news

FEMA and USGS enter into agreement to produce 10m DEMs for Iowa

FEMA and the USGS have entered into an Interagency Agreement to produce 10m DEMs for 1745 7.5' quads in Iowa and Kansas.

Utility uses homeland security law to keep data secret

The federal Department of Homeland Security has designated a New Jersey town's electronic mapping data to be "critical infrastructure information" protected from public disclosure. For full text of the article, follow the link.

Iowa counties GIS budgets in the news

From the Directions Magazine newsletter on the news from February 25, 2005.

FGDC Future Directions Strategic Planning

At NSGIC this week Milo Robinson of FGDC reported back on the Future Directions study that aimed to give some guidance to that committee. Last June FGDC completed the study aiming to "to draft a strategy and implementation plan for the FGDC to further the development of the NSDI." That came from outreach events including one at last year's NSGIC mid-year. Three key focus areas were identified: Partnerships with Purpose, Making Framework Real, Communicating the Message. Twelve action teams have been set up to move these forward. The first report is already published (in February). Two action plans have been finalized: Fifty States and Communications. They will move to a steering committee in the June time frame. Those involved with a few of the teams presented their work to date.

'Privacy' a bar to disclosure of electronic GIS maps by FEMA

A non-profit environmental group is not entitled to electronic versions of Federal Emergency Management Agency maps, a federal appellate court ruled this week.

Google tinkerers make data come alive

Geeks, tinkerers and innovators are crashing the Google party, having discovered how to tinker with the search engine's mapping service to graphically illustrate vital information that might otherwise be ignored, overlooked or not perceived as clearly.

URISA Leads Effort to Standardize National Address Data

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) recently accepted a proposal submitted by the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) to create a Street Address Standard. The objective of this effort is to create data content, classification, transfer, and quality standards for street addresses. URISA submitted a formal proposal to the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) to begin the work. The proposal was accepted.

IT Chief Receives Honor

Des Moines' chief information technology officer has won a national award given to officials who work with computer systems.

Homeland Security Grant

FY 2005 Dept. of Homeland Security Grant Program for State Agencies

Schuman Named Senior Project Manager for GeoDecisions

January 28, 2005/Harrisburg, Pa.: Bill Schuman was recently named senior project manager for GeoDecisions, an award-winning leader in the information technology industry that specializes in geospatial solutions.

Census Bureau releases the 2004 First Edition TIGER/Line files

On January 28, the Census Bureau released the 2004 First Edition TIGER/Line files.

Geospatial One-Stop Project Awards Portal Contract

After a highly competitive procurement process, the Geospatial One-Stop project has awarded a contract to ESRI to update www.Geodata.gov.

IGIC Board Quarterly Meeting Agenda

Iowa Geographic Information Council Board of Directors Quarterly Meeting Agenda October 13, 2004, 11:00 am-3:00pm Location: 204-208 Scheman Building, Iowa State Center, Ames, Iowa

President Bush Proposes Increase in USGS Landsat 7 Funding for FY 2006

This morning (2/7/2005) the Department of the Interior released some advance details of the President's FY 2006 budget. In brief the budget contains funding that will allow the USGS to continue to operate Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 and begin work on a ground processing system for LDCM. This is very good news for Landsat and land remote sensing.

City must release GIS data

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that there is not a significant security risk to the town of Greenwich,CT in making its GIS Data available to the public. Greenwich had claimed that the data could compromise personal and national security, and was sued under CT Freedom of Information laws.

2004 USDA NAIP Imagery On-line

The 2004 USDA National Agriculture Imagery Program orthophotos for Iowa are available on the Iowa Geographic Map Server.

NRCS Web Soil Survey

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has released the Web Soil Survey at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/

Iowa Geological Survey's Geographic Information Systems Bi-Monthly Section Newsletter

What's Happenin' Issue Focuses on wetlands

Creating a Firmette

FEMA has an online location where you can create custom floodplain maps of specific areas. It creates an 8.5 x 11 map that includes the panel number, scale, etc but is much easier to work with than the large panels and photocopiers.

NASA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NOTICE (CAN) DECISION SUPPORT THROUGH EARTH SCIENCE

The overall goals of this solicitation are to 1) extend NASA Earth science results to serve policy, business, and management responsibilities through integrated system solutions; and 2) improve the ability of users to access NASA information networks and the ability of partner organizations to harness NASA Earth science research to meet national needs. To address these goals, this announcement solicits proposals for two major components - Solutions Networks and Integrated System Solutions (assimilating NASA Earth science research results into systems solutions for applications of national priority). (~$250-$500K/year for 3 years)

Do You Know: IGIC Board Member Anya Butt?

News flash from the Des Moines Register, December 22, 2004.

2006 CAP Grant Advance Notice

A "heads-up" notice that the CAP grant announcement for 2006 will be out earlier this year and that they will have a shorter time frame for submittal of applications. Please note that $500,000 has been allocated for the development of Strategic and Business Plans to begin implementation of the Fifty States Initiative.

UCGIS accepts GISCI invitation to join as member organization

The University Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) recently accepted the GIS Certification Institute's (GISCI) invitation to join GISCI as a Member Organization. The UCGIS is a non-profit organization of universities and professional organizations dedicated to advancing multidisciplinary research and education in geographic information science and technology.

1930s Historic Aerial Photos

USDA aerial photos from 1937-1939 flights are available for portions of 10 Iowa counties including: Black Hawk, Clinton, Dubuque, Johnson, Linn, Polk, Pottawattamie, Story, , Scott, and Woodbury.

Open Letter to the MapServer Open Source Web Mapping Community

We are delighted to announce the creation of the MapServer Foundation (mapserverfoundation.org). The foundation is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide a supportive framework for open, collaborative development of geospatial software. Several groups and individuals are collaborating to help launch and sponsor the new foundation. Financial support from Autodesk will allow us to get the foundation up and running. In this letter, we present some ideas of how we think the foundation can help the community, but these ideas need broader discussion and debate within the community.

2006 NSDI CAP Announcement

2006 NSDI CAP information has been officially posted.

2005 Iowa Orthophotos online

The 2005 USDA National Agriculture Imagery Program orthophotos for Iowa are available on the Iowa Geographic Map Server.

Another County Goes Paperless

Article featured in the January 6th edition of the GIS Monitor from GITC America detailing efforts in Washington County to move to an Asset E-Docs GIS developed by Aerial Services of Cedar Falls.

Black Hawk County uses geographical information sytems technology to map county

Link to article appearing in the December 4, 2005 edition of the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.

Landsat 8?

EROS Data Center optimistic about proposed satellite launch.

Geospatial One Stop receives Excellence.Gov award

Geospatial One Stop has received the Excellence.Gov award from the Industry Advisory Council. The sixth annual Excellence.Gov award is given to federally-lead IT projects for demonstrating best practices in Information Sharing.

Polk City GIS Project gets some media coverage

Polk City receives some media coverage about their GIS initiatives in the Des Moines Register. Article is dated February 28, 2006.

NASA Satellites Feel Budget Crunch

Budget cuts and poor management may be jeopardizing the future of our eyes in orbit -- America's fleet of environmental satellites, vital tools for forecasting hurricanes, protecting water supplies and predicting global warming.

Climate Change / Global Warming

Dr. Susanne Moser, research scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO, relates results of recent climate models at NCAR. "We're not in a cycle," Moser said adamantly. "We're definitely pushing the temperature and the averages of climate variables out of the range of variability that we've known."

Stronger Solar Storms Predictions; Blackouts May Result

The next 11-year solar storm cycle should be significantly stronger than the current one, which may mean big problems for power grids and GPS systems and other satellite-enabled technology, scientists announced today.

Ramona inventory link added

'GIS Inventory' link added to the data resources portlet on the IGIC website.

Need WMS and WFS support for ArcGIS?

Use CarbonArc to add WMS, WFS and other OGC support to ArcGIS without having to purchase the interoperability extension.

City of Carter Lake and Pottawattamie County coordinate efforts

Article from the Council Bluffs Nonpareil discussing efforts underway between Pottawattamie County GIS and the City of Carter Lake. Link to article is included in the body text.

Google Maps added to the IGIC Member Area

Members can now add a Google Maps in the Events area.

Internet Mapping Portal Competition Benefits Satellite Imagery Businesses

From Space News Business Report. By Missy Frederick - Space News Staff Writer

Brad Cutler Awarded for GIS Coordination at MAGIC

Brad Cutler, current IGIC Chair, was presented with an award for GIS Coordination at the 2006 MAGIC GIS Symposium in Kansas City, MO, on April 24, 2006. Tony Spicci, NSGIC Chair, gave a summary of the praise for Brad during the opening session of the Symposium.

The Rise of GIS Podcasts

They are out there, is anyone listening?

2006 Oracle Spatial User Conference Presentations

Speaker presentations for the 2006 Oracle Spatial Conference are now online.

Communicating & Defining Geospatial Industry Workforce Demand

A joint GITA/AAG project funded by the United States Department of Labor (phase 1) is now completed and awaiting feedback.

Using LiDAR to Scan Iowa from Aircraft

From the "Our Common Ground" series of publications from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Resource Information Fact Sheet 2006-1 from the Iowa Geological Survey.

MAF/TIGER Accuracy Improvement Project (MTAIP) Status update

MTAIP status updates from the Census Bureau.

Iowa Mumps Update

Through Wednesday, June 7th, 2006; Iowa Department of Public Health, Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology

GeoTREE Newsletter (1st issue)

Employment: GPS Sales Specialist

Ziegler, the Minnesota and Iowa dealer for Caterpillar equipment and engines, and Trimble machine control and positioning technologies, is seeking a GPS Sales Specialist at its Altoona, IA, location.

Polk County Mapping / GIS News - Spring 2006

Polk County Mapping / GIS News - Summer 2006

Tentative Schedule and Categories for 2007 NSDI CAP Grants

This is the tentative schedule and categories for the 2007 National Spatial Data Infrastructure Cooperative Agreements Program.

New UNI program offers hi-tech help

Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier article from Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006 that talks about the GeoTREE program with quotes from workshop attendees and Sugu.

London firm chosen to track sex offenders

Des Moines Register article from Wednesday, August 23rd that talks about selection of firm to handle monitoring of convicted sex offenders.

USDA's NAIP program featured on NPR's "Morning Edition"

You can either listen to the report or read the transcript at the link below.

Nonprofit building opportunities

Several opportunities coming up that pertain to nonprofits in and around Iowa.

Slate.com - The Trainspotters of Google Earth

Slide show about Google Earth from a mainstream press perspective.

IGIC Board Update

A brief report of events and activities since the July quarterly meeting.

NACo passes resolution in support of Imagery for the Nation Initiative

NACo supports the Imagery for the Nation initiative and urges support for the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) as it seeks endorsement for this initiative.

HCC base station part of growing GPS network

An article about the new GPS base station at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo.

Steve Cooper article on GIS & City Mgt.

Steve Cooper, Board member, urges use of GIS in City management. He includes a strong list of Iowa web sites with good info on GIS, data, and GIS help.

Sanborn to perform LiDAR acquisition and three-dimensional mapping services for the State of Iowa

Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, Iowa (four counties) receives National Vacant and Abandoned Properties Grant Program award

Redlands, California-ESRI, the National Vacant Properties Campaign, and Magellan announced the winners of the National Vacant and Abandoned Properties Grant Program today (Tuesday, December 19th, 2006). Fifty thousand dollars in software, hardware, and training grants has been awarded to 10 U.S. local and regional governments to foster innovative approaches to solving government and community problems through the combined use of geographic information system (GIS) and GPS technology.

Presentation abstracts now being accepted for 2007 IGIC Conference

The presentation abstract submission form is now available on the IGIC website. If you have specific questions about presenting at the conference, please contact Herb Kuehne with any questions.

Mapping technology helps feed the hungry

Link to article in January 20, 2007 edition of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier online edition that discusses the mapping project underway in the Cedar Valley that looks at food and nutrition programs in Black Hawk County.

IGIC Metadata Retreat Featured in Winter FGDC Newsletter

Coverage of the 2006 IGIC metadata retreat.

4th GeoTREE Newsletter is out

Emergency Management in County Government - A National Survey

NACo survey results that looked at county emergency management. One of the key findings of the study: "Eighty percent of U.S. counties use Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, but only 14 percent have this capacity within the emergency management agency."

2007 NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program awards announced

Iowa awarded in the Fifty States Initiative category (Strategic and Business Plan Develoopment in Suppoort of the NSDI Future Directions Fifty States Initiative).

GITA Awarded Grant from Iowa Geographic Information Council

The Iowa Geographic Information Council (IGIC) has awarded the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) a "Business Planning Services for a State Spatial Data Infrastructure in Iowa" grant.

Bill would fund technology upgrades for six county sheriff's departments

Article in Sunday, August 5th edition of the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier that deals with Federal funding for implementation of Pictometry technology in six county Sheriff's offices.

DHS Announces $1.7 Billion in Homeland Security Grants

DHS posted new information regarding awards for the FY07 Grant Program (total funding is about 1.7 billion for this year). There is an FY07 Homeland Security Grant Program Allocation Overview which shows the dollar amounts awarded to each State. There is also a "Supplemental Resource: Geospatial Guidance" at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/fy07_hsgp_resource_geospatial.pdf.

2 GIS Internships at City of Ames

The City of Ames is seeking to fill 2 GIS internship positions. Application deadline is Dec 7, 2007.

Employment - Iowa DNR - GIS Tech.

The Watershed Improvement Section of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' Environmental Services Division has an opening for a contract position (up to 18-month position) for a GIS Technician. This position will utilize GIS technologies to provide GIS services and support to various watershed and water quality projects in the Nonpoint Source Pollution Program.

Press Release---Announcement of Members of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee

Several months ago the Federal Geographic Data Committee announced the creation of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has named the members to serve on this committee.

"Earth From Space"

Link to Des Moines Register article detailing the new Smithsonian Institution show opening at the University of Northern Iowa Museum and including an interview with Sugu.

2008 NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program projects announced

IGIC is awarded a 2008 Category 5 award (Building data stewardship for the National Map and the NSDI)

4-H’ers Use GPS/GIS to Map Barn Quilts of Sac County

When historic barn quilts merge with futuristic geospatial technologies, the result is a high-tech take on a new tourist attraction. Northwest Iowa 4-H Technology Team youth are using their newfound skills in global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) to map Sac County’s historic barn quilts.

Planner position available with NW Iowa Planning & Development

Regional Planning Agency/Council of Governments is looking to hire an individual for the Planner I position. Minimum requirements are: Bachelor's Degree in Urban/Regional Planning, Public Administration or related field. Job duties may include: zoning, community land use, community development, hazard mitigation planning, economic development, grant writing/administration, transportation planning, and other general assistance to 9 counties and 78 cities. Experience with GIS is preferable. Written and oral communication skills are a must. Submit resume and cover letter by April 4, 2008, to: Executive Director; NWIPDC; Box 1493; Spencer, Iowa; 51301. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

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