USA

Findings from 2015 LGBTQ Weddings Study via @TheKnot

June 26, 2015 by gisuser

Indeed a huge day in America with the news of the Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage… On the heels of this historic announcement, The Knot is releasing its third annual LGBTQ Weddings Study and The Knot LGBTQ Edition digital magazine. The LGBTQ Weddings Study surveyed more than 1,200 LGBTQ singles or couples who were recently married or engaged and planning a wedding to uncover spending habits, trends and traditions that couples are embracing or adapting.

Happy 4th of July and What Makes Fireworks Dazzle?

July 4, 2014 by gisuser

Best wishes for a fun filled summer day on this 4th of July to all! Many of you will be enjoying a fireworks display this evening but have you ever wondered what makes all those brilliant colors? Well, according to the USGS it comes from the minerals that are used… here’s some details:

Red Fireworks and Strontium—Strontium gives a brilliant red hue to fireworks and to the flares you might be toting in your car in case of roadside emergencies. Strontium is produced most notably in the mineral celestite. Strontium is used in drilling fluids to produce oil and gas; it also strengthens metal castings in airplanes and cars, and makes paints that resist corrosion.

National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV) Unveiled

May 9, 2014 by gisuser

Something news from the US DOI in this climate viewing tool – The new tool gives citizens and resource managers the opportunity to look at climate-driven impacts on watersheds and map projected changes at the local, regional, state and watershed levels.

The USGS National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV) includes the historical and future climate projections from 30 of the downscaled models for two of the RCP emission scenarios, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. RCP4.5 is one of the possible emissions scenarios in which atmospheric GHG concentrations are stabilized so as not to exceed a radiative equivalent of 4.5 Wm^-2 after 2100, about 650 ppm CO₂ equivalent. RCP8.5 is the most aggressive emissions scenario in which GHGs continue to rise unchecked through the end of the century leading to an equivalent radiative forcing of 8.5 Wm^-2, about 1370 ppm CO₂ equivalent. The application also provides access to comprehensive, summary reports in PDF format and CSV files of the temperature and precipitation data for each geographic area.

A detailed description of the application and its use can be found in the NCCV Tutorial (PDF).

Click HERE to see the Viewer

Volunteer Map Data Collection Opportunities to Build the National Map

June 17, 2013 by gisuser

Have you ever wanted to contribute to the National Map? Well, now that the USGS has embraced the crowd there’s an opportunity for you to do just that! If you have access to the Internet and are willing to dedicate some time editing map data we hope you will consider participating!

The USGS is recruiting volunteers to collect and update USGS geographic data. Similar to how OpenStreetMap allows anyone to collect, edit, and use geographic data through an online map editor, the USGS has developed an online editor customized to our data to allow volunteers to contribute data to The National Map (http://nationalmap.gov/) and The National Structures Dataset .

From the USGS… We are looking for people like you to work with us to collect structures for the USGS. The data you will collect during this project will be loaded into The National Map

As the project progresses additional states will be released.

See More Volunteer Map Data Collection at the USGS and The National Map Corps project site

There are presently nineteen states available for volunteers to choose to update structures in

Apply Online Now

June 14, Flag Day in the USA – oh, and Happy Birthday US Army!

June 14, 2012 by gisuser

I have to admit, with so many “official” days it gets really tough to keep tabs on what’s serious and what’s important… most of them are commercial fluff really when you think about it… National Donut Day?? Come on, gimme a break!! But today, June 14 is a significant day in the USA as this is Flag Day – a day to reflect and display Old Glory.

This from Flagday.org… the idea of specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as ‘Flag Birthday’, or ‘Flag Day’.

See also Wikipedia for more history of Flag Day – oh, and happy birthday to the US Army (est June 14, 1775)

Source: en.wikipedia.org via Glenn on Pinterest

Keeping Tabs on Texas Wildfire Social News Updates via Esri Wildfire Map

September 6, 2011 by gisuser

Esri has rolled out another handy social news map, this time to monitor social media news and updates regarding wildfires and related activities, particularly with focus on the situation in Texas. Some details provided to us by Esri… th Esri Wildfires Map shows fire related information in and around the central Texas region. It is free to use and can be easily customized for news coverage. To change the center of the map simply zoom or pan to an area of interest. Turn layers on or off to adjust the display. Use the social button and the gear icon to change the search for social tags and date ranges. Upon completion of changes use the Share button to create a unique URL to your custom map or use the accompanying code to embed the map on your site.

My Podcast with GotGeoint on GIS and Web2.0

February 11, 2009 by gisuser

This week I was invited by Matt Langan of the GotGeoint blog (USGIF) to take part in a 15 minute podcast. Now live, the audio cast provides a discussion between Matt and myself with Matt asking me about the development of GISuser and the Spatial Media properties, GIS Web2.0 backgrounder and strategies and related topics… enjoy! Note, we ran short of time and I may not have answered everything fully (this is a live podcast with no editing) so if you need more info feel free to ping me! Check out the podcast HERE or see below for more

Happy Birthday USGIF

January 23, 2009 by gisuser

The USGIF is 5… wow, where has the time gone? Today, the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) marks its fifth anniversary as a not-for-profit educational organization committed to promoting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and building a stronger GEOINT community.
The following message was conveyed on the USGIF website… “In celebration of USGIF’s five year anniversary, we wish to thank our membership, Board of Directors and the many volunteers who have helped make this momentous occasion possible. With their help, the Foundation has achieved so much and created a truly unique organization that continues to be a key player in the tradecraft’s continuous growth and success.” See more

Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC)

May 14, 2007 by gisuser

Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) – The Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) provides a wide range of Geographic Information System (GIS) support to the State of Utah. AGRC strives to facilitate coordination among Utah GIS users and effective, efficient use of GIS resources. http://agrc.its.state.ut.us/

USGS Data update re. National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2001)

January 23, 2007 by gisuser

The U.S. Geological Survey, on behalf of the interagency Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC), is pleased to announce the availability of NLCD 2001 products for the conterminous United States. These products are web enabled for download from the MRLC website at www.mrlc.gov. NLCD 2001 products include 21 classes of land cover, percent tree canopy and percent urban imperviousness at 30 m resolution derived from Landsat imagery. NLCD 2001 will support a wide variety of users, institutional sectors and local- to national-scale applications with this updated land-cover data. Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico will be completed by December of 2007, which will then represent the first compilation of nationwide land cover ever produced at 30-meter resolution.