igic.org

A big "THANK YOU" to everyone who responded to our recent survey on the Economic Benefits of the IndianaMap! The response rate to the survey was encouraging. Respondents included government regulators, engineers, utilities, realtors, appraisers, mining companies, researchers, planning officials, teachers, and GIS professionals. Three hundred twelve (312) responses were received during May and June, 2008.

The results of the survey clearly indicate that over $1.75 billion in Indiana projects and government operations are supported by the IndianaMap.
86% indicated that IndianaMap orthophotography was essential to their operations.

In short, this means that an initial investment of $8.5 million in the IndianaMap supports over 200-times its value in projects and operations – with 86% of users indicating they could not do their projects without it.

New business is generated, and projects that could not otherwise have happened are enabled by the IndianaMap. With your input, we are able to demonstrate the value of statewide map data, period of return, and develop a positive business case for funding the ongoing creation and maintenance of statewide framework data.

The full report will be available later this summer.

In the past week or so, researchers at Purdue University have been producing flood maps and putting them on line. The maps were based on the classification of Landsat images at a resolution of 30 meters, which were acquired during June 11 and 12, 2008. For comparison, Landsat images over the same area and period in year 2007 were also classified. The two water regions are shown with road, terrain, city and county boundary etc for reference.

We also built these maps into Google Earth. This way we can take advantage of the high resolution IndianaMap data in Google, such as 6” aerial images, road networks etc. Plus, everyone can visualize these flood maps now. We hope this can better serve the community and public. There is an address locator built into the on-line map so that one can quickly navigate to an interest location.

Please check the site https://engineering.purdue.edu/CE/floodmaps/2008_flood_map.htm and https://engineering.purdue.edu/CE/floodmaps. We’d very much like to see these maps and data be used for further evaluation, assessment and modeling. Please let the good folks at Purdue know your feedback.

Jie Shan, Associate Professor
Geomatics Engineering
School of Civil Engineering
Purdue University
550 Stadium Mall Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2051
USA
Webpages: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ce/jshan

Phone: 765-494-2168
Email: jshan@ecn.purdue.edu
Visiting address:
4110, Civil Engineering Building

The Indiana Geographic Information Council invites you to attend the 2008 Local Government GIS Coordinator Forum on September 26th in downtown Indianapolis. It is an opportunity to network with other GIS coordinators, voice your opinion, develop strategies, and help define the role local government GIS will play in Indiana’s future.

“It’s a great way to meet and talk with the people who really make GIS happen in Indiana."

Indiana GIS is changing fast. The IndianaMap, data sharing technology, and statewide coordination initiatives are having a direct impact on local governments. What happens next? How do you fit in? Where do you want it to go? Join us September 26th and make sure your voice is heard.

September 26, 2008
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Farm Bureau Building
225 S. East Street
Downtown Indianapolis

Parking and lunch are included

To register or for more information visit http://www.in.gov/igic/forum/index.html or call 317.353.8884.

This event is hosted by the Indiana Geographic Information Council through the support of our Corporate Sponsors:


WTH Technologies
Pictometry
39 Degrees North
BF&S
Seiler Instrument
ESRI
EarthTech
Williams Aerial & Mapping, Inc.
Woolpert
Lawson-Fisher Associates
Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County
Fugro EarthData

Friday, July 18th, 1:00-3:30pm
Indiana State Library, 140 N. Senate Ave, History Reference Room, Indianapolis
IGIC Members: FREE
Nonmembers: $20

This presentation will provide an introduction to Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and how it is being implemented and used in Indiana counties, communities and schools. Ben Hill of WTH Technology, Inc. will show how AVL works with both GPS and GIS; the differences between cellular and radio AVL networks; how an AVL system can display vehicles in different ways on GIS maps; how back-end records created with an AVL system can be used as defensible proof of past vehicle activity; and how AVL offers a means for assessing and planning better vehicle use.

Matthew Alexander, the Jennings County E911 Director, will then talk about their experience in setting up a new countywide AVL system for law enforcement and public safety vehicles, and describe recent emergency response incidents where the system has been successfully engaged.

Thursday, July 31st, 2:30-3:30pm
WEBINAR
FREE

Help Us Complete and Maintain Indiana’s GIS Inventory

What is the GIS Inventory?

* An Inventory of Existing & Planned Data, Policies, Systems, and People
* A Simple Query Tool for Information About Users and Data Availability
* A Directory of GIS Users
* A Source of Key Information for Collaborative Strategic and Business Planning
* A Tool for Use During Emergencies
* A Way to Minimize the Need to Respond to Pesky Data Surveys
* A Resource to Help Create Partnership Opportunities

Indiana already has over 600 registered users in our GIS Inventory! This online workshop will be a quick tour for new and existing users through Indiana’s GIS Inventory at http://in.gisinventory.net. By the end, you will understand its purpose, how to keep your information up-to-date, and how to get the most out of this easy to use yet powerful system.

Level: Beginning

July 14th, 2008 1:30-2:30
WEBINAR
IGIC Members: FREE
Nonmembers: $20

This webinar is an introduction to incorporating your business data into Microsoft Virtual Earth or Google Maps, and publishing the data to the web. Joel Bump of the Indiana Department of Transportation will guide attendees through the built-in functionality of these products, and the out-of-the-box ways to publish data. No programming experience is required.

Did you know you can create your own linked map to your area of interest and the information you want using the IndianaMap? It's easy. Just use the "Hyperlink" tool (under "Map" on the menu bar) in the IndianaMap.

To send a map to another user, zoom in to the area you would like to show and turn on the layers you are interested in. Click the "Generate Link" button to create a hyperlink. Copy and paste the hyperlink from the text box above into a document or e-mail message. This tool may not work with browsers other than Internet Explorer.

Visit www.in.gov/igic/jobs for more information on this and other job and internship openings.

GIS Programmer/Analyst
Pinnacle Mapping Technologies has an opening for a GIS Programmer/Analyst needed to help support a wide range of GIS mapping projects.

The Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC) is seeking an Executive Director to help lead statewide coordination of Indiana GIS through dissemination of data and data products, education and outreach, adoption of standards, building partnerships, and the IndianaMap. The IGIC is a 501c3 non-profit organization with a 31-member board of directors and general membership of over 350 professionals. IGIC’s Executive Director works collaboratively with a strong and active community of GIS and non-GIS professionals across the state, numerous partner organizations, and Indiana’s Geographic Information Officer to accomplish our goals. IGIC is responsible through duties described in Indiana Code for formally recommending GIS data standards and maintaining a Statewide Data Integration Plan. Along with a forward-looking advocacy and outreach agenda, these ongoing responsibilities are accomplished by coordinating stakeholder involvement and by seeking our member’s input and participation on various committees and workgroups.

IGIC’s activities and operations are well documented. The Executive Director is currently supported by two (off-site) part-time staff. A five member Executive Committee of the Board provides overall direction and input to the Executive Director’s activities. IGIC offers a flexible working environment where professional growth opportunities abound. The Executive Director will be well organized, self-directed, and have an entrepreneurial spirit. The ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences is a must. An understanding of the geospatial technology industry is required. Grant writing experience is helpful. The Executive Director maintains the organizational framework that allows an esprit de corps to thrive. Perhaps most importantly, the Executive Director must be able to understand, communicate, and contribute to IGIC’s overall vision and future direction.

The IGIC is open to negotiating the Executive Director position as a salaried staff position or as a contracted position. IGIC’s office is located in the Indiana State Library in downtown Indianapolis, though the Executive Director’s work often occurs off-site and work hours can be flexible. Benefits include paid time off, free parking, and a healthcare stipend for staff (due to its small size IGIC is unable to offer a healthcare benefit plan). The position is currently soft-money funded and an appointment will be made through December 2009, renewal subject to the availability of funding. Salary is commensurate with experience. Anticipated starting salary of $50,000-$60,000, with potential for higher as grant funding is secured. It is anticipated that the selected candidate will be presented to the IGIC Board of Directors for appointment at the August 21, 2008 IGIC Board Meeting, though the position will remain open until filled. To apply, please send your resume/bio and cover letter to:

info@igic.org with the subject line “Executive Director”

or mail to:
Indiana Geographic Information Council
Indiana State Library, GIS
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204

On June 10th, Learon Dalby of Arkansas gave a WebEx presentation for National States' Geographic Information council (NSGIC) State Representatives that dealt with the large number of tornados and flooding events that have occurred in Arkansas this year. It was an updated version of his presentation from the NSGIC Midyear Meeting with a discussion of the lessons learned during these events. You can view this 1-hour presentation at the following link.

https://nsgic.webex.com/nsgic/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=TC&rID=11671122&rKey=224281A0C1FDAED4&act=pb