January 2007

cga_newsletter

CENTER FOR GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS NEWSLETTER 
January 2007 
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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Remote Sensing Technology and Applications Workshop
  • Two New Staff Joining CGA in Early February
  • 2nd Boston 3D City Modeling Symposium
  • Shore Lines: Mapping Coastal Massachusetts
  • China Historical GIS Version 4
  • ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 1 Now Available
  • Google SketchUp Pro 6 - New Features
  • MassGIS Opens Its Web Mapping Services to Everyone

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CGA NEWS

Remote Sensing Technology and Applications Workshop

Friday, February 16, 2007. 1:00-6:00pm, at CGIS South Building, Rm.010, 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA.

We have all seen beautiful images of the earth from space, and detailed photos of cities taken from airplanes. As of today, many different satellites are orbiting the earth, mounted with diverse sensors. Countless aircrafts have flown, or can be scheduled to fly, along designated paths, to take conventional or specialty pictures of the earth surface. Both space-borne and airborne sensors can cover a wide range of electromagnetic spectrum, generating enormous amounts of valuable data. Applications of such remotely sensed data are diverse. Examples include wild fire monitoring, crop production estimation, weather forecasting, urban sprawl trend detection, and many more.

Come join us to learn more about GIS and remote sensing technology, and possible applications to your areas of teaching and research:

  • Hear an overview of this dynamic discipline from Professor John Jensen, Carolina Distinguished Professor;
  • See how Harvard faculties and scientists use remote sensing technology in their research fields, including public health, ecology and environmental studies, archaeology and history;
  • Learn the commonly used remote sensing data types and sources from a NASA scientist;
  • Participate in a discussion on how the Center for Geographic Analysis may better serve the Harvard user community; and
  • Take away reading materials about public and commercial services on remote sensing data, image analysis software, and consultation.

Please register (free) and view the detailed program of this event.

Two New Staff Joining CGA in Early February

CGA is happy to announce that two Senior GIS Analysts, Jeff Blossom and Ben Lewis are joining the team in early February.

Jeff Blossom has over 11 years working in the GIS industry as a technician, analyst, developer, and manager. Prior to joining the CGA, Jeff was the GIS Photogrammetry Administrator for the City and County of Denver. Jeff’s responsibilities at Denver included managing all aspects of Denver’s impervious surface mapping effort for stormwater utility billing, providing project management for imagery and data acquisition projects, and serving as Chairman of Denver’s GIS Steering Committee. Jeff earned a M.A. in Geography from the University of Denver in 2002. For his Masters project Jeff created a DEM and derived mapping products for sediment studies in a Colorado watershed severely burned by wildfire. Jeff’s work experience also includes serving as a GIS Analyst for the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, the U.S.G.S. in Lakewood, CO, and an internship at ESRI’s Denver office.

Ben Lewis has been a project manager with Advanced Technology Solutions of Pennsylvania since 1999, where he led the company in adopting platform independent approaches to GIS system development. Ben studied Chinese at the University of Wisconsin and has a Masters in Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. After U. Penn, Ben worked at the UC Berkeley GIS Lab, managed the GIS group for the transportation engineering firm McCormick Taylor, and coordinated the Land Acquisition Mapping System for the South Florida Water Management District. Ben is especially interested in technologies that lower the barrier to GIS access.

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HARVARD GIS COMMUNITY NEWS

2nd Boston 3D City Modeling Symposium

The Boston Virtual City Collective 2nd Boston 3D City Modeling Symposium will be held on Friday, January 26th, 2007 at Harvard University, Gund Hall. Please RSVP by Friday January 19 or request for additional information by email to:pbcote@gsd.harvard.edu.

Shore Lines: Mapping Coastal Massachusetts

Pusey Library Exhibit “Shore Lines: Mapping Coastal Massachusetts” opens through March 15, 2007. For more information and visiting hours please see: http://hcl.harvard.edu/info/exhibitions/index.html#surveying

China Historical GIS Version 4

Release is scheduled for early February, 2007.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~chgis

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GIS SOFTWARE UPDATES

ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 1 Now Available for Download

ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 1 is now available from the ESRI Support Center. This service pack contains several performance improvements and maintenance fixes. ESRI recommends that all ArcGIS users download and install ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 1 at their earliest convenience to ensure the highest-quality experience when working with ArcGIS 9.2. This includes users of ArcGIS Desktop (ArcInfo, ArcEditor, ArcView, and ArcReader), ArcGIS Engine, ArcGIS Server, ArcIMS, and ArcSDE. The download site is: http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=downloads.patchesServicePacks.viewPatch&PID=43&MetaID=1224

Google SketchUp Pro 6 - New Features

Google SketchUp Pro 6 is now available for download and purchase. The biggest addition to SketchUp Pro 6 is LayOut (beta). LayOut is a collection of new tools for Google SketchUp Pro 6 that makes it easy to build professional looking design presentations from SketchUp models. The download site is: http://www.sketchup.com/index.php?id=1956. New Features are:

  • Photo Match - Use photos to build accurate 3D models much more easily than starting from scratch.
  • Styles - Personalize your model by creating your own Style with the new display settings, Sketchy Effects and Watermarks.
  • Sketchy Effects - Renders edges to look as if they were drawn by hand. Choose from a variety of line strokes such as Graphite on Bond, Loose Marker and Shakey Pen.
  • Watermarks - Place 2D images behind or in front of models.
  • Fog - Adds atmospheric haze and a sense of depth to your model.
  • 3D Text - Create signs and letters and choose from simple outlines, filled surfaces, and fully extruded 3D text.

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NEWS ON GIS RESEARCH AND SERVICES

MassGIS Opens Its Web Mapping Services to Everyone

Several new developments at MassGIS (source: MassGIS GISette http://www.mass.gov/mgis/GISette.htm, December 2006):

Scientists Warn of Diminished Earth Studies From Space

The nation’s ability to track retreating polar ice and shifting patterns of drought, rainfall and other environmental changes is being put “at great risk” by faltering efforts to replace aging satellite-borne sensors, a panel convened by the country’s leading scientific advisory group said. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/science/space/16nasa.html

Mediterranean Archaeology GIS available on-line (MAGIS 1.0)

The Collaboratory for GIS and Mediterranean Archaeology (CGMA) is pleased to announce the release of its on-line, browser-based GIS inventory of regional archaeological surveys in the greater Mediterranean area. MAGIS is located at:http://cgma.depauw.edu/MAGIS/.

OGC Demos Results of OGC Web Services Test-bed (OGC Press Release)

The objective of OWS-4, which began in June, 2006, was to collaboratively demonstrate and extend a set of OGC specifications and show their value in providing access to multiple sources of geospatial information in decision support activities (http://www.opengeospatial.org/pressroom/pressreleases/653).

Demography & Census

Susan Haynie and Shuming Bao recently published a paper discussing the availability of census data in the U.S. and China, focusing on the applications of geodemographics, particularly those relating to business and commercial applications…. Development Asia Pacific, December 2006, Vol.10 Issue 12
( http://www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/years/2006/dec/26_1.htm).

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Editor of this issue: Dave Siegel
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