First off, let me say that I don't like Google Maps. The data is not accurate most of the time, however some of our Councillors love it and question why things like parking lots and changes to trails are not shown on Google Maps.
It's been mentioned before that we are at the mercy of Google to update our data when they see fit - however it appears there is a workaround to get your data updated quickly if you want to use Google Map Maker for your town.
http://www.google.ca/mapmaker
I added some new points to Google Map Maker representing our public parking lots, as well as a simple centre line for our new Pedestrian Bridge across the Bow River. The additions were visible in Google maps the next day!!??
The only remaining issue is the routing capabilities don't seem to take the new bridge into account, but that's fairly minor I think - and I assume it will be included the next time Google updates its Routing dataset.
Anyhow, just wanted to pass along that Google Map Maker seems to be the ticket if you want to add/update data shown on Google Maps for your town/city.
Steve
An online discussion forum for members of the Calgary Regional Partenership (CRP) Regional GIS Technical Committee and anyone else interested in regional GIS.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Economic value of open data estimated at $3 trillion annually
Some comments related to Canada in this posting...
http://geospatial.blogs.com/geospatial/2013/11/economic-value-of-open-data.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fzeissg%2Fgeospatial+%28Between+the+Poles%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
http://geospatial.blogs.com/geospatial/2013/11/economic-value-of-open-data.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fzeissg%2Fgeospatial+%28Between+the+Poles%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
What is the Google Maps Engine Public Data Program?
Some of you might find this interesting...
http://www.directionsmag.com/channels/government/blogs/what-is-the-google-maps-engine-public-data-program/362457
http://www.directionsmag.com/channels/government/blogs/what-is-the-google-maps-engine-public-data-program/362457
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
New York City and OpenStreetMap Collaborating Through Open Data
New York City has opened up 200 high value data sets to the public, making it possible to use this data to improve OpenStreetMap.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
URISA GIS Leadership Academy in Calgary, May 5-9, 2014
URISA is pleased to announce the URISA Leadership Academy in
Calgary, Alberta, May 5-9, 2014
Calgary, Alberta, May 5-9, 2014
The URISA Leadership Academy is a five day training program,
tailored to professionals faced with the unique challenges of GIS leadership
and management.
“I
would highly recommend the ULA. It helped to broaden my organizational
awareness and perspective regarding leadership roles within a GIS context. I
walked away from this experience feeling invigorated and, thanks to a daily
learning journal, empowered to implement tailor-made action items within my
daily work routine. I still find myself
referencing the material and my course notes. The ULA team-based exercises
allowed participants to learn from each other, to analyze their own issues and
challenges, and to thoroughly explore leadership strategies throughout the five
day event.” - Laura Holmes B.Sc., GISP, GIS Lead - Associate, TERA
Environmental Consultants, Calgary, Alberta (ULA 2012 Graduate - Savannah,
Georgia)
Participants will learn:
- · GIS leadership and management techniques
- · Strategic planning
- · Successful team development
- · Organizational capacity building and sustainability strategies (ROI, innovative funding ideas)
- · Program investment and justification
- · Change management
- · Situation assessment and organizational performance evaluation
- · Ethics and professional challenges
- · Problem solving
Courses are taught by proven leaders in the profession (all
are GISPs and accomplished in the field). Each course includes interactive
exercises, team-building tools, and opportunities to delve into topics in a way
that is difficult to accomplish during a large conference. (Note that course
attendance is limited in size to encourage such interaction...so interested
individuals are encouraged to register early to reserve a spot.)
"For me, the URISA Leadership Academy (ULA) really
brought to the forefront the need for, and the importance of, a champion for
geospatial technologies in almost any organization. The experienced instructors
really demonstrated how to be that champion, with the steps for success, and
the pitfalls along the way. From the excellent team-building exercises, to the
“elevator” speeches, the ULA showed that the only place in line for geospatial
professionals is the front." - Jamie Leitch, GISP, City of Welland, Ontario (ULA 2012 Graduate – Savannah,
Georgia)
The ULA has been presented regularly to rave reviews since 2007 and this will be the first time the program will be held in Canada. The event will take place at the Delta Bow Valley hotel in downtown Calgary and ULA attendees may take advantage of an attractive $189 CDN hotel room rate for the event.
Visit the URISA website regularly for additional
information.
Note
that significant early registration (register by December 31 and save $500!) and team
discounts are available.
Please contact URISA if you have any questions. Register
early to reserve your spot. The ULA limits attendance to capitalize on small
group discussions and interactions.
Don’t miss the opportunity.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
What is the spatial reference for Alberta 10TM?
Utility companies provide their data in CAD format in 10TM because it covers the whole province of Alberta. Does anyone know what the spatial reference is for 10TM so we can convert this data in either 3TM or UTM?
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Canadian Open Data Institute - Survey
You might like to take this survey:
http://opendatainstitute.ca/#!
http://opendatainstitute.ca/#!
Open Data Policy Guidelines
Although targeted at the US, some of you may find some helpful info here...
http://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/open-data-policy-guidelines-updated-for-a-changing-technology-landscape-298
http://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/open-data-policy-guidelines-updated-for-a-changing-technology-landscape-298
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Webinar: Migrating to 10.1
Here is a link to a recorded webinar from ESRI Canada on migrating to 10.1:
http://www.esri.ca/en/resources/collateral-resources?keys=&field_type_tid[0]=6&&&&field_cr_publication_date_value[value]&sort_by=field_cr_publication_date_value&sort_order=DESC&page=1
http://www.esri.ca/en/resources/collateral-resources?keys=&field_type_tid[0]=6&&&&field_cr_publication_date_value[value]&sort_by=field_cr_publication_date_value&sort_order=DESC&page=1
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Webinar: How to Share Geospatial Data
http://geoconnections.nrcan.gc.ca/home
Webinar: How to Share Geospatial Data
GeoConnections invites you to learn more about the principles and policies that contribute to successful online access, use and sharing of geospatial information. The English webinar will be held on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 – 1:30-3:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time). The French webinar will be held on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 – 1:30-3:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time). Contact us for more information:info@geoconnections.NRCan.gc.ca.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
URISA Exemplary Systems in Government Award for Enterprise System goes to the City of Calgary
http://www.urisa.org/news/2013/08/01/press-release/2013-urisa-esig-awards-announced/
Published Thursday, August 1, 2013 5:00 pm
by Wendy Nelson
URISA is pleased to announce the recipients of 2013 URISA Exemplary Systems in Government (ESIG) Awards. Since 1980, URISA’s ESIG Awards have recognized exceptional achievements in the application of information technology that have improved the delivery and quality of government services. URISA congratulates all of the participants in the 2013 Exemplary Systems in Government Award program. The recognized systems will be celebrated during the Awards Breakfast at GIS-Pro 2013: URISA's 51st Annual Conference in Providence, Rhode Island.
ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS CATEGORY - Systems in this category are outstanding and working examples of using information systems technology in a multi-department environment as part of an integrated process. These systems exemplify effective use of technology yielding widespread improvements in the process(es) and/or service(s) involved and/or cost savings to the organization.
Exemplary System: The GEM Project: Bringing Information to the Emergency Operations Centre (City of Calgary)
Liz Findlay, GEM Project Sponsor & Manager and Nancy Merritt, Geospatial Consultant & GEM Project Advisor, Geospatial Business Solutions Division, Corporate Services City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
System Summary: The Geospatial Emergency Management (GEM) Project is a large and complex undertaking by the City of Calgary to provide a common operating picture for the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA). Using a strategic implementation in a phased approach, the GEM project now supports a population of more than 1 million and a city with 14,000+ employees. Many outside-agency data sources are connected in the GEM Project. The design of the project demonstrates success in bringing multiple business units together to achieve a common goal. The system’s implementation and interagency cooperation strategy make for a highly useful case study. User testimonials note the impact of this project has led to better data and tools for responders along with cost savings and improved efficiencies for CEMA and the City. Considering the scope of this system, the needs it addresses and its very successful implementation, the City of Calgary’s GEM Project is the 2013 Enterprise System ESIG Award winner.
Congratulations to Liz Findlay, Nancy Merritt and the City of Calgary on this recognition. It is well deserved!
ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS CATEGORY - Systems in this category are outstanding and working examples of using information systems technology in a multi-department environment as part of an integrated process. These systems exemplify effective use of technology yielding widespread improvements in the process(es) and/or service(s) involved and/or cost savings to the organization.
Exemplary System: The GEM Project: Bringing Information to the Emergency Operations Centre (City of Calgary)
Liz Findlay, GEM Project Sponsor & Manager and Nancy Merritt, Geospatial Consultant & GEM Project Advisor, Geospatial Business Solutions Division, Corporate Services City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
System Summary: The Geospatial Emergency Management (GEM) Project is a large and complex undertaking by the City of Calgary to provide a common operating picture for the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA). Using a strategic implementation in a phased approach, the GEM project now supports a population of more than 1 million and a city with 14,000+ employees. Many outside-agency data sources are connected in the GEM Project. The design of the project demonstrates success in bringing multiple business units together to achieve a common goal. The system’s implementation and interagency cooperation strategy make for a highly useful case study. User testimonials note the impact of this project has led to better data and tools for responders along with cost savings and improved efficiencies for CEMA and the City. Considering the scope of this system, the needs it addresses and its very successful implementation, the City of Calgary’s GEM Project is the 2013 Enterprise System ESIG Award winner.
Congratulations to Liz Findlay, Nancy Merritt and the City of Calgary on this recognition. It is well deserved!
ESRI Canada Releases the Canadian Municipal Data Model
For a number of years the US has had a municipal data model but it has been difficult for some to modify that model to fit Canadian GIS business practices. ESRI Canada has just released the Canadian version of this data model. I personally think this will help standardize municipal GIS business practices but I am not overly optimistic that this model will solve all of our CRP data integration issues. :)
What do you think the Canadian Municipal Data Model will do for municipal GIS in Canada or in the CRP?
I look forward to your comments.
I have a copy of the model. If you would like me to email it to you contact me at corey.halford@airdrie.ca or you can contact ESRI directly.
What do you think the Canadian Municipal Data Model will do for municipal GIS in Canada or in the CRP?
I look forward to your comments.
I have a copy of the model. If you would like me to email it to you contact me at corey.halford@airdrie.ca or you can contact ESRI directly.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Southern Alberta Ortho Project
Contents of this post are courtesy of Greg Chernoff of the Miistakis Institute
Just in case you didn't know about this A consortium of MD's in southern Alberta flew orthoimagery in 2012,
and have made all the imagery freely available to the public. The link is here.
All you need to do is provide a valid email address, and you will be sent a
link to access the data.
Data is in MrSID format, which is readable by most GIS software, or by a free application called GeoViewer.
Imagery was acquired in July 2012, and is 0.5m pixel resolution. They are true-colour (RGB) images, so good for identifying features and general land cover classification, but not likely so good for more detailed analysis.
Kudos to the MD's involved for opening this data up to the public, and to MD Willow Creek for organizing and hosting the data.
Data is in MrSID format, which is readable by most GIS software, or by a free application called GeoViewer.
Imagery was acquired in July 2012, and is 0.5m pixel resolution. They are true-colour (RGB) images, so good for identifying features and general land cover classification, but not likely so good for more detailed analysis.
Kudos to the MD's involved for opening this data up to the public, and to MD Willow Creek for organizing and hosting the data.
Monday, August 19, 2013
MapBox announces near real-time imagery coming soon
The world of imagery is changing...
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2013/07/mapbox-announces-near-real-time-imagery-coming-soon.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GoogleEarthBlog+%28Google+Earth+Blog%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2013/07/mapbox-announces-near-real-time-imagery-coming-soon.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GoogleEarthBlog+%28Google+Earth+Blog%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
CBC Spark 199: Scouts, Apps, Maps
Have a listen to episode 199 of CBC spark. It provides interesting insight into the future of collaborative digital mapping. The episode covers the following topics:
Mapping the Canadian Arctic
- Google Canada blog post about Street View Imagery of Canada's Arctic
A History of Maps
- Jerry Brotton
- A History of the World in Twelve Maps
- Full Spark interview with Jerry Brotton
Digital Scout Troops
- Jon Kalish
- Jon talked about the Maker Scouts, Hacker Scouts, Mothership Hacker Moms, DIY.org,and Adafruit Industries
- Other Spark stories by Jon Kalish DIY Living, Hacking the Library, and Digital Fabrication
In Defense of the Paper Map
- Other Spark stories by Michelle Parise
- You might also like this Spark story about Trap Streets from Edward Birnbaum
The Future of Maps
- Andrew Turner
- Full Spark interview with Andrew Turner
Additional Links
- We spoke to Gabe Boothroyd of the band Five Alarm Funk
Thursday, August 15, 2013
ArcGIS Online for your Local Government
Some of you may be interested in this...
http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2013/07/24/arcgis-online-for-your-local-government/
http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2013/07/24/arcgis-online-for-your-local-government/
Monday, July 22, 2013
Update on Canada’s Next Generation Open Data Portal
Nice to see SOME progress in Canada...
http://blog.gisuser.com/2013/06/21/update-on-canadas-next-generation-open-data-portal/
http://blog.gisuser.com/2013/06/21/update-on-canadas-next-generation-open-data-portal/
Monday, July 15, 2013
2013 Esri International User Conference Paper Sessions
Access papers and presentation materials from GIS professionals who shared best practices and case studies at the Esri User Conference.
Technical Workshop PPTs too!!
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc13/index.html
Technical Workshop PPTs too!!
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc13/index.html
Friday, July 5, 2013
Changing Ways Cities Get Their Software
Some of this has been discussed at past CRP meetings...
http://www.govtech.com/applications/Inside-the-Civic-Hacking-Movement.html
http://www.govtech.com/applications/Inside-the-Civic-Hacking-Movement.html
Monday, June 17, 2013
Executive order for Open Data in the US Federal Government
This would seem to be a positive development...
http://geospatial.blogs.com/geospatial/2013/05/executive-order-makes-open-and-machine-readable-data-the-default-for-the-us-federal-government.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fzeissg%2Fgeospatial+%28Between+the+Poles%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
http://geospatial.blogs.com/geospatial/2013/05/executive-order-makes-open-and-machine-readable-data-the-default-for-the-us-federal-government.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fzeissg%2Fgeospatial+%28Between+the+Poles%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Save the Rain App Calculates Your Saved Water
Interesting use of open data...
http://blog.gisuser.com/2013/05/31/save-the-rain-app-calculates-your-saved-water-with-opendata-apps4ottawa-challenge/
http://blog.gisuser.com/2013/05/31/save-the-rain-app-calculates-your-saved-water-with-opendata-apps4ottawa-challenge/
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Hawaii Uses Collaborate.org as its Data Sharing Backbone
Another Data Sharing Story...
http://www.govtech.com/geospatial/Hawaii-Uses-Collaborate-org-as-its-Data-Sharing-Backbone.html#continued
http://www.govtech.com/geospatial/Hawaii-Uses-Collaborate-org-as-its-Data-Sharing-Backbone.html#continued
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
When Government Shuts Down Open Government - Canada Post Suing Over the use of the Postal Code
This is very unfortunate...
http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/29776/222/
http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/29776/222/
Friday, April 26, 2013
Providing web access to usable open geospatial data
GeoREST may be something of interest to anyone going down the Open Data path...
http://geospatial.blogs.com/geospatial/2013/04/providing-web-access-to-usable-open-geospatial-data.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fzeissg%2Fgeospatial+%28Between+the+Poles%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
http://geospatial.blogs.com/geospatial/2013/04/providing-web-access-to-usable-open-geospatial-data.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fzeissg%2Fgeospatial+%28Between+the+Poles%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
David Eaves and Open Government
David Eaves is well known as an advocate for open
government. Check out his blog for interesting ideas…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Alberta GeoDiscover = wow.
I'm probably coming across this long after everyone else is well aware of it, but Alberta Gov's GeoDiscover site....pretty amazing.
Uses ESRI's Community Maps as one of the base maps, and seems to combine a data catalogue with data viewer. Pretty slick and expansive...
Add map services, shapefiles, csvs...
http://maps.srd.alberta.ca/GDA_Viewer/Viewer.ashx?Viewer=GDA
Steve
Uses ESRI's Community Maps as one of the base maps, and seems to combine a data catalogue with data viewer. Pretty slick and expansive...
Add map services, shapefiles, csvs...
http://maps.srd.alberta.ca/GDA_Viewer/Viewer.ashx?Viewer=GDA
Steve
Thursday, March 14, 2013
What is the National Information Sharing Consortium
How many of you have heard of this? Yes it's in the US but perhaps we can learn or benefit.
http://nisconsortium.org/
http://nisconsortium.org/
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Open source geospatial LocationTech launched
This group was established in Feb 2013 and seem to have some interesting plans.
http://locationtech.org/
http://locationtech.org/
Friday, March 8, 2013
Province of B.C, Canada forges ahead with OpenData initiatives
Although from last month, still relevant...
http://blog.gisuser.com/2013/02/24/province-of-b-c-canada-forges-ahead-with-opendata-initiatives/
http://blog.gisuser.com/2013/02/24/province-of-b-c-canada-forges-ahead-with-opendata-initiatives/
Monday, March 4, 2013
OpenData Web Map
Here is a Web map that highlights the open data initiatives
by municipalities across the country –
Friday, March 1, 2013
Early Results: International Open Data Day 2013
Did any of you know such a day existed?
http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Early-Results-International-Open-Data-Day-2013.html
http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Early-Results-International-Open-Data-Day-2013.html
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Crisis Mapper
This is cool stuff
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/exploration/risk-takers-gallery#/7
PATRICK MEIER was sitting in his Medford, Massachusetts, apartment when the January 2010 earthquake struck Haiti. The 35-year-old Tufts Ph.D. candidate was soon assisting quake victims—without even leaving home. Opening his laptop, he mobilized hundreds of volunteers to scrape data points from tweets, text messages, UN reports, and more to build a constantly updated online map. His efforts guided citizens, aid workers, and the U.S. Coast Guard; experts say the map likely saved hundreds of lives. Meier, a Swiss citizen who grew up in Africa, now maps crises all over the world.
follow the link for more info.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/exploration/risk-takers-gallery#/7
PATRICK MEIER was sitting in his Medford, Massachusetts, apartment when the January 2010 earthquake struck Haiti. The 35-year-old Tufts Ph.D. candidate was soon assisting quake victims—without even leaving home. Opening his laptop, he mobilized hundreds of volunteers to scrape data points from tweets, text messages, UN reports, and more to build a constantly updated online map. His efforts guided citizens, aid workers, and the U.S. Coast Guard; experts say the map likely saved hundreds of lives. Meier, a Swiss citizen who grew up in Africa, now maps crises all over the world.
follow the link for more info.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Open Data Success Requires Streamlining and Standardization
Although related to the US, this offers some good food for thought:
http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Open-Data-Success-Requires-Streamlining-and-Standardization.html?elq=2176ba82e24e45838d0b31ff9675f193&elqCampaignId=3256
http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Open-Data-Success-Requires-Streamlining-and-Standardization.html?elq=2176ba82e24e45838d0b31ff9675f193&elqCampaignId=3256
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Rocky View County eRecords & GIS Solutions Team Lead
This job posting came up last week.
http://www.auma.ca/live/AMSC/Job+Postings+%26+4sale/Job+Postings?cid=16218
http://www.auma.ca/live/AMSC/Job+Postings+%26+4sale/Job+Postings?cid=16218
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
24 Organizations to Receive a Total of More Than $2 Million in GIS Imagery Grants
I wonder if something like this is available in Canada?
http://www10.giscafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?section=CorpNews&articleid=1154720
http://www10.giscafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?section=CorpNews&articleid=1154720
Worldwide Free GIS Data Portal
Access to over 300 free data sets from around the world. You might find this useful...
http://www.searchogc.com/
http://www.searchogc.com/
Monday, January 28, 2013
The 12th International Symposium on Web and Wireless GIS
Some of you may be interested in this event...
http://sensorweb.geomatics.ucalgary.ca/w2gis2013/
http://sensorweb.geomatics.ucalgary.ca/w2gis2013/
Friday, January 11, 2013
Free GIS Datasets - Categorised List
A very extensive list (approx 300 data sets) worth having as a resource...
http://freegisdata.rtwilson.com/
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The ArcGIS Metadata Toolkit
For anyone already on ArcGIS 10.1 or almost there, this might be of interest to you:
http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2012/12/20/metadatatoolkit/
http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2012/12/20/metadatatoolkit/
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