2/6 Exposure of New Web site www.nychanis.com. Anyone interested in geographic information systems software is welcome to attend. No need to RSVP. Lunch is provided by the Fund.

The next meeting is Thursday, July 15: Discussion on future of GIS/GISMO/NYC/NYS.

For additional details please see the GISMO website at http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/gismo.