2006 June 22

This issue sponsored by

ESRI

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http://www.gismonitor.com/news/newsletter/archive/archives.php?issue=20060622

Editor's Introduction

This week I report on DataPlace a very useful and interesting website in support of affordable housing and community development. I also bring you two letters following up on my story, last week, on GIS and archaeology. Plus, the usual roundup of news from press releases.

— Matteo

DataPlace GIS Website

GIS can be wielded deliberately and require special training, as when a marine biologist uses ArcGIS to map wildlife habitats in coastal estuarine waters—or it can be completely transparent and extremely simple to use, as when a citizen uses a public portal to access building permits or crime data. Somewhere in between are Web-based applications that allow professional users to access extensive databases and perform limited GIS functions through simple tools and drop-down menus, thanks to canned queries and a lot of very smart back-end programming.

An excellent example of this third category is DataPlace, a free source of housing and demographic data on any location throughout the United States. It was developed and is supported by the Fannie Mae Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing neighborhoods and creating affordable housing opportunities. The website combines mapping technology and multiple statistical databases, allowing users to generate customized reports using a variety of geographic units, down to the census tract—in map, chart, or tabular form. The portal not only assembles a variety of data sets from multiple sources but also provides tools and guides to assist users in analyzing, interpreting, and applying the data.

Read more …


Unemployment in my Boston neighborhood in 2000

Letters to the Editor

My article on GIS and archaeology, last week, brought two responses.

  1. Michael Phoenix, Ph.D., Manager of the Education Sector at ESRI, wrote:

    I would not say that archaeology is "the only humanities discipline that has embraced this technology." There is a lot going on in history and GIS. There is a master's degree program in the History Department at Idaho State University. Also, look at the book Past Time, Past Place from ESRI Press and at the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative. People involved in this project come from departments of religion, classical studies, and art. It covers all the humanities. Browse through its membership, it is fascinating.

  2. James A. Zack, President of Xtra-Spatial Productions, LLC, wrote:

    Your otherwise fine article on GIS and the field of archeology overlooked perhaps the most innovative application of GIS technology to archeology: predictive modeling.

    Read more …

News Briefs

Please note: I have culled the following news items from press releases and have not independently verified them.

  1. CONTRACTS & COLLABORATIONS

    1. The City of Tempe, Arizona, Water Utilities Department has chosen Marshall's new GeoResults Mobile solution, which is integrated with ESRI map data and Hansen asset/work order management systems on a tablet PC. Read more …

    2. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has selected GeoDecisions, a provider of geospatial solutions, to support its existing forest management application. Read more …

    3. MDA's Geospatial Services has signed a new RADARSAT-1 network station in Italy. Read more …

    4. The New York State Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination (CSCIC) has selected Infotech Enterprises America, Inc., a geospatial and engineering consulting and professional services firm formerly called VARGIS, LLC, for the New York State-wide Digital Orthoimagery Program. Read more …

    5. DigitalGlobe, a provider of commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information products, has named MAPS Geosystems, its reseller headquartered in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, its "Business Partner of the Year." Read more …

    6. MultiVision USA, an ACA company, has completed the capture and installation of more than 45,300 high-resolution oblique images, fulfilling requirements for oblique image capture for the Citrus County Property Appraisers office. Read more …

    7. Reedy Creek Improvement District has decided to implement ArcFM as the solution for facilities management of their electric network. Reedy Creek encompasses 25,000 acres in the heart of Central Florida and is the home of Walt Disney World. Read more …

    8. VoiceGate Corporation, a provider of mass message and business continuity planning notification systems, and ESRI Canada, a provider of GIS solutions, have partnered to provide a complete emergency e-response solution for the Canadian public and private sectors. Read more …

    9. The Commonwealth of Virginia has selected Sanborn to provide statewide digital terrain models and color orthophotography for the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA). Read more …

  2. PRODUCTS

    1. GlobeXplorer has loaded its 200th DigitalGlobe CitySphere market to its suite of online data services for mapping/GIS users and Web developers. Read more …

    2. MWH Soft has released InfoWater Valve Criticality Modeling (VCM). Read more …

    3. LeadDog Consulting, LLC has released geographic databases of city streets for the Pakistan cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Karachi to support asset-tracking, government, military, and commercial GIS applications. Read more …

    4. Valtus Imagery Services, a division of North West Geomatics Ltd., has released ortho-rectified 60 centimeter (2 foot) color imagery from DigitalGlobe's CitySphere dataset for 11 major Canadian cities Read more …

    5. Cadcorp, a developer of digital mapping and GIS software, is offering three new plug-ins for XML-based data for use with its Cadcorp SIS - Spatial Information System software suite. Read more …

  3. OTHER

    1. NVision Solutions, Inc., a provider of geospatial technology and an Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS) cluster member, supports Mississippi's aspiring members of the geospatial community. Read more …

    2. The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners ("Federation") has elected seven new partners for full membership: Read more …

    3. Snowflake Software is launching a series of training courses targeted at multiple levels of expertise for employees in the GIS industry. Read more …

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Contact

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Matteo Luccio, Editor
GIS Monitor

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