Sign up now for Intro to ArcGIS II Training to be held at the GEO-Jobe Corporate Training center in Nashville. We still have a few seats open. Register HERE. Dates are May 28-30. Cost is $1,250.
Picked up portions of this from All Points Blog today. Where 2.0 is a conference dedicated to “neographers”, that new breed of mappers that are using free and open source map technology to develop some fairly advanced and easy to use maps (for the most part). No longer a fringe group, neogeographers are becoming part of the mainstream of GIS. This week is the annual conference pulling in some pretty big names in the GIS and neogeographer arena. Many familiar names and a few that are not as common to the traditional map user.
So the big news for the ESRI user base is how Google and ESRI are going to work together at least in the technical sharing of data sense. From a keynote address, the following highlights show a glimpse of how this will play out (from APB).
ArcGIS Server 9.3 (available in about 4 weeks, per Dangermond) will make its metadata service “scrapable” into KML and thus findable via Google’s geographic search (once known as KML search). Further, ArcGIS Server will be able to publish not only that data as streaming KML (and GeoRSS) but also related services. Dangermond showed finding data from a Portland, Oregon service, visualizing it and then performing analysis, all from Google Earth. Said another way, all data and services served by ArcGIS Server could potentially be findable and usable in any Google mashup. Further, the resultant KML can be used in app that supports the OGC standard.
ESRI has enhanced the API for ArcGIS Server 9.3 (JavaScript/Flash) to make it more conducive to plugging into other Web mapping properties in mashups.
Google is making its geographic search available in its various APIs. To date it was only available via Google Maps and Google Earth applications. Now any Google developers will be able to do “local search” on explicitly tagged data (KML built via MyMaps or 3rd party apps like Platial and Flckr or your GIS!).
According to APB:
These announcements have some important implications for the geospatial marketplace:
1) the use of and demand for ArcGIS Server should rise
2) any geo data or services provider who wants to play on the Web needs to look at how it will provide findability and usability of its data and services in this way
3) geodata-finding portals may, in time, become extinct – if the KML vision for search and distribution becomes a de facto one as well
4) the technology may be available, but the institutional barriers to data sharing may still be blocking the path (as noted in a question at the end of the session)
It seems that costs should come down for budget conscious agencies looking to maximize the ingestion of free data available throughout the Where 2.0 map world, while at the same time managing only those internal datasets that are either required by law, security-focused, or otherwise need to be handled locally. This leaves a plethora of free data that someone else can manage and make available. This news means combining these disparate datasets is now easier and more seamless than ever. “Why can’t we all just get along” just flew out the window.
From the Southeast Wathershed Forum Newsletter
This month the Southeast Watershed Forum launches a new and valuable resource for land and water protection. The Community Resource Mapper provides a free, user-friendly, on-line mapping service that will help communities integrate natural resource protection into their land use planning efforts.
Visitors to the site can create maps at a county, watershed or state level, that compare impaired streams, impervious surface, protected lands, wetlands, State Wildlife Action Plans and much more. The Mapper is unique in that it blends private data with a variety of public data sources and allows the integration of multiple resource layers for a custom view of your community. Much of this resource data is overlooked in the local comprehensive planning process.
TVA has a great list of ways to save money during this summer. With energy costs rising, these may be a good resource.
Top 10 No Cost Steps You Can Do This Summer
- Turn up your cooling system’s thermostat to 75–78°F. Don’t pay to keep your furniture cool — raise it even more when no one is home.
- Perform a do-it-yourself energy audit. You can request a print version or perform your audit on-line at www.energyright.com.
- Lower your water heater temperature to 120°F and reduce hot water use by taking shorter showers and using cold water for laundry whenever possible.
- Turn off lights, televisions and other appliances when not in use. Use the “sleep mode” on computers.
- Remove and recycle your second refrigerator.
- Keep curtains closed on the south, east and west sides of the house during the day to help keep cool.
- Clean refrigerator coils and set the temperature to 36° to 39°F and the freezer to 0° to 5°F.
- Use the microwave; it cooks faster and doesn’t create as much heat as a stove burner.
- Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher’s heat drying option.
- Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when full.
Top 10 Low Cost Steps You Can Do This Summer
- Caulk and weatherstrip around windows and doors to stop air leaks. Seal any gaps in floors and walls around pipes and electrical wiring.
- Change filters monthly — dirty filters make your air conditioning unit work harder.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents; they use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer.
- Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads & repair leaky faucets.
- Tune up your heating and cooling system. Seasonal tune-ups will keep your system running as efficiently as possible. Have your ducts inspected. Repair air leaks and seal and insulate cooling system ductwork.
- Insulate! Add insulation to your attic, crawl space and any accessible exterior walls. Add pipe insulation to first 5 feet of water pipe coming from your water heater. Install light switch and electrical outlet seals on exterior walls. Wrap your water heater with insulation or install an insulating blanket.
- Look for the ENERGY STAR® label when replacing large or small appliances.
- Use power strips for home electronics, and turn off power strips when equipment is not in use. TVs and DVD players, etc. still use power when the switch is off.
- Replace worn-out seals on your refrigerator and freezer.
- Plant a tree! Shade trees placed on the south or southwest side of your home will keep it cooler.
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