GIS NEWS (updated November 6, 2008)

NC GIS 09 IS COMING

The Preliminary Conference Program is posted on the conference webpage at www.cgia.state.nc.us/ncgis2009. This conference is the BIG GIS conference in North Carolina and is held every two years. So block out February 19-20, 2009 for a trip to the Raleigh Convention Center. Online registration for the conference and CURISA workshops is open.

Links to other upcoming conferences are on the EVENTS page.

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CLASSES

Introduction to ArcGIS
Intermediate ArcGIS
Working with the Geodatabase
These three classes are scheduled every two months. The training is from the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at NCSU.

Registration and fees : information.

Scanning Public Records
A workshop from the NC Dept of Cultural Resources on how to implement a record scanning program is available at several locations."These workshops will provide the groundwork for implementing a scanning program in local government offices. You will learn how to balance the advantages of scanning against the obligations for preservation, and find out how to plan budgetary and personnel resources required for managing an effective long-term program through constant changes in technology. We will also discuss hybrid technologies that can help accomplish both scanning for access and microfilming for preservation."

Wilmington: Nov. 18, 2008

Registration form. For more information contact Tom Vincent at 919-807-7364.

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NC STREETMAP

State governments can now join NCStreetMap! This new tool is dedicated to the exchange of North Carolina street centerline data. It allows all data stewards and data requestors to access the same data repository to upload and download data, substantially reducing the burden on both local government and state government staff. To create an account go to www.ncstreetmap.net.

Users of NCStreetMap are restricted to City, County, Councils of Government, and Tribal government employees in North Carolina, Federal government employees, NC MPO/RPO organization employees, NC academic institution staff/faculty and students, and State government employees.

For more information contact Janet Lowe, co-chair of the Working Group for Roads and Transportation, jolowe@ncdot.gov

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SGISA MEETING REPORT

Attendees at the August 14 meeting work in planning, utilities, IT, conservation, and emergency management. This varied experience ensured good communication of problems and solutions.

James Armstrong and Donna Wright provided background on addressing and street centerline files. They explained their procedures to improve the accuracy of these files so that emergency services can find a specific address.

John Correlus and Alan Sandoval demonstrated the North Carolina Economic Development Intelligence System (EDIS). EDIS provides mix and match access to data on North Carolina counties (and others around the country). The list of data available is long and covers demography, quality of life, education, workforce, and businesses (both current and opportunities).

Updates covered the recent RLUAC Telecommunication Tower study and the current process to revised the criteria and data used in the Sustainable Sandhills Landscape Suitability Analysis models. Our host for the meeting was James Armstrong, Director of Planning and GIS Services for Richmond county. Thank you James and all our speakers.

Updated list of active members

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UPDATED LIST OF DATASETS

The Sandhills GIS Database contains over four hundred datasets. Many of these datasets are for local data. Data is currently available for download from the Members section. Datasets are provided as zipped shapefiles. The list of datasets, with extent and date produced, is periodically updated.

Latest list of data layers for download (pdf)

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NEW REGIONAL ACTIVITY MAPS

All-American Trail -- a project of the Regional Land Use Advisory Commission (RLUAC) and the Fort Bragg Military Installation.

Generalized regional zoning -- part of the suitability mapping project of the Sustainable Sandhills land use team.

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CERTIFICATION GRANDFATHERING PROVISION ENDS

On December 31, 2008, the Grandfathering Provision of the GIS Certification Institute's (GISCI) certification program (GISP) expires.

Grandfathering provisions are typical of new certification programs. The GISCI Grandfathering Provision is for experienced practitioners. A practitioner's experience is allowed to compensate for deficiencies in the other two achievement categories. If a minimum number of years and experience points are met, then the individual may obtain certification. There are 147 GISPs registered in North Carolina.

If you plan to stay working in the GIS field and have been a GIS practitioner for many years then look into submitting a certification package this year under the grandfathering provision. Employers are beginning to list GISP certification in position vacancy notices.

For more information regarding the GISCI certification program, visit www.gisci.org or call (847) 824-7768.

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FUTURE OF "THE NATIONAL MAP"

USGS has just published a document outlining goals for the next two years of The National Map. The document includes detailed performance milestones in each area.

"The National Map’s 2-year goal is to provide a range of geospatial products and services that meet the basic goals of the original vision for The National Map while furthering the National Spatial Data Infrastructure that underpins U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science. To accomplish this goal, the National Geospatial Program (NGP) will acquire, store, maintain, and distribute base map data."

The National Map 2.0 Tactical Plan

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LANDSAT SCENES

The USGS plans to have all Landsat archive scenes available for selection at no charge by February 2009. In addition, newly acquired scenes meeting a cloud cover threshold of 20% or below will be processed to the standard recipe and placed on line for at least three months, after which they will remain available for selection from the archive. Full details on these changes.

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LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

For jobs in North Carolina monitor the GIS listserv (NCGIS).
For jobs elsewhere two sources are Geosearch and URISA.

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