Richard Duncan, GEO-Jobe GIS’s Vice President, was explaining the Trimble Yuma to K-Towns finest! 

We would like to thank everyone for coming!

We just completed our first stop on our #techroadshow

I had a client upgrade to ArcGIS 10 this week, and when they tried to open an existing .mxd they received an error about VBA code being detected but not having a VBA license.

Wait, a VBA license?

Yes, at the ArcGIS 10 release you need to obtain a VBA license in order to open .mxd’s that have VBA customizations.  If you’re having the same issue, here’s how to get everything working:

1.  Email ESRI and request a VBA license.  It is free, and will come in an email as an EFL<number> code.

2.  Run the setup for ArcGIS Desktop VBA Resources for Developers from your ArcGIS 10 disk/.iso.

3.  Open ArcGIS License Server Administrator and go to Authorization > Authorize Now.

4.  Under Authorization Options, choose ‘I have already authorized core licenses and need to authorize additional extensions.’  Choose ‘ArcGIS Desktop’ under Product to be Authorized.  Click Next.

5.  Choose ‘Authorize with ESRI now using the Internet.’

6.  Fill out your authorization information.

7.  Click the ‘Other Extensions’ button on the Authorize Software Extensions screen.

8.  On the Other Extensions screen type VBA under Feature and paste in your EFL number.  Choose the number of licenses you are authorizing.

9.  Choose Ok, and complete the authorization.

Verify that your VBA license is in place by going to Server Manager > Availability, and verifying that an entry for VBA is there. Once this is done you will be able to open your customized .mxd’s.

More information:

Migrating VBA Customizations to ArcGIS 10

VBA and VB6 with ArcGIS: What’s the story?

Using VBA with ArcGIS Desktop 10

ArcGIS Desktop and VBA?

Imagine you are tasked with maintaining one or more water GIS datasets and need an easy way to snap laterals between meters and mains, or you want a fast way to easily perform valve isolation traces. For those of you in such a situation or who simply manage water and sewer GIS databases there is hope in esri Team Water‘s Infrastructure Editing Template for ArcGIS 9.3 and 10. This set of FREE tools can automate those tasks for you, and do a whole bunch of other stuff too. I’m going to show you the minimum amount of stuff you’ll have to do to get this running with your data.

Before I get into this I want to explain that this is a crash course, so I will not be providing each and every step involved with getting this going. I am assuming you are a competent GIS editor and are confident with Geometric Networks. There is no way I can “teach” you how to build, and maintain Geometric Networks within one blog post, so if you don’t know about them ask someone who does over at Team Water’s Forum, or read the documentation, or sign up for esri’s Geometric Network class, or get a book and have at it like I did. If you are starting from scratch with Geometric Networks, just know that they are not something you can pick up and learn over night… it took me the better part of a year to get myself to this point. Also, I only have ArcGIS 9.3 so thats what I will be telling you about, configuring this for ArcGIS 10 is different.

Enough, lets get this show on the road.

1. Obtain permission from database admin and IT admin to install software and modify your water geodatabse. For safety sake, and first timers, use a test copy of your database.
2. Install the Infrastructure Editing Template according to the included instructions. Enable the Water Utilities Editing, and Water Utilities Reporting toolbars in ArcMap.
3. Build a Geometric Network, and put connectivity rules in it. Hints: Mains and Laterals are complex edges, include most everything in your network, don’t snap higher than the default tolerance, weights are not important at this point, set Fittings as the default junction subtype for Main to Main and Main to Lateral, and use Pump Stations and Meters as sources and sinks. It is wise to look at the error table placed in the root of the database; fix these for best results. For help refer to the ArcGIS Desktop help.
4. Set up the Network Editing Template config file located at C:\Program Files (x86)\ArcGIS Templates\Water Utilities\Network Editing\EditTools.config . Hint look at every option with “AddServiceLaterals_ blah blah blah” for the lateral snap tool, and look at the options for ”TraceIsolation_blah blah” to config the valve isolation trace tool. Spend some time experimenting with these; I still am.
5. Fire up your .MXD you use for editing, add _Net_Junctions to the Table of contents, save this.
6. Start editing, and begin to use your new toolbars. To get an idea of how they work watch this video from Team Water.
7. Refine your settings and enjoy the new functionality. Hint: set default Fitting type(or subtype) to Tap in your geodatabase for auto laterals.

That should get you pointed in the right direction; now, I know there are many other factors involved in deploying this in an Enterprise environment like SDE Replication, so do some planning and see how it can be done. I do it here at Geo Jobe by replicating all of the data without the Geometric Network, and then build the Geometric Network on my replica after everything is syncing fine; it is working fine for now, and if/when the replicas break I’ll just have to delete the network and start over again… it is not too hard to pick up where you left off with Geometric Networks, unlike Topology. If faced with this situation document your existing connectivity rules, and weights before nuking the old one.

Also, I know some of you wonder how you might load new GPS data into an existing Geometric Network, because you cant use the simple Rt Click>Load Data with them; use Append  under Data Management Tools > General in the toolbox. It will load stuff in there, but you will have to use some of your GIS ninja skillz to get that new data integrated into your existing Geometric Network, just remember to snap everything up and Connect everything when your are finished, and for good measure use the Repair Connectivity Command, Verify Connectivity Command, and Verify Network Feature Geometry Command located on the Geometric Network Editing Toolbar. Be careful when doing this in an versioned environment.

I hope you get this stuff running and it makes your work easier. I was able to snap in about a thousand laterals in less than half of a day for one of our clients, Milcrofton Utility District. If you like this sort of thing check out the Team Water Blog, or you can follow me on

I am often doing utility GIS like so many of our customers. For those not in the know, that is Water, Wastewater, Stormwater, Gas, etc. The hard part about each one is that they are all different networks. Pipes are connected to fittings, valves, and laterals and they transport material around creating many different interactions. For the average person, just being able to have a utility district map in a digital format is great, but what about those who want to maximize their GIS? What can esri’s ArcGIS Desktop (ArcEditor and up) do to help better understand these connections and overall networks? There is this nifty Geodatabse feature called a Geometric Network and it is designed to model flow through utility networks. According to esri (with my notes in parentheses)

“A geometric network is a set of connected edges(line features like pipes and laterals) and junctions(point features like valves and fittings), along with connectivity rules that are used to represent and model the behavior of a common network infrastructure in the real world. Geodatabase feature classes are used as the data sources to define the geometric network. You define the roles that various features will play in the geometric network and rules for how resources flow through the geometric network.”

In other words they allow you to set up rules that determine what and how things connect, where flow starts or ends in a network, and help maintain and enforce quality assurance and quality control.

What about that modeling thing you mentioned earlier? Well modeling in a Geometric Network is known as “Tracing”, and it can tell you stuff like what meters would be disconnected if a particular section of main is shut down for repair. With tracing you use “flags” (starting points for traces) and “barriers” (places in the network path which traces cannot continue) to interactively set up each trace. You can flag meters that call in without service and do a common ancestor trace to determine where the problem originated.  This alone allows you to perform awesome on the fly outage management. However, trust me, tracing can be tricky, but once you get the hang of it you will seem like a GIS genius.

Screenshot Note: the green arrows along the lines are indicating flow direction, and the orange lines are indicating indeterminate flow (loop condition) – my emphasis added with long arrows

Oh yea, GIS editing is significantly streamlined with these too. For example, instead of manually adding and snapping a Tee where a lateral connects to a Main, you can set the rules of a Geometric Network to do it automatically for you, or you can set it up to put a fire hydrant at the end of a hydrant lateral automatically, or whatever point data needs to go at the end of a pipe or between pipes in any given utility network. When a Geometric Network does add data, it is automatically snapped together.

Now Geometric Networks are super cool and all that, but lately I have been trying to figure out the easiest way to get stuff like this(Video) from esri’s Team Water to work. I’ll save that stuff for another post.

Like everything in the technology world, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination, so if you go down this rabbit hole make sure to get comfortable with the help documentation (press F1 from within ArcMap/ArcCatalog and read away), or just contact me Nick Selleh here @ GEO – Jobe. If this seems neato why dont you Follow me on Twitter.

Mapping Sustainability with GIS

We all know the power of spatial information. Most of us use it every day when we use Google Maps or another online or mobile app to navigate to a new location or find the closest coffee shop. But beyond making our daily lives more convenient, spatial information is helping construct a more sustainable future.

Data-driven Maps
A map is a powerful image, but paired with data, it can do so much more. A Geographic Information System, or GIS, allows an infinite amount of data to be ‘attached’ to the map. We humans can naturally

interpret much more in visual form than from simply viewing at a database. With maps, we can easily see the spatial relationships, for example between how a wildfire spreads in relation to the topography of the land and the wind direction; or between point sources of pollution and where a contaminant accumulates along the water system.

Another benefit of attaching data to maps is the ability to “crunch” information and create new knowledge. We can map the spread of a pine beetle outbreak over time to see how it’s moving and create a predictive map showing hot-spots. In this way, we can target actions and resources to combat it where it is likely to have the most effect.

We can overlay many types of information to see relationships. For example, a regional planner might need to locate potential new bike paths through a city or propose routes for public transit systems. She would need to consider many factors such as existing roads and paths, current gaps in connectivity, population statistics, existing businesses, facilities and housing options. Current and planned land use and ownership will have to be considered, as well as potential amenities or barriers such as existing parks, wetlands and waterways.

Sustainability Examples
Applications of GIS mapping to sustainability are as endless. From forestry, to water quality, to habitat conservation to regional planning. I’ll highlight just a few examples, starting with renewable energy. We all know that we have to wean ourselves from fossil fuels, and wind energy development is one way of doing so. Wind energy resources are currently being developed all over the world and here in the western US, and GIS is instrumental in their planning and development. In a recent analysis I conducted, we analyzed over 80 different layers of information across the state of South Dakota to determine and evaluate possible locations for new wind farms. These layers included information about protected lands such as national and state parks and forests, wetland areas, stream networks, groundwater resources, bird migration routes, threatened and endangered species data, land use maps, transportation networks, sensitive cultural and archeological sites, soil types, geology, wind patterns and much more. After using all this information to narrow the field to three candidate locations, site-specific mapping and analysis was done in order to evaluate environmental impact, apply for necessary permits and plan for construction of transmission lines and access roads.

Another application of GIS in sustainability is in helping make local food available. There are many places across the US where populations have limited access grocery stores and healthy foods, much less local produce, though there may be plenty of fast foods and unhealthy choices available. These are known as ‘food deserts’. Besides being an important social issue, the fact that people must drive to get food also creates an additional ‘green’ issue. GIS can be employed to help identify these “food deserts” and help cites and non-profit groups strategically plan for new community gardens and farmers markets. A great example of an online GIS showing many layers affecting food access is the Food Atlas (http://ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas/). Users can turn layers on and off to view and query the statistical data behind the map.

Global scale to small scale
GIS is used at every level of government, in academia and the commercial sector. There are sustainability applications in fields of biology, planning, resource management, remediation, engineering, climate studies and many more, and sustainability issues are being mapped and addressed from global and continental scales to the very site-specific. Studies on climate change are an obvious global-scale application of the technology. Scientists also track continental scale effects of deforestation and analyze the pressures contributing to it and possibilities for addressing the climate, social, environmental and economic effects. There are myriad site-specific applications such as in precision agriculture, organic farming and permaculture. One can map in detail the soil types, water regime and slope contours of a given plot of land to effectively manage a farm, and can use this information to track, analyze, and improve yields over time.

A high-growth industry
The above is just a small sampling of GIS in sustainability. A web search will turn up many more, as the applications are virtually unlimited. GIS is currently a high-growth industry. According to the US Department of Labor(http://www.doleta.gov/brg/Indprof/geospatial_profile.cfm), the market for geospatial technology is growing annually at a rate of almost 35 percent; the commercial portion expanding at 100 percent each year. Applications in sustainability are a major reason for this. GIS is offered as a degree program and many colleges and universities with degrees ranging from associate degree to the PhD level. There are also many online and short-courses available for those starting out or testing the waters.

Kelly Sparks is the founder and principal trainer for GIS Training Source, providing GIS training and consulting nationwide. With 12 years of experience at the intersection of mapping and sustainability, she is passionate about mapping a course to a greener future. Follow her on Twitter @GISRocks

from esri.com

Service Pack 1 (SP1) is now ready for download. Lots of good stuff in SP1 so I encourage all Desktop users to download and install this Service Pack.

Go here for information on what’s part of SP1.

SP1 Download Page

Great example of a small city in Texas with a whole lot of vision to make their citizens SAFER through the use of GIS.. Congratulations Frisco, TX on a job well done!

The City of Frisco, TX, GIS team showcases SAFER: Situational Awareness for Emergency Response, a first responder system. Susan Olson, GIS Manager and members of her team highlight the use of intelligent maps in public safety throughout city departments. Assistant Fire Chief Bob Siebert illustrates how the system is used during a simulated fire at a school, to identify where the fire lanes and hydrants are, handle evacuation planning, and identify hazardous materials inside the building. from esri.com

From the ESRI Support Blog

Version 2.30 of the Trimble^® GPS Analyst™ extension for Esri ArcGIS Desktop software is now available. This update provides:

• Support for Esri ArcGIS 10 Desktop software
• Support for standard carrier measurement post-processing
• Support for new Trimble TerraSync software version 5.00 SSF/DDF format records

Version 3.14 of the Trimble GPScorrect™ extension for Esri ArcPad software is now available. This update provides:

• Support for Esri ArcPad 10 software
• Support for the Trimble GPS Pathfinder ProXRT Model-II receiver

For More Information

Further details on the GPS Analyst extension version 2.30 and GPScorrect extension version 3.14 support for Esri ArcGIS Desktop 10 and ArcPad 10 can be found at the following associated links:

Trimble GPS Analyst Extension v2.30 for ESRI ArcGIS 10 Desktop Software

http://www.trimble.com/gpsanalyst_ts.asp?Nav=Collection-72719

Trimble GPScorrect Extension v3.14 for ESRI ArcPad 10 Software

http://www.trimble.com/gpscorrect_ts.asp?Nav=Collection-7306

- Denise K., User Advocacy Group Tech Lead – Esri Support Services