Getting Ahead of Crime Using GIS

Monday June 30th 2008
Filed Under Crime Mapping 

Sara Barbour from Miller/McCune magazine writes a summary article on the use of GIS to predict criminal behavior.  The start of the article reviews a crime case in which spatial analysis was used to pinpoint and subsequently arrest a sex offender in Toronto.  Manny San Pedro, an officer with that police force is quoted as saying “If you have a crime analysis unit and you are not using spatial analysis, you are missing a key component.”  The article also delves into how a generation raised on Google Maps will maybe one day find spatial thinking added to their curriculums. 

Read more: GIS: Cops Favor New Kind of Plotting

GeoTech: The Premiere Mid-Atlantic Imagery and Geospatial Conference - Silver Spring, MD - October 7-8

Sunday June 29th 2008
Filed Under Conferences 

The Potomac Region of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS-PR) is pleased to announce the 15th annual GeoTech: The Premiere Mid-Atlantic Imagery and Geospatial Conference, exploring “Emerging Geospatial Technologies and Applications” on 7 and 8 October 2008. The 2-day event features 1 day of Workshops taught by experts, and 1 day of Technical sessions. Co-hosted by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), GeoTech 2008 will be held at the NOAA’s Auditorium and Science Center in Silver Spring, MD.
The GeoTech 2008 Conference will provide workshops covering LiDAR, 3-D Urban Modeling, GIS/Remote Sensing Integration, and Geodesy. The Technical Program will focus on Geospatial Data Acquisition, Geospatial Data Production and Distribution, and Emerging Geospatial Applications.
ASPRS-PR will offer the Certification Examination Review Workshop for ASPRS Certification as a Certified Mapping Scientist and Certified Photogrammetrist.
Continuing Education Credits will be offered for those professionals requiring recertification.
During the Technical Session, an opportunity will be available to ask questions about the pending State of Virginia Photogrammetrist Licensing Requirements.
Representatives from the Geospatial industry will be on-hand to exhibit their latest tools and offerings.
Details, registration, and contact info is available at
http://www.asprspotomac.org/geotech08

Google’s Street View Car Adventures

Sunday June 29th 2008
Filed Under Silly but Fun 

Apparently one of Google’s Street View car drivers decided that an up close and personal tour of Microsoft’s Campus was in order.  According to Gizmodo (the site refers to it as the GooCar):

The GooCar…wasn’t just covering regular roads, they were going in-between buildings and getting as many angles as they could of the campus….the Google guys were driving around the team that does Windows Live Maps, like nothing was wrong, when other Microsoft guys were laughing and yelling at them.

Gizmodo: Google Street View Car Drives Into Microsoft Campus, Gets Laughed At By Windows Live Maps

GIS for Kids

Sunday June 29th 2008
Filed Under Features, K-12 

Summer’s here! School will be out and the time abounds when many kids take on new learning experiences. Have you ever wanted your child to understand what it is you do all day long? It’s difficult enough to elucidate to an adult layperson what Geographic Information Systems are; knowing where to start explaining GIS to kids is even harder. Listed here are a few resources both online and on the ground to point you in the right direction to teaching your kids about GIS and mapping. Read more

Web 2.0 Mapping and Social Networks July Meetup - Palo Alto, CA - July 15

Friday June 27th 2008
Filed Under Conferences 

Event title:  Web 2.0 Mapping and Social Networks July Meetup

Event date:  Tuesday July 15, 2008 @ 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Event location:  Palo Alto, CA.

Event fee:  Free

RSVP:  http://web.meetup.com/49/

Brief description:

This Meetup group is about sharing, teaching, learning, and networking around current and future web-based geospatial and social networking apps and tech.

We’ve scheduled a terrific lineup for our July 15th event! The theme: Web 2.0 geospatial applications meet travel, adventure and the outdoor experience.

Three presentations will include:
1) Rico Simpkins on user-generated maps and REI
2) Craig Rosa an interactive producer for KQED Quest
3) Eye.fi, a company which builds a digital photo camera memory card that attaches GPS coordinates to every shot

Come for the information, stay for the community.

You belong if you are an entrepreneur, VC, developer, social-networker, product manager, programmer, visionary, geographer, geologist, explorer, marketer, business exec, project manager, student, or a creative person who is curious about Web 2.0 mapping and social networks. We welcome all and exclude no one.

Remember, you make this Meetup great.

MapTube

Friday June 27th 2008
Filed Under Community Geography, Google Maps 

A new map sharing site was launched last month by the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London. As the introductory blog post states:

Put simply it is a place to share, mix and mash maps with a nod towards professional map makers rather than the more widely seen ‘MyMaps’ type applications.

What makes this new portal of particular interest is that maps can be overlayed onto each other in order to compare data.  Currently, 76 maps have been uploaded, mainly covering the UK. Available maps are available as thumbnails.   Additional maps can be overlayed onto the viewed map either by searching through the available database or by adding the URL of a KML file.

Visit: MapTube

Ontario Manifold User Conference - July 22-23 - Hamilton, ON, Canada

Friday June 27th 2008
Filed Under Conferences 

Please join us for the Inaugural Ontario Manifold User Conference.  Registration is open!  Contact Gloria Dangerfield at g.dangerfield@greysauble.on.ca and provide names, company and contact information to register.

Ontario Manifold User Conference
Date: July 22nd & 23, 2008

Location: Lakeland Centre, 180 VanWagners Beach Road, Hamilton, ON, Canada

Cost: $75 (will include two breakfasts & two lunches)

Cheques can be made out to:
Hamilton Conservation Authority
838 Mineral Springs Road, P.O. Box 7099
Ancaster, ON L9G 3L3

Or Call 905-525-2181 x.161 (Rick Woodworth) to pay by credit card

Please note Manifold Conference when sending the cheque.

Map Makers of the World

Friday June 27th 2008
Filed Under Cartography 

The Maps of World site has a categorized listing of some of the most notable mapmakers in history and in contemporary times.  From Anaximander who lived around 600 B.C. to Mike Reagon, a cartographer who has done work for National Geographic, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the site has short biographies organized by era.  Included also is a category for online map makers that includes Google and David Rumsey.  (See via Catholicgauze).

British Cartographers

Friday June 27th 2008
Filed Under Career, Cartography 

The Times has short profiles on two British cartographers.  The first looks at Jon Ford, a cartographer with the British Geological Survey who splits his time between field surveying and developing 2D and 3D models of his fieldwork.  The second profile is on Edward Mainwaring who works for the Ordnance Survey.  Mainwaring became interested in cartography while doing research on GPS systems as part of his robotics and intelligent machines degree while doing his university degree.

“I’m interested in the technical and analytical side of cartography as well as the design aspects. People often think that we work with paper and coloured pencils, but much of what I do is manipulating data from different sources – for example, terrain information, street layout and waterways – and turning it into a useful product where the relevant elements stand out clearly. The work is a mixture of analysis, to work out what’s needed, and creativity, to decide the best way of designing it and presenting it. - Edward Mainwaring

Read more: Cartographer: there’s more to maps than meets the eye - The Times

Next Page →