igic.org

Tree Preservation Areas contain many species and sizes of trees that contribute in a positive way to the environment, the economy, and our lives. For the past 15 years, the City of Carmel Plan Commission has strongly encouraged the establishment of Tree Preservation Areas as part of new development in the city. To be able to accurately map these locations, plat maps were researched to find tree preservation areas within Carmel’s six forestry zones, including 400 platted subdivisions and approximately 200 secondary plats. After existing areas were identified, accurate mapping into a GIS database was performed. As the City advances toward efficient and responsible management of its land and environmental resources, the inclusion of existing Tree Protection Areas into the City’s GIS is a natural fit. This project will ensure the citizens of Carmel can reap the benefits of a healthy and thriving urban forest for many years to come.

Read more about this project at www.igic.org/realworld/envircarmeltrees.html

In collaboration with the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors (ISPLS), Members of the The Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC) presented one full-day and two half-day GIS workshops at the ISPLS Annual Convention on January 20, 2012. The workshop sessions included:

Over 100 conference goes attended these sessions. Surveyors attending each session earned Continuing Education Credits. IGIC hopes to offer these classes again at other times during the year. For more detailed information and to view the presentations go to http://igic.org/training/ISPLS_Seminars.html

Congratulations to the newest members of the IGIC Board of Directors!

State of Indiana
Joel Bump, INDOT

Federal
Chris Morse, US Department of Agriculture - NRCS

Regional At Large - Southwest
John Howe, Gibson County

Regional At Large - Southeast
Margaret Minzner, Dearborn County

Regional At Large - Northeast
Dave Estes, Allen County

Nonprofit
Fiona Becker, The Nature Conservancy

At Large
Brooke Gajownik, Hamilton County Sheriff's

At Large
Larry Theller, Purdue University

Utility
Mike Morris, City of Noblesville Utility

Critical Infrastructure
Chris Severns, Indianapolis Division of Homeland Security

The Division of Water at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources maintains a database called Unity in which data on floodplains, construction permit applications, dam specifications and inspections, violations, and water well records are collected. Searching for records was accomplished by querying text data fields, resulting in large returns. The Division of Water built a map and mapping tool, called G.R.I.D (Geographic Research for Internal Data) that displays live data from the Unity database as a map view. Symbology was applied and tools built that make the interface easy for users to access, and data input – including PLSS and physical location – is automated. Dam and compliance inspections can now be tracked using dates, geographic location, and appropriate symbology.

Read more about this project at www.igic.org/realworld/govgrid.html

OrbView-3 satellite images collected around the world between 2003 and 2007 by Orbital Imaging Corporation (now GeoEye) at up to one-meter resolution can now be downloaded at no cost through USGS EarthExplorer.

"This is a significant addition to the USGS archive and a valuable resource for the global science community," said Matthew Larsen, Associate Director, Climate and Land Use Change. "Free access through the USGS archive amplifies the utility of the data, making it feasible for many researchers to study large areas at this level of accuracy."

"Partnering with GeoEye brings forward an important commercial resource in response to the need for authoritative, information-rich data about the land surface of the planet," said Bruce Quirk, USGS Land Remote Sensing Program manager.

The OrbView-3 dataset includes 180,000 scenes of one meter resolution panchromatic, black and white, and four meter resolution multi-spectral (color and infrared) data, providing high resolution data useful for a wide range of science applications.

"The Land Cover Office of the Netherlands is already using this OrbView-3 data as a critical input to developing a global land cover data file," Quirk continued. "In addition, the high resolution of this data permits validation of land cover categories produced by moderate resolution data."

The initial data format available is GeoEye's Basic Enhanced (L1B) product. However, processing to a systematically terrain corrected (L1Gst) product is also available on demand. Eventually, the entire data set will be processed to the L1Gst level.

The OrbView-3 dataset joins over 170 separate collections of aerial photography and space-based data cataloged in the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive and available through USGS EarthExplorer.

Contributed by: Carol O. Rogers, Deputy Director
Indiana Business Research Center
Phone: (317) 274-2979
Email: rogersc@iupui.edu


The U.S. Census Bureau's Geography Division manages programs to continuously update features, boundaries, addresses, and geographic entities in the Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System (MAF/TIGER) database (MTDB).

The Census Bureau recognizes that tribal, state, and local governments usually have the most authoritative data for addresses, features, and geographic boundaries in their jurisdictions, and because these entities have current knowledge about where growth and change are occurring in their jurisdictions, their input into the overall development of a continually maintained address list for censuses and surveys makes a vital contribution. The benefits to local jurisdictions in sharing that information as part of the Census Bureau's geographic programs are realized in more accurate results of censuses and surveys.

The Divisions Geographic Partnership Programs (GPPs) allow designated participants, following Census Bureau guidelines, to review, update, and suggest modifications to addresses, features, boundaries, and geographic entities to maintain the Census Bureau MTDB and to ensure the accurate reporting of data from censuses and surveys.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections by the U.S. Census Bureau's Geography Division.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2012/2011-33701.htm

Equipment inspections are necessary to provide over 27,000 utility consumers with dependable electricity delivery. Poles are along road right-of-ways and transformers are in residential yards, so the risk of a potentially deadly accident is very real. By utilizing a mobile GIS map viewer, field workers access menu drop-downs to enter data consistently and this data is synchronized with the GIS server to update it with the most current information. Because of the application of technology, the number of field inspections has increased as well as improved accuracy and consistency. By building the database, trends and patterns of issues, equipment purchases, and work methods can be evaluated and expedited. By increasing the numbers of inspections, safety and reliability are increased while costs and risks of liability are reduced.



Read more about this project at www.igic.org/realworld/utneremc.html

During a single election, the Allen County Election Board received hundreds of requests for sample ballots and polling location information. The existing website was confusing and discouraged voters with a cumbersome process, and the resulting personal phone calls became a time-consuming problem for Election Board staff. By integrating voting information with the existing Allen County Treasurer’s Office GIS data, thousands of voters were able to find polling locations, see sample ballots, find names of elected officials for their address, and access how-to videos and links to other election-related sites.



Read more about this project at www.igic.org/realworld/govallenvote.html

Contributed by: Phil Worrall
IGIC Executive Director

I was invited to participate in a new Advisory Council for the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS). About 30 people are on the Council, and they represent various state stakeholders, from Indiana University administration, geologists, the coal/limestone/aggregate mining industry, state agencies (IDEM, IDNR, IDHS), nonprofits and associations, and private industry. The IGS last held a similar meeting back in 2007.

Last week’s one-day meeting included formal presentations by Director John Steinmetz, Assistant Director Rick Hill, and other lead staff members, a tour of the IGS facilities, and various geology, mining, and mapping/GIS demos provided by the IGS staff. The meeting wrapped up with the group providing feedback to the IGS staff that included making recommendations to address current issues and future directions.

I’m not going to go into any details of the directed (applied) geology research being conducted at the IGS, but just let me say that it is very impressive and showed what a valuable resource the organization is to the state of Indiana, to the United States, and for worldwide issues related to energy, natural resources, and the environment.

What I really want to highlight is the prevalence and power of geospatial technology in use throughout IGS. Although many of us see only the tip of the iceberg through the IndianaMap viewer, it is impressive when you see all their talented staff with maps and GIS on virtually every desktop. And when you add up their other public service GIS-based initiatives like the Lake Rim GIS, IHAPI, Marion County and Allen County map portals, the Petroleum Database Management System, and the Coal Mine Information System, all supported with extensive documentation and FGDC metadata, it becomes even more impressive, especially when you realize that all of these systems are provided for FREE.

In 2012 the IGS is celebrating their 175th anniversary.

We are truly fortunate at IGIC to have the IGS as a partner and for the state of Indiana to have an organization with the staff, resources, and vision of the IGS.

Anne J. Castle, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240

I'm very pleased to announce the release of the FGDC 2011 Annual Report. Developed as required by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-16, this report includes the activities and accomplishments of the FGDC partner agencies over the past year. I would like to thank the partner agencies that provided the articles, success stories, and data theme status maps and reports that are highlighted in the report. Thanks are also due to the FGDC Secretariat's staff for the compilation and production. I encourage everyone to peruse the report and read about our collective accomplishments.

This year's cover story is highlights the tremendous success of the National Broadband Map initiative, the culmination of two years of committed partnerships and collaboration among State governments, non-profit organizations, Federal agencies, broadband providers, and many other stakeholders. The effort exemplifies the goals of OMB Circular A-16, which established a coordinated approach to developing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and emphasized the development of national data and collaborative partnerships.

Another very significant accomplishment is the tremendous progress FGDC made in conceptualizing and implementing the Geospatial Platform initiative, which provides a foundation to support the Administration's efforts in data sharing, transparency, good government, and collaboration. The FGDC developed a conceptual roadmap for the Platform and received very helpful feedback from the National Geospatial Advisory Committee and through a public outreach process. The FGDC also initiated the first operational phase of the Platform, which is live and available at: www.geoplatform.gov.

The FGDC also provided support for key White House initiatives, including working with OMB to develop the Supplemental Guidance to Circular A-16, "Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities." The new guidance outlines a process to use portfolio management approaches to more effectively manage Federal geospatial assets and investments.

Fiscal year 2012 will focus on continued collaboration to better enable public-private partnerships and investments, and continued progress on the development of the Geospatial Platform, as well as other tools and data to provide benefits for federal agencies, partners, and the public we serve. We look forward to a productive year.

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to and supported the efforts of the FGDC during the year. Without your hard work, we would not be able to report these accomplishments.

The FGDC 2011 Annual Report is available online at: http://www.fgdc.gov/library/whitepapers-reports/annual reports/2011 Limited hard copies of the report are available from Ivan DeLoatch (ideloatch@usgs.gov). We encourage you to view the report online to reduce costs.