VerySpatial http://veryspatial.com Discussions on Geography and geospatial technologies Mon, 14 May 2012 02:00:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 A VerySpatial Podcast – Episode 356 http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-356/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-356/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 02:00:12 +0000 Sue http://veryspatial.com/?p=9774 A VerySpatial Podcast
Shownotes – Episode 356
May 13, 2012

Main Topic: Our conversation on potential cuts to the US Census Bureau

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    Music

  • This week’s podsafe music: “She Said She Said” by Arlen Roth

    • News

  • Map of lost Roanoke Colony now in the British Museum may hold new clues
  • Microsoft Research’s GeoLife GPS Trajectories data set available for researchers to dowload
  • European Space Agency’s Envisat may be dead
  • Cancel your 2012 Doomsday plans

    • Web Corner

  • Grand Map of London 2012

    • Main Topic

  • This week we feature our conversation on potential implications of the US House of Representatives passing a new budget bill that eliminates the US Census Bureau’s Economic Census and American Community Survey.

    • Tip of the Week

  • Zombies and Geospatial Analysis

    • Events Corner

  • 3D GeoInfo Conference: 16-17 May, Quebec City, Quebec
  • Canadian Association of Geographers: 28 May-2June, Waterloo, Ontario
  • EUROGEO: 1-3 June, Dublin, Ireland
  • Esri Asia Pacific User Conference: 5-7 November, Auckland, NZ

    • This week, A VerySpatial Podcast is sponsored by Esri

  • The Survey Summit-ACSM Annual Conference will be held July 21-24 in San Diego, California. Attend the summit to learn about the latest trends and workflows in the surveying and geospatial industries. For more information and to register to attend, visit surveysummit.com.

    • ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-356/feed/ 0     Zombies and Geospatial Analysis http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/zombies-and-geospatial-analysis/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/zombies-and-geospatial-analysis/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 13:32:37 +0000 Barb http://veryspatial.com/?p=9770 If you have met me, you know that I would love to teach a geography class using  the book  World War Z by Max Brooks, a journalist who uses a zombie apocalypse to discuss current events and world geography. David Hunter, a middle school teacher in Seattle, Washington beat me to the punch. He is asking for help on Kickstarter to create a  Grade 5-8 Standards Based curriculum “Learning Geography skills through a Zombie Apocalypse Narrative”.  His concept is not as far fetched as it seems. At the WV Association for Geospatial Professionals conference this week Sheila Wilson, Executive Director of the GIS Certificate Institute (GISP) started off her talk with the CDC  Zombie Preparedness Guide. She talked about how in the guide a GIS team who were prepared to spatially analyze zombie hot spots, were prepared for anything.  According to Cartographia, Austin TX has been prepared for a zombie outbreak since 2007.

    Joking aside, I think that the zombie apocalypse creates a “sandbox” for researchers, educators, and society to analyze and understand complex, interconnected geospatial issues in a non-threatening way.  I’m not the only one who feels this way. Edward Gonzalez-Tennant a geography professor at Monmouth University is hopefully going to be presenting a paper on “Popular Culture and GIS: Using Geospatial Technologies to Model and Prepare for the Zombie Apocalyze.” at the 2012 ESRI Education User’s Conference (EDUC). There is also a 2012 ESRI International User’s session dedicated to Health, Behavior, and Zombies.  Preparing for zombie outbreaks on Earth is inspiring geospatial professionals to innovate and think big much like Star Trek has inspired decades of engineers.

    If you want to experience your own zombie attack, Class 3 Outbreak is a zombie outbreak simulator played via Google maps at hundreds of locations world wide.

    ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/zombies-and-geospatial-analysis/feed/ 0     A VerySpatial Podcast – Episode 355 http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-355/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-355/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 19:30:03 +0000 Sue http://veryspatial.com/?p=9762 A VerySpatial Podcast
    Shownotes – Episode 355
    May 7, 2012

    Main Topic: Our conversation with Robert Cheetham of Azavea

  • Click to directly download MP3
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    • Click for the detailed shownotes

    Music

  • This week’s podsafe music: “Say It” by Paris

    • News

  • Unmanned drones to be used in surveillance of mines in Australia
  • Get your own unmanned drone mapping kit for around $600
  • US Nature Database hits 1 million citizen contributions
  • China launches 2 more Beidou navigation satellites
  • ENVI 5 released
  • ERDAS Imagine 11.0.5 available

    • Web Corner

  • Yale Environment 360

    • Main Topic

  • This week we feature our conversation with Robert Cheetham, of Azavea, as we discuss GeoTrellis and other Azavea initiatives.

    • Tip of the Week

  • Google Maps Cube game

    • Events Corner

  • Global Geospatial Conference: 14-17 May, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
  • Microsoft TechEd Europe: 26-29 June, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • AGSE 2012: 16-20 July, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
  • URISA Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MACURISA): 22-24 October, Atlantic City, NJ

    • This week, A VerySpatial Podcast is sponsored by Esri

  • Mapping the Nation: Government and Technology Making a Difference shows how federal agencies use GIS technology to address social, economic, and environmental issues. The book uses maps to illustrate how government services foster collaboration and allow agencies to achieve their goals. For more information, visit esri.com/esripress.

    • ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/05/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-355/feed/ 2     A VerySpatial Podcast – Episode 354 http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-354/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-354/#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:55:30 +0000 Jesse http://veryspatial.com/?p=9758 A VerySpatial Podcast
    Shownotes – Episode 354
    April 29, 2012

    Main Topic: 3D and Geo

  • Click to directly download MP3
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    Music

  • This week’s podsafe music: “Someone Elses Words” by Burning Shapes

    • News

  • Trimble to acquire SketchUp
  • Worldview 3 announced
  • TomTom releases Global geocoding web service
  • OGC adopts CityGML v2 and Sensor Observation Service Standard 2.0

    • Web Corner

  • Grey’s Blog

    • Main Topic

  • With the acquisition of SketchUp by Trimble we take another look at the role of 3D in the geospatial arena.

    • Tip of the Week

  • ArcGIS Explorer and Kinect

    • Events Corner

  • WV GIS Conference: 8-11 May, Morgantown, WV
  • PA GIS Conference: 22-23 May, Harrisburg, PA
  • Ohio GIS Conference: 19-21 September, Columbus, OH
  • NC GIS Conference: 6-8 February, Raleigh, NC

    • ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-354/feed/ 0     Trimble to acquire SketchUp and 3D Warehouse http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/trimble-to-acquire-sketchup-and-3d-warehouse/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/trimble-to-acquire-sketchup-and-3d-warehouse/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:49:50 +0000 Jesse http://veryspatial.com/?p=9755 I am floored! We talk all the time about the use of SketchUp in building out virtual worlds and have just taken for granted that it was tied in to Google’s draw for Earth and Maps. Apparently that was not such a given.

    Trimble will be adding SketchUp and the 3D Warehouse to its growing pantheon of applications. There are of course short and long term questions from a users perspective regarding the availability of the free version, the licensing costs for the Pro version, the terms of use/copyright rights for 3D Warehouse content, and of course the direction of the software in the future. On the other hand, I am excited about the potential for a tool with the easy to use UI of SketchUp with a better/tighter coupling with GIS applications. Or, how about the ability to use data from existing Trimble hardware and software to streamline model generation.

    The SketchUp acquisition is just the most recent in a line of notable acquisitions that include eCognition for Remote Sensing and PeopleNet for logistics, as well as others that link to SketchUp’s potential such as BIM and StruCAD.

    These software trends have been on top of Trimble’s growing GNSS and a related hardware offerings.

    ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/trimble-to-acquire-sketchup-and-3d-warehouse/feed/ 0     Geography on the Big Think channel http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/geography-on-the-big-think-channel/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/geography-on-the-big-think-channel/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:53:32 +0000 Jesse http://veryspatial.com/?p=9753

    The Big Think channel on YouTube (and of course connected to the Big Think website) highlights ideas from a range of individuals on a number of topics…as would be expected from a channel with the name. This video is one of a group that focus on how individuals perceive how Geography shaped them.

    ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/geography-on-the-big-think-channel/feed/ 0     A VerySpatial Podcast – Episode 353 http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-353/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-353/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:00:10 +0000 Sue http://veryspatial.com/?p=9745 A VerySpatial Podcast
    Shownotes – Episode 353
    April 23, 2012

    Main Topic: The global importance of Earth Observation

  • Click to directly download MP3
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    • Click for the detailed shownotes

    Music

  • This week’s podsafe music: “New York Sun” by Perfuma

    • News

  • NASA Coder Tournament for programmers to improve access to its archives
  • Kite and balloon imagery added to Google Earth, Google looking for contributions
  • Court creates ‘end run’ around Supreme Court GPS tracking decision
  • Space Shuttle Discovery leaves Kennedy Space Center for the Smithsonian
  • Landsat 7 avoids space debris and RFP for Landsat Science team
  • GeoWeb3D version 3

    • Web Corner

  • NASA – Global Climate Change

    • Main Topic

  • This week we offer some thoughts about the growing global importance of Earth Observation, and the expansion of remote sensing capabilities to a broader community of countries.

    • Tip of the Week

  • Kaggle

    • Events Corner

  • UCGIS Symposium 2012: 30 May-1 June, Washington, DC
  • ISPRS 2012: 25 August-1 September, Melbourne, Australia
  • IGC 2012: 26-30 August, Cologne, Germany
  • Digital Earth Summit: 2-4 September, Wellington, NZ
    • ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-353/feed/ 0     A VerySpatial Podcast – Episode 352 http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-352/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-352/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:26:54 +0000 Jesse http://veryspatial.com/?p=9741 A VerySpatial Podcast
    Shownotes – Episode 352
    April 17, 2012

    Tech Conferences…a valuable experience?

  • Click to directly download MP3
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    Music

  • This week’s podsafe music: “April Showers” by Second Saturday

    • News

  • Mali rebels declare independent state of Azawad
  • Autodesk DevCamps
  • Trimble acquires Gatewing
  • FME Store
  • GeoTrelis
  • ArcGIS 10 SP5 coming in July

    • Web Corner

  • Famine Early Warning System

    • Main Topic

  • We talk about the importance and potential of technical conferences is comparison to academic conferences as conference season ramps up.

    • Tip of the Week

  • Autodesk educational webinars

    • Events Corner

  • Location Intelligence and Oracle Spatial User Conferences: 22-23 May, Washington, DC
  • e-GEOS International Conference: 23-24 May, Rome, Italy
  • Hexagon Conference: 4-7 June, Las Vegas
  • VISualize 2012: 18-19 June, Washington, DC
    • ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-352/feed/ 0     A fond farewell to Shuttle Discovery http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-fond-farewell-to-shuttle-discovery/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-fond-farewell-to-shuttle-discovery/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:29:53 +0000 Sue http://veryspatial.com/?p=9726 This morning Space Shuttle Discovery left Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its way to its new home at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and it got a great sendoff in Florida, with tons of pictures out there on the Internet for those who couldn’t be there. When Discover got to Washington, its piggyback carrier plane did a flyby of the city, a cool and touching tribute and welcome. Definitely check out NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Facebook page and the usual social media suspects for images.

  • Image courtesy of NASA
    • ]]>     http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/a-fond-farewell-to-shuttle-discovery/feed/ 0     Visuals Relieve Brain Overload http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/visuals-relieve-brain-overload/ http://veryspatial.com/2012/04/visuals-relieve-brain-overload/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:36:34 +0000 Barb http://veryspatial.com/?p=9721 A BBC article, “Pretty Pictures: Can Images Stop Data Overload?” by business reporter, Fiona Graham, supports what many geospatial researchers have argued about the many reasons for business to use GIS and visual images. A neuroscience and psychology lecturer at Brunel University found using images help the brain process large amounts of data because they can use and retain the information more efficiently. They use David McCandless’s Information is Beautiful website as an example of data visualisation.

    One thought that the article raises is the abscence of any spatial vocubulary even though data visualization leans heavily towards geospatial patterns, analysis, and mapping.  GIS and other geo-spatial techniques remain an invisible step in the process between data and visual outcome or “pretty pictures”.  Finding support for the use of images in the business world might be step towards raising awareness of the diverse applicability of GIS and geo-visualization.

     

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