Jobes Henderson GIS Blog

Jobes Henderson GIS Blog

Jobes Henderson GIS  //  Making connections, spreading the geographic word, and exploring the world

 
Nov 19 / 11:07am

GIS Day Follow up & Pictures

Yesterday Jobes Henderson & Associates hosted an Open House in celebration of GIS Day. The festivities included several hands on GIS demonstrations, GIS related posters and maps, and of course the obligatory GIS Day cake. We were very pleased to see so many of our colleagues and friends at the event and enjoyed chatting with them about GIS.

Our GIS demonstrations were geared toward GIS users of all levels and included examples of web maps from the City of Greeley, Colorado (special thanks to Brian Sullivan, @Taliesn on twitter, for his gracious cooperation) and the City of Heath, Ohio. An ArcGIS Explorer demonstration for Central Ohio was also highlighted and shared on a projector so attendees could watch on as others explored the map. Lastly, two ArcMap demonstrations illustrated GIS as a problem solving, prevention, and maintenance tool.

Thanks to all those who found time in their busy schedules to join us!


(download)

 
Nov 18 / 9:46am

Happy GIS Day!

Happy GIS Day to all, and a special welcome and thank you to those who attended Jobes Henderson & Associates’ GIS Day open house!

 

 

 
Nov 13 / 9:30am

How to Find a GIS Day Event Near You

I’ve previously discussed what GIS Day is (Count Down to GIS Day), so with five days to go until the big day, the question is: What are you doing for GIS Day? Are you one of the numerous organizations hosting event? Or are you interested in attending a GIS Day event but don’t know where to go? We’ve got you covered!

Jobes Henderson & Associates is planning an event for GIS Day and has already sent out invitations with more details. If you  haven’t received yours yet, contact me and I’ll make sure you get the details. If you’re not in our area, you can search for events near you using the GIS Day Event Search on the GIS Day website. There’s also a map (of course!) you can view to search for an event. The GIS Day Events Around the World map also shares locations for the GeoMentor Program so you’ll want to make sure you click on the tab on the right that says “GIS Day Events.” That will take you to the map the shares event locations.

If you’re hosting a GIS Day event, don’t forget to register your event on the GIS Day website!

Have fun at whatever you decide to do for GIS Day!

 

Filed under  //  GIS   GISDay  
 
Nov 10 / 10:23am

Improving your GIS Presentations

Click here to download:
Best Practices- Great Presentations.pdf (519 KB)
(download)

Published with the permission of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (www.smps.org) from the October 2009 issue of Marketer. All rights reserved.

Ok, so this is a GIS blog, so why am I sharing an article about presentations? Well, at some point in our careers, I’m sure we’ll be in the position to give a presentation, so the information shared in this article is something that anyone can benefit from. Also, Mr. Sawa’s comments about visuals really caught my attention since any presentation a GIS professional does should be positively filled with visuals.

This article helps prove why good basic cartographic skills should be employed when creating a map, especially if that map is submitted in a map gallery or going into a PowerPoint presentation. Our maps should be created to represent the data we are showing in a fair, clear, and concise manner. Probably one of the most difficult tasks is to make the data clear enough for anyone to read whether they have knowledge in the subject matter or not. When you put your map in a PowerPoint presentation that is projected onto a larger screen it can became even more difficult to keep your map clear.

Often times projecting your map makes detail fuzzy, this is why bold colors and lines are necessary in order for your viewers to read your map. And simplify! Simplify your map so you have room to make lines bolder without interfering with neighboring features – this often goes along with keeping your map concise. I can’t recall how many presentations I’ve seen where the authors did not consider what their presentation looks like when projected on a big screen. It’s a shame too, because so many good messages are lost on poor quality maps. For this reason, you should always, always, always test out your exported map images on the projector to see how your audience will ultimately view your maps.

Mr. Sawa also mentions using contrasting colors, yellow or other light colors similar to it, should not be used on a white (or other light colored) background, this would be another peeve of mine. When viewed through a projector, it is nearly impossible to see. I’m actually not a fan of using those light colors in presentations anyway, but when used on a black background, for example, it could be effective.

Exporting resolution is probably the most common “mistake” I see on PowerPoint map images. These are the images that look pixilated or fuzzy. This is a relatively simple problem to fix since you can change the resolution to a higher dpi value when exporting your map from ArcMap to create a higher quality image that displays nicer in PowerPoint.

Remember to keep your maps in mind during your presentation brainstorming. Hopefully doing this will save you work down the road when you preview your presentation and discover your lines aren’t thick enough or your colors are too light. Also, as with any presentation, you should practice running through your content and this includes reviewing all your slides and graphics not only on your computer but also on a projector ot whatever medium your audience will be viewing the presentation through. The best advice I’ve ever been given regarding presentations: Put yourself in your audiences’ shoes. It really will sort out some of the little hiccups that can take a lot away from your presentation.

Good luck!

 

 

Filed under  //  GIS   presentations  
 
Oct 30 / 4:14pm

ArcGIS Desktop 9.4 Beta

Just as many others have, we downloaded ArcGIS Desktop 9.4 Beta software this week. We participated in the beta testing for 9.3 and decided to join in again for 9.4, so I signed up for the beta testing program when I was at the UC last summer.

Due to a project deadline this week, I didn’t get as much time to devote to exploring 9.4 as I would have liked. But I did find the installation to be a breeze. I’ve uninstalled and installed several other ESRI upgrades in the past, and it’s starting to become old hat for me, but I think this was one of the easiest installs yet. It probably took me less than 2 hours to get everything uninstalled, installed, (re)registered, and looking to appropriate servers for liceneses.

Unfortunately for me, my current work project was data intensive and ran very slowly on 9.3.1, so I can’t say that 9.4 wasn’t slow to start with too. In fact, due to the slowness and  getting used to the new look and orientation of my toolbars, I got quite frustrated with the program and myself because I couldn’t work at the speed I normally work at. However, after an hour or two of working in 9.4, I started getting used to some of the new functions and began to really like the new look and some of the new functions.

I look forward to learning more about what 9.4 brings next week. My technician will get 9.4 installed on her computer and start working in it as well. I’m sure we’ll both be finding lots of neat (and frustrating?) new things!

 

Filed under  //  ArcGIS 9.4   Beta   ESRI   GIS  
 
Oct 22 / 4:27pm

ArcGIS Explorer Tips

Click here to download:
MoreSharingOptions.pdf (233 KB)
(download)

The most recent issue of ArcUser Magazine from ESRI includes an article titled More Sharing Options. I wanted to share this since it goes along with two of my previous posts Sharing your GIS Data with Non-GIS Users and New Version of ArcGIS Explorer Released.  In the article, the folks at ESRI talk more in depth about sharing GIS data with the use of ArcGIS Explorer. It also discusses geoprocessing tools and basemaps available through ArcGIS Online as well as Bing Maps. My favorite part of ArcGIS Explorer are the new presentation tools which they also talk about.

 

Take a look for yourself, it’s a good read full of information!

 

 

 

Filed under  //  ArcGIS Explorer   ESRI   GIS   Sharing GIS data  
 
Oct 16 / 2:16pm

Tips for Obtaining GIS Data

Recently, a California County was ordered to pay $500,000 for trying to charge an organization $250,000 for requested GIS data. See news article here.  This struck me since I rarely see data acquisition fees above $100. How on earth did they come up with $250,000? Where was this money going if anyone did actually pay that astronomical fee for the data?

Many States have Public Record laws, often called Freedom of Information legislation or Sunshine Laws, making data available to the public. There are sometimes caveats to data requests, such as they must be made in writing, or your intent for the data use must be shared to ensure the data will not be used for malicious purposes. It is not uncommon for Government organizations to charge a fee for the data request.  Usually the fee isn’t terrible and it often covers the cost of materials used to duplicate the data and postage fees. Over the past several years, it seems more government agencies are making their data available for download (for free) through their website.

To help those who may be new to requesting GIS data from public organizations, I have a few tips.

1.       Do not ever pay $250,000 for data! Be prepared to pay a nominal fee, but honestly, most of the organizations I come in contact with now who still charge for the data, are charging less than $50.

2.       If an agency does charge an amount you are not comfortable paying for, try looking around online first. There are a lot of GIS data clearinghouses available today making it easier to share data with the public. For example, the State of Ohio has several sites with many different types of data available for download now. Probably the most useful being the OSIP website that has aerial photography and LiDAR data available for download.

3.       Be prepared to share the reason you are requesting the data. In fact, I’ve witnessed smoother discussions with government employees when I share why I’m requesting the data as soon as I contact the individual.

4.       Taking #3 one step further, if you are requesting the data because of a project you are working on for a government organization that is beneath/within the organization you are requesting the data from, very often the data will be supplied to the smaller organization at no charge. So if they try to charge, ask if you are exempt. It may come down that the project manager for the organization you are completing the work for will have to request the data for you.

Basically, you want to be smart about your data requests. Obviously you don’t want to make the organization sharing their information think you’re up to no good, which could lead to a visit from the FBI if they do. If you think the fee they’re asking for is a bit high, politely ask if they have other data acquisition options that are less expensive (i.e. an ftp or website, picking the data up in person, etc.). The process should not be terribly expensive, definitely not $250,000.

 

Filed under  //  Data Acquisition   GIS   Sharing GIS data  
 
Oct 9 / 2:35pm

Benefits of More Government Involvement in GIS

James Fee’s Cash for Clunkers GIS blog entry got me thinking about the current state of GIS, particularly for small governments. James suggests the Federal Government create opportunities to help fund improvements and updates to older web mapping that has been neglected to the point of incredible slowness or outright failure to work. I agree this is an issue which can be extremely frustrating when looking for data to help some of our internal projects. But what about the organizations who don’t have a large amount of money to put toward costly internet mapping services, hardware and software? These organizations include the likes of small local governments and even some county governments. They too, along with their community members could benefit from online mapping. Some don’t even have digital mapping created yet to put online.

Personally, I’d also like to see more funding opportunities for GIS projects ranging from simple GIS creation all the way to more complex projects such as online mapping applications. These different types of mapping projects would help create job opportunities, whether it is a newly created or additional GIS positions in an organization, sales for software and hardware companies or new projects for consultants. In an increasingly more social society, maps are discussed and relied upon more frequently than they have in the past. Adding additional maps for the public’s use would add to resources available to community members and can also help promote locations or events.

Why should the Federal Government care and assist with this? As already mentioned, it would help create additional jobs or retain current ones which in this economy is a good thing. It would also help create a more detailed National Map which all levels of government and individuals could benefit from. There are so many organizations that could use the digital maps from auditors to emergency response teams, even the local residents who are trying to figure out which polling location they need to visit this Election Day.

Filed under  //  Funding   GIS  
 
Oct 1 / 3:27pm

Countdown to GIS Day

 

GIS Day is quickly approaching! Mark your calendars, if you haven’t already, for November 18, 2009! So, just what is GIS Day?

GIS Day was created to promote the significance and use of GIS. First started 11 years ago; it coincides with The National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week.  The primary sponsors for the event include the National Geographic Society, Association of American Geographers (AAG), University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, USGS, The Library of Congress, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and ESRI.  Source

GIS Day is celebrated around the world by GIS professionals, teachers, students, and many others.  At schools, the celebrations often include special geography related activities such as a Geography Treasure Hunt, or an oversized puzzle assembled in teams, along with discussions of GIS and examples if possible. Universities will often invite alumni to visit the campus and share their GIS work experiences and ask students to participate in a map gallery. In professional atmospheres, companies will invite friends and colleagues to an open house where GIS demonstrations are often performed. No matter where the event is held, there’s almost always a Geography/GIS themed cake or baked good.

People can get very creative, all in the fun of spreading knowledge about something they are very passionate about, GIS. The folks in Austin, TX put themselves out there in 2007 when they came up with this song for GIS day:

(download)

Filed under  //  GIS   GISDay  
 
Sep 25 / 3:33pm

Sharing your GIS Data with Non-GIS Users #GIS

 

In light of a discussion about the relationship between CAD and GIS users that occurred on twitter today, I’m going discuss some of the ways we can share GIS data with non-GIS users. As GIS professionals, we want to share our data with others, but sometimes we can be very protective of it since a lot of time and effort has often gone in to creating wonderful GIS databases. We’ve all made those mistakes as a beginner that set us back a couple hours, or even days worth of work and we know how easy it is to do when you don’t fully understand the data or the program. It’s reasons like that, which make us hesitant to give just anyone access to our data. The ultimate solution is when we can share our data, but still have complete control over what sort of changes are made to it. Sounds like it might be kind of tricky, right? Actually it’s pretty easy with some of today’s technology.

 At Jobes Henderson, we have less GIS users than we have AutoCAD or Microstation users, but we have a lot more GIS data and cover more area with our GIS data than we do most of our CAD or Microstation data. For this reason, many of the engineers and surveyors come to us for base mapping data for their projects or to answer simple questions about existing structures in a project area.

 We use ESRI’s Data Interoperability extension to export data into CAD or Microstation drawings when the data is needed as a base map. Otherwise, a couple years ago, we started using published maps in our office. Published maps were a nice addition for our office since it gave the engineers access to GIS data in a GIS program – ArcReader. This allowed them to see the data as it was originally created to be viewed. An added bonus with ArcReader is the program is free to download from ESRI’s website (you only need the Publisher extension to create published maps), which meant we could have as many ArcReader users we wanted without an added expense. ArcReader is a read only program which means none of the engineers could make changes to the data, but instead could request changes through the GIS department. I liked this aspect so I would be aware of all changes that occurred to the data I am responsible for.

 A published map file or .pmf, is a map that is read with ArcReader. Once created, published map files do not allow the user to change any of the data or the way the data looks. The user can only turn data layers on and off, and a few other functions. ArcReader is a great program for non-GIS users to start with due to its limited capabilities. There are less tools to learn than with more powerful GIS programs making an easier transition for some into some of ESRI’s software with editing capabilities.

 ArcGIS Explorer is also a good way to share your data but allows a few more capabilities than ArcReader. Now the user can add data layers to their map as they wish and also interact with those data layers (change colors and line types for example). Other new functions include 3D view along with the original 2D view, as well as several different base maps and downloadable content through ESRI. Explorer would be a better option for someone with a little more familiarity with GIS, but still does not require a lot of previous knowledge. Even for those using ArcGIS Explorer who are experiencing GIS for the first time would still find the program relatively simple to use.

 How are you sharing your GIS with non-GIS users?

Filed under  //  ArcGIS   ArcGIS Explorer   ArcGIS Publisher   ArcReader   GIS   Jobes Henderson   Non-GIS users   Sharing GIS data