Florida GIS Data

2008-11-14T20:51:00.002-05:00

Geographic Technologies Group Selected for Multiple Software Contracts Including Sanibel, FL

Geographic Technologies Group® (GTG®) was selected for multiple software contracts including: Sutter County, California—purchased one (1) additional seat of LGmobile Community Connect. City of Albany, Oregon—upgrading from LGdispatch to LGdispatch Community Connect. Yuba County, California—upgrading from LGdispatch to LGdispatch Community Connect and from LGmobile to LGmobile Community Connect. Wayne County, North Carolina—purchased Geo Blade Viewer. City of Naperville, Illinois—purchased Geo Blade AVL and ten (10) seats of Geo Blade Viewer including the pictometry module.

The City of Sanibel, Florida selected GTG to develop a GIS Needs Assessment and Strategic Implementation Plan.

Powhatan County, Virginia selected GTG for GIS location based Situs address collection and database development.

GTG is pleased to welcome Donald Lee to their North Carolina corporate office as a Software Support Specialist.

If you are looking for the right GIS software for your organization, then GTG offers something for you! Request information at www.geotg.com/webrequests.request.htm.

About Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG):

GTG is a full-service local government GIS consulting company offering specialized experience in the planning, design, implementation, and procurement of geo-technologies. GTG has unmatched technical GIS capabilities, demonstrated successes, international experience, and a reputation for successfully implementing the right solutions. GTG develops GIS products that spatially enable various enterprise solutions and integrates an organization's IT investment via a common interface. GTG also offers stand alone products for land management, public safety, public access, touch screen technology, and utilities.

GTG has over 700 clients located throughout North America and Europe and serves all levels of government as well as the private sector. To support our clients, GTG maintains four offices located across the United States: Headquarters in North Carolina, and Regional Offices in Texas, Florida, and Illinois.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. at 888-757-4222, or you can access our website at www.geotg.com.

Press Release - GTG
Copyright Geographic Technologies Group

2008-11-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Libraries Sponsor Second-Annual Geographic Information Systems Day on Nov. 19th, 2008

The George A. Smathers Libraries will host an all-day event to showcase the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to the academic community and the public on Nov. 19. GIS Day is a global event that celebrates GIS and is held each year on the Wednesday of National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week, held from Nov. 16 to 22.

The George A. Smathers Libraries will provide this opportunity for those curious about GIS to see its applications in action. It also will allow the many departments on campus who use GIS to come together to share the research projects on which they are working. Most importantly, it will highlight the many services and resources in the libraries’ Spatial Information Services Unit available for researchers using GIS.

The event will include speakers from a number of different departments across campus as well as a special guest from the St. Johns River Water Management District who will talk about using GIS in litigation. After the morning presentations, there will be a cake-cutting ceremony and opening of the exhibit hall area. This area will include information about the many resources in the libraries that support GIS from data and books to GIS consulting services. Also offered will be demonstrations of GIS software, as well as booths set up by various organizations across campus and in the community that use GIS or related technologies.

A poster session will be held from 12:30 to 1 p.m. The posters will showcase how GIS is used in actual research at the University of Florida. The day will conclude with a geocaching event from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.

Pre-registration is required for geocaching on the GIS Day Web site, http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/msl/gisday2008/. Geocaching is a popular hobby that allows people to use GPS technology to locate hidden clues and treasures. Everyone, no matter what level of previous experience, is encouraged to sign up for this event.

For a complete schedule and list of exhibits for GIS Day, please visit http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/msl/gisday2008/ or call 352-273-2825.

UF News - Carol McAuliffe

2008-11-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Stiles and BRA Team to Relocate Tortoises to Nature Preserve

Biological Research Associates (BRA ), a division of ENTRIX, Inc., one of the largest natural resource management firms in the nation, today announced the successful completion of a gopher tortoise relocation project for Stiles Corporation. Seven tortoises were moved from a commercial tract being developed by Stiles in Hernando County to a new home in a nearby nature preserve.

“Knowing that doing the right thing is not always the easiest and cheapest way of doing business, Stiles Corporation chose to take the high road to protect the tortoises,” said Lee Walton, senior project scientist for Tampa-based BRA . “Even after fulfilling all the conditions set in the original permit, which included a monetary contribution to the Wildlife Resource Mitigation Fund for the acquisition of protected tortoise habitat, Stiles chose to go the extra mile and requested our assistance to ensure that the tortoises on-site would be relocated out of harm’s way.”

For several months, BRA surveyed and marked tortoise burrows on Stiles’ Villages of Avalon commercial tract in the Spring Hill area, in preparation for the relocation to the 2.5-acre Tower Island preserve, located within Manatee County’s Emerson Point Park.

“The Tower Island site, managed by Manatee County Conservation Lands Management Department, is a good home for the tortoises because it is a protected site with plenty of suitable habitat,” said Walton. “The site also has a nature trail to allow the public to view one of the state’s oldest residences.”

Once a safe and permanent new home was identified for the tortoises, a petition to amend the original permit was submitted to the State of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which granted the request.

In September, BRA safely excavated every tortoise burrow on the site. Some of the burrows were 20 feet in length and up to 12 feet below existing grade. All the tortoises were transported to the Tower Island site and released to their new home.

A full-service environmental consulting firm providing a broad spectrum of environmental services, Biological Research Associates provides innovative solutions in regulatory permitting, environmental assessment, natural resource management, ecology, GIS and other related services. BRA serves all of Florida, the southeastern United States, Caribbean, and Central America from full-service offices in Tampa, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Destin, Panama City, Vero Beach, Fort Myers, and West Palm Beach, Florida. For more information, please visit www.biologicalresearch.com.

Press Release - BRA
© 2008 Biological Research Associates

2008-11-09T19:54:00.002-05:00

ArcGIS I Course Offered at Florida Community College's Technology Institute of the South

The Florida Community College's Technology Institute of the South will be offering a 16 hour "Introduction to Arc GIS I" course in downtown Jacksonville. The institute is located at 601 West State Street in Jacksonville, FL.

Dates: December 11th - 12th, 2008 (Thursday, Friday)
Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm

This is an ESRI authorized course and is taught by an ESRI authorized instructor. Students will receive a certificate from ESRI upon completion of the course.

For more information and to register please contact Gwendolyn Ethridg at (904) 632-5059 or via email at gethridg@fccj.edu

Course Overview:

Introduction to ArcGIS I - Two days

Audience
This course is for those who are new to ArcGIS and new to geographic information systems in general.

Prerequisites and recommendations
Participants should know how to use windowing software. This course provides the fundamental ArcGIS knowledge and experience needed to enroll in Introduction to ArcGIS II.

GOALS

· Display feature and tabular data

· Work with georeferenced spatial data

· Query features using logical expressions

· Find features using spatial relationships

· Edit spatial and attribute data

· Associate tables with joins and relates

· Produce maps, reports, and graphs

TOPICS COVERED

ArcGIS overview: Capabilities and applications

Interacting with the interface

Basic display Spatial data concepts: Representing spatial data and descriptive information

ArcGIS data model: Geodatabases, Shapefiles, Coverages, Feature types, Attributes

GIS software: Components, Functions, Applications

Spatial coordinate systems and map projections: Georeferencing data

What map projections are

How ArcMap works with map projections

Querying data: Selecting and identifying features

Creating reports and graphs

Map displays: Creating, Symbolizing, Scaling, Adding map elements

2008-11-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Geographic Technologies Group Welcomes Marketing Technician, Matthew McLamb

Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announces the recent addition of Matthew McLamb, Marketing Technician, to their North Carolina corporate office.

Matthew is in his final year at Mount Olive College and is majoring in Computer Information Systems. His background in technology will be beneficial to GTG’s clients.

“I enjoy working in the field of GIS technology and learning how it can impact and benefit local government organizations,” said Matthew. “I hope that my skills will be beneficial to GTG’s Marketing Department.”

As a Marketing Technician, Matthew will be responsible for ensuring that GTG is present in the media and that clients are aware of current happenings, along with new products and updates at GTG.

“Matthew’s background in technology coupled with his interest in marketing and business practices make him an asset to the GTG team,” said Curt Hinton, CEO of GTG. “Having Matthew on board will enhance our Marketing Department and ensure that clients are up-to-date on what is new at GTG.”

Press Release - GTG
Copyright Geographic Technologies Group

2008-11-02T18:54:00.002-05:00

Next Northeast Florida GIS User Group (NEFGIS) Meeting Scheduled for November 14th, 2008

The next Northeast Florida GIS User Group (NEFGIS) meeting is scheduled for Friday - November 14th, 2008 from 11am - 1pm at the offices of England, Thims, and Miller located at offices 14475 Old St. Augustine Road in Jacksonville, FL.

The meeting will include presentations on Field Data Collection from:

- Jim Robeson from GPServ about what's new with Trimble.

- Jeff Arnold from GeoAge on their FAST field data collection software.

If you need an further details, please feel free to contact Amy Miller (Information Systems Coordinator - St. Johns County Utility Department) at (904) 209-2636 or via email at amiller@sjcfl.us

Also be sure to join the NEFGIS Group if you are interested in keeping up with all GIS matters in Northeast Florida.

2008-10-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

Bay County, FL Launches New Website; GIS Interactive Map Included Under Online Services

Bay County, FL has recently revamped their website to make it more user-friendly. The "Online Services" drop down list on the left-hand side now includes a direct link to their GIS Interactive Map.

The application includes GIS layers for:

- Panama City
- Panama City Beach
- Callaway
- Facilities
- Infrastructure
- Property
- Political Boundaries
- Planning
- Emergency Planning
- Census
- Natural Resources
- Aerials

2008-10-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

ERDAS Raises Radar Mapping to a New Level

ERDAS announces the industry’s most advanced radar mapping technology in the latest release of the IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite. In the IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite 9.3, ERDAS continues to focus on operational software, taking the best of developmental algorithms and implementing these into a user-friendly environment, easily accessible for both the novice and the expert user. With intelligent defaults and optimized processing, the IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite is fully integrated into ERDAS IMAGINE, the world’s foremost solution for manipulating, processing and understanding imagery and vector data.

With over 15 years of experience in radar image processing, ERDAS continues to build partnerships with leaders in Radar worldwide. The IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite is currently being enhanced in collaboration with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). Recently, the DLR-created SRTM unwrap algorithm was incorporated into the IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite. These new modules are flexible and can be customized to meet any organization’s needs.

“RADAR mapping offers a highly complementary alternative to traditional optical imaging and mapping methods, providing different perspectives on the Earth’s surface and information content that is unavailable in optical imagery,” said Brad Skelton, Chief Technology Officer, ERDAS. “The IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite provides specialized tools for processing radar data in a standard remote sensing or GIS environment.”

The IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite includes IMAGINE OrthoRadar, IMAGINE Radar Interpreter, IMAGINE StereoSAR DEM, IMAGINE InSAR and the newest module, IMAGINE Coherence Change Detection. IMAGINE Coherence Change Detection assists the analyst in detecting changes in interferometric SAR data. With tools for georectifying, filtering and calibrating radar images, analysts can derive elevation information regardless of cloud cover, day or night from stereo or interferometric image-pairs.

In the IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite, analysts can save their radar data in any raster format, create color images to emphasize the magnitude of change, derive binary images to detect the most dramatic changes, create shapefiles for GIS applications and more. Utilizing the power of ERDAS IMAGINE, these tools are interoperable, supporting all raster file formats, with the ability to seamlessly connect your radar data to any of ERDAS’ portfolio of solutions and many other geospatial products.

IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite supports a growing number of satellite sensors, including ERS-1, 2 and EnviSat, RADARSAT-1 and 2, TerraSAR-X (with one meter spotlight modes), ALOS Palsar and more. Data from other radar sensors is supported by a generic import interface. In early 2009, ERDAS will add a D-InSAR capability and COSMO support to IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite.

Press Release - ERDAS
Copyright 2008 by ERDAS, Inc.

2008-10-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

Atlantic Beach, FL Crime Information Now Included in Online GIS Mapping Application

As per a recent article in "The Leader ", the City of Atlantic Beach, FL will be reporting all crime activity in near real time via a GIS mapping application on Crimereports.com.

Per Crimereport's website: "Crimereports.com is the flagship product of Public Engines, Inc. The CrimeReports.com service provides law enforcement agencies with an affordable and easy-to-use Web-based service for managing and controlling the sharing of crime data with the public, in near real-time. Community members can then access their neighborhood crime information for free, empowering them to make informed decisions to help improve the safety of their families, friends, property and the community at large."

2008-10-26T19:57:00.002-04:00

Topcon and GeoAge Expand Partnership

After just more than a year of working with OEM partner GeoAge, Inc., Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) is expanding the company’s sales territory nationwide.

Florida-based GeoAge originally served as a Topcon certified GIS dealer in 10 states.

Richard Rybka, TPS’ GIS partner development manager, said, “Due to GeoAge’s success in deploying and supporting our bundled solution, this service is being expanded across the country. This move will bring valuable access to excellent resources for adopting and successfully deploying GeoAge software on Topcon’s GMS-2 mobile mapping receiver to private and public agencies all over the country.”

GeoAge, located in Jacksonville, Florida, delivers mobility solutions that allow business and government end-users to gain a competitive edge by “providing access to real-time information,” Rybka said.

GeoAge’s FAST software (Field Adapted Survey Toolkit), allows users to quickly create customized data collection forms that match exactly how their specific business processes work. The forms can be designed on site, capturing just the information the user requires in the format they need. When running on Topcon’s GMS-2mobile mapping handheld receiver, GeoAge FAST users can incorporate digital image capture and accurate GPS coordinate locations in addition to other pertinent business information in their custom forms.

TPS offers advanced tools for GIS field data collection and maintenance. The rugged, compact GMS-2 mobile mapping receiver is an integral piece of the TPS lineup of advanced GPS solutions.

The GMS-2 was the industry's first GIS-GPS product with:

-- An integrated digital camera linking photos to feature locations and attributes;
-- GNSS (dual-constellation) tracking;
-- An electronic compass for bearing and direction information; and
-- The functionality to be used as a standalone GIS mapping device or a field controller for high accuracy Topcon RTK systems and total stations.

Rybka said, “Our OEM partnership with GeoAge provides customers with a full-featured, time-saving GIS data collection solution. GeoAge developed a version of FAST specifically for Topcon's GMS-2 to take full advantage of our device's integrated image capture and dual constellation GNSS tracking capabilities.

"This is a great combination,” Rybka said. "We are pleased to expand our working relationship with GeoAge to market and sell our leading-edge hardware and software solutions."

Jeff Arnold, president and CEO of GeoAge, said, “Topcon was first on the market to integrate photos and high precision GPS. It has been a truly symbiotic relationship between our data collection software and the GMS-2. We are excited to have the ability to promote their GMS-2 nationwide. We also look forward to some exciting new devices coming from Topcon.”

For more information about Topcon’s GIS OEM Developer and Solution Partner Programs, contact: Richard Rybka, GIS Partner Development Manager, 925-337-7862, rrybka@topcon.com

Press Release - Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
Copyright 2008 Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.

2008-10-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Munsys, Inc. Announces the Release of Munsys 10.1

Munsys, Inc. today announced the release of Munsys 10.1. The primary focus of this release is to provide compatibility with the latest releases of both the AutoCAD 2008 and 2009 family of products (AutoCAD, AutoCAD Map, AutoCAD Land Desktop, AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Civil 3D Land Desktop Companion).

The Munsys 10.1 release has also incorporated all the new and enhanced functionality provided in the Munsys 10.0.1 and 10.0.2 Service Packs. This includes Oracle 11g compatibility and Munsys Google Tools, a new set of tools that streamlines the overlay of Munsys spatial data stored in Oracle into layers in Google Earth and Google Maps.

The continued provision of compatible versions is one of the benefits of buying a commercial off-the-shelf solution. Munsys 10.1 is available for download by customers who are participating in the Software Upgrade Subscription program.

The Munsys solutions include a central database with pre-defined Oracle Spatial data models and integrated applications for the management of water, sewer, drainage, cadastral, roads and electricity infrastructure. Autodesk design products are utilized for spatial data creation and editing.

Register for a free presentation of Munsys 10.1 at www.munsys.com/events.htm

For more information contact info@munsys.com

About Munsys, Inc.

Munsys, Inc., with offices in Florida and California, is the primary supplier of sales, services, and technical support for the Munsys suite of products in North America. The Munsys solutions include a central spatial database with pre-defined Oracle data models and integrated applications for the management of water, sewer, drainage, cadastral, roads and electricity infrastructure.

Munsys is a registered trademark of Munsys, Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Press Release - Munsys
© 2008 Munsys, Inc. All rights reserved.

2008-10-21T18:28:00.002-04:00

2007 Data Now Available on Florida CHARTS

The Florida Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set (CHARTS) has recently been updated to include 2007 data for health statistics such as births, deaths, disease morbidity, population, and behavioral risk factors.

Also be sure to check out the Florida Department of Health Office of Planning, Evaluation & Data Analysis' Interactive Community Maps and County & State Profile Reports

2008-10-20T22:15:00.000-04:00

Treasure Coast GIS Use Group to be Held October 23rd, 2008 in Ft. Pierce, FL

The Treasure Coast GIS Use Group will be holding their next meeting at 2:30pm this Thursday, October 23rd, 2008, at the Ft. Pierce Utilities Department located at 1711 S. 37th Street in Ft. Pierce, FL.

The meeting will also include a presentation by Munsys entitled "Utilizing Oracle Spatial to integrate AutoCAD and ArcGIS".

Per their website - "The Treasure Coast GIS Use Group has been formed to facilitate communication among the GIS community in the region consisting of Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin Counties. The goals of this group are to to identify and share data resources, and promote cooperation in regional data development efforts on a regional scale. The plan is to evolve the function of the group based on user needs and objectives. Any individual or organization having an interest in the spatial sciences and GIS is invited to join the Treasure Coast GIS User Group, and attend our meetings."

2008-10-18T22:34:00.003-04:00

Learn to Use OGC Web Services Integrated into ESRI's ArcGIS Server 9.3

ESRI will host an online live training seminar this month that will show how expanded support for Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC), Web service standards at ArcGIS Server 9.3 will foster greater collaboration when working with geographic information system (GIS) data and maps.

Leveraging OGC Capabilities in ArcGIS Server 9.3 will air October 23, 2008, at www.esri.com/lts. Participants can tune in to the no-cost seminar at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m. (Pacific daylight time).

ArcGIS Server 9.3 software, released earlier this year, now includes support for publishing GIS vector data using the Web Feature Service (WFS) standard and raster data using the Web Coverage Service (WCS) standard. It also includes enhanced Web Map Service (WMS) functionality. ESRI's support for these standards promotes interoperability on the Web that allows GIS professionals to more widely share maps, images, and data with colleagues, enabling faster and more efficient decision making.

The seminar's presenters will provide an overview of OGC Web service standards and the role these standards play in Web GIS. They will then discuss how support for these services is integrated into the ArcGIS Server framework as service capabilities that can be easily enabled and configured using ArcGIS Server Manager or ArcCatalog.

The presenters will also explain Web service fundamentals and workflows for WFS-, WCS-, and WMS-enabled services and demonstrate how easy it is to publish maps and data using ArcGIS Server. These and other OGC services can then be consumed by a wide range of ESRI and third-party OGC-enabled client applications such as ArcMap, ArcGIS Explorer, Gaia, and Google Earth. For example, a WCS service can provide Web access to raster datasets, allowing a client application, such as ArcMap, to perform spatial analysis and geoprocessing directly with Web datasets.

The seminar also will cover two more advanced OGC Web service topics. One will be support for WMS Styled Layer Descriptors (SLDs), which allow clients to display map layers using a variety of symbologies or styles. The second will be Transactional Web Feature Service (WFS-T), which permits a WFS service to support OGC client-based editing of enterprise geodatabase vector data.

Seminar participants should have a basic familiarity with using and administering ArcGIS Server including knowledge about publishing and managing GIS services. An understanding of basic server and Web service concepts is also helpful.

A broadband Internet connection and an ESRI Global Account are needed to watch the seminar. Creating a global account is easy and free: visit www.esri.com/lts, click Login, and register your name and address. A few weeks after the live presentation, the seminar will be archived and available for viewing on the ESRI Training and Education Web site.

For more information about this free live training seminar, as well as upcoming classes, visit www.esri.com/training.

Press Release - ESRI
Copyright ESRI

2008-10-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

Industry Expert Charged To Expand Dewberry’s GeoSpatial Capabilities

Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, has named Keith Patterson, PSM, senior project manager in the firm’s Tampa, Florida, office. In his new role, Patterson will be responsible for managing remote sensing projects requiring aerial imagery acquisition, aerial triangulation, field verification, photogrammetric processing, photo interpretation, automated feature extraction, and Geographic Information Services (GIS). Patterson is also charged with expanding Dewberry’s geospatial services into the field of environmental mapping, which includes such elements as mapping sub-aquatic vegetation habitats and coral structures.

Patterson has 30 years of experience in the fields of photogrammetry, mapping and GIS, where he has primarily focused on environmental thematic mapping, including wetland inventories, land use land cover mapping, vegetation mapping, and benthic habitat mapping. He is considered an expert in these fields and will bring his skilled content knowledge and experience with complex environmental mapping projects to Dewberry.

Patterson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from the University of South Florida, where he graduated Cum Laude. A licensed Professional Surveyor and Mapper, Patterson also served as the Florida Region Director of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Press Release - Dewberry

2008-10-16T21:59:00.000-04:00

Geographic Technologies Group Selected for Multiple Contracts

Geographic Technologies Group (GTG ) was selected for multiple software contracts including: City of Elk Grove, California—purchased five (5) seats of LGviewer, one (1) seat of LGaddress for public administration, and one (1) seat of LG Work Orders. City of Lufkin, Texas—upgrading from LGdispatch to LGdispatch Community Connect. City of Bolingbrook, Illinois—purchased three (3) additional licenses of LGmobile. City of Folsom, California—upgrading from LGdispatch to LGdispatch Community Connect, purchased 40 seats of LGmobile Community Connect and one (1) seat of LGroute. St. Mary’s County, Maryland—purchased two (2) additional seats of LGdispatch Community Connect. City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma—purchased one (1) seat of the LG Community Maintenance module. Virginia Commonwealth University—purchased five (5) seats of LGcrimes. City of Cocoa, Florida—purchased LG Geo Blade Viewer and one (1) seat of LGaddress for land management. City of St. Cloud, Florida—migrating existing GIS applications to ArcGIS Server. City of Great Falls, Montana—migrating existing GIS applications to ArcGIS Server.

The City of Jacksonville, North Carolina selected GTG to implement the ArcGIS Server software suite.

The City of Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County, North Carolina selected GTG to develop a GIS Enterprise Strategic Plan.

GTG will be presenting the GIS Manager’s Workshop at several upcoming GIS conferences. Visit www.geotg.com/training for a complete schedule.

GTG is pleased to welcome Matthew McLamb to their North Carolina corporate office as a Marketing Technician.

Press Releas - GTG
Copyright Geographic Technologies Group®

2008-10-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

Free Webinar - Today (October 14th, 2008) - "New Munsys Tools for Google Earth and Google Maps"

A free Munsys webinar will be held today, October 14th, 2008, from 2:30pm - 3:30pm EST time. Please register online in advance.

As easy to use applications and rich on-line data, like those provided by Google, become more widely accepted, utility and government users have been looking for ways to view their own data in these environments. The Munsys tools enable engineering design data created in AutoCAD Map and stored in Munsys Oracle tables to be viewed in Google Earth and Google Maps thereby adding real world context, while also enabling others to share the visualization.

Come and see how the tools streamline the overlay of Munsys spatial data into layers in Google Earth and Google Maps, allowing utility and government organizations to take advantage of Google’s rich graphic environment together with applications such as Street View.

2008-10-13T01:40:00.003-04:00

HAZUS Comprehensive Data Management System Web Portal Training in Three Florida Cities

The Florida HAZUS User Group, FEMA, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management announce training the week of November 17th-21st, 2008 at 3 locations in Florida. This free training will allow emergency managers and GIS managers to better build and share data for use with HAZUS.

The HAZUS-MH Comprehensive Data Management System (CDMS) web portal will make it much easier for HAZUS users to import and manage Level 1 datasets for use with HAZUS analyses. The CDMS web portal allows the user to manage the same datasets that are managed through the CDMS desktop version: 1) Site specific inventory; 2) General building stock; and 3) Building specific data, including building attributes. The CDMS web portal has two important features that are valuable to Florida applications: 1) as a web-based tool with little software requirements, it will increase the user base in Florida; and 2) the web portal has role based security feature, which means that user roles can be defined, an important feature in statewide data management. The hands-on training will highlight these features and capabilities in the CDMS web portal.

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 - Tallahassee, FL
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM EDT
State Emergency Operations Center
2555 Shumard Oak Blvd
Tallahassee, FL

Thursday, November 20th, 2008 - Daytona Beach, FL
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM EDT
Volusia County Emergency Operations Center
49 Keyton Drive
Daytona Beach, FL

Friday, November 21st, 2008 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM EDT
FAU Visual Planning Technology Lab
111 East Las Olas Blvd, HE 610
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

For more information on these trainings, please visit FDEM's GIS website.

For more information on the Florida HAZUS User Group, please visit here.

For more information on the HAZUS-MH CDMS, please visit here.

For those who are unfamiliar with HAZUS, please note that this course will only include a brief review of HAZUS and is not an Introduction to HAZUS course! But experience with HAZUS-MH is also not a pre-requisite!

City, county, and state GIS staff involved in building facility and property appraiser databases stand to gain the most from this training opportunity.

Please feel free to re-post and pass this along to others.

Press Release - FDEM Information Management Unit

2008-10-13T00:01:00.000-04:00

FACM’s Annual Meeting and Educational Workshop - October 13th-15th, 2008 in Cocoa Beach, FL

The Florida Association of Cadastral Mappers (FACM) annual meeting and educational workshop will be held this week, October 13th-15th, 2008 at the Hilton Beach Oceanfront Resort located at 1550 North Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach, FL.

Workshops will include:

Advanced Cadastral Editing in the ArcMap Environment
By Frank Conkling of Panda Consulting

Introduction to FACM Course 02
By Carol Walker, Ellen Edwards,& Matt Kalus

Special Informational Sessions will include:

ArcGIS 9.3 Desktop ESRI Update on New Release
By Artie Robinson ESRI

DOR Update Mapping/GIS and Aerial Photography Program
By DOR Staff

2008-10-12T01:32:00.000-04:00

Marshall Supports Transportation Operations for Hillsborough County, Florida

Marshall and Associates, Inc. (Marshall) is working with Hillsborough County Public Works Department, (Hillsborough) to expand its successful stormwater field data collection program to transportation operations. Marshall implemented the stormwater data collection project for Hillsborough in 2006. Using this project as a guide, a similar program is underway to support transportation operations.
"Our goal is to bring Hillsborough County's transportation operations a return on investment in six months, as we did with the County's stormwater operations," said Ms. Elizabeth Marshall CEO/President of Marshall.

About Hillsborough County
Located midway along the west coast of Florida, Hillsborough County has 1,048 square miles of land and a population of 1,177,060. The Public Works Department's mission is to provide and manage safe, efficient, and environmentally sensitive transportation and storm water systems to satisfy diverse mobility needs and to provide flood protection to public lands.

About Marshall
Marshall is a nationally recognized software development company that streamlines resource management for our clients by applying GIS technology to their business. Marshall's GeoResults software suite improves business operations by integrating enterprise business systems with ESRI's leading GIS technology. GeoResults Mobile, Marshall's flagship software product, provides a mobile mapping and field automation solution for the enterprise mobile workforce.

Press Release - Marshall
Copyright 2000-2008, Marshall and Associates, Inc.

2008-10-11T01:23:00.000-04:00

Ted Grillo Joins Avineon as Business Development Executive for its Commercial Systems Division

Avineon, Inc., a successful provider of IT, geospatial, engineering and program management solutions, today announced the appointment of Ted Grillo as Business Development Executive for its Commercial Systems Division. With more than 25 years experience in operations, project management, and sales, Grillo will lead Avineon’s business development efforts for geographic information system (GIS) services in the public and energy utility sector. In his new position, Grillo will seek out new opportunities for Avineon to grow its business and will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with electric, gas, water, and wastewater utility clients.

“We value the breadth of experience and knowledge that Ted brings to Avineon,” said Gary Wilkison, Senior Vice President of Commercial Systems with Avineon. “His exceptional sales track record will be an asset to our company, and I look forward to working with him to advance Avineon’s growth objectives in GIS.”

Grillo draws upon an impressive sales management background gained through his previous employment with AGRA Baymont, a provider of GIS services acquired by Avineon in 2002. As a Sales Manager and Project Manager at Baymont he successfully bid, won, and managed several multimillion-dollar projects for major utilities such as Commonwealth Gas in Massachusetts, Michigan Consolidated Gas Co., Consumers Energy, Kansas City Power & Light, and Southern California Gas.

“I am proud to be joining the Avineon team and am eager to help the company capitalize on the traction and demonstrated interest for Avineon’s comprehensive service offerings,” said Grillo.

Grillo holds a Bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. He is a member of and regular conference speaker for the Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA), Project Management Institute (PMI), American Water Works Association (AWWA), and Urban & Regional Information Systems Association (URISA).

Press Release - Avineon

2008-10-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

Florida's Strategic Plan for Statewide GIS Coordination Featured in Gov Tech Magazine

Florida's Strategic Plan for Statewide GIS Coordination has recently been featured in Government Technology Magazine, one of e.Republic, Inc's many publications which focuses on information technology for local and state government.

The article details how the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) initially took the lead in formulating a statewide GIS strategic plan following the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.

You can read the entire article via the link below:

"Come Together, Right Now"
By Matt Williams, Assistant Editor

2008-10-05T18:24:00.003-04:00

Timmons Group to Develop ArcGIS Server Application for South Florida Water Management District

Timmons Group, a leader in geospatial and engineering consulting services, is currently working with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to enhance their existing Environmental Monitoring Analysis and Planning System (EMAPS) application.

Timmons Group will develop the EMAPS application as a web-based mapping and analysis tool leveraging ESRI’s ArcGIS Server WebADF 9.3 technologies. The EMAPS application will be a quick, user-friendly, tool which provides SFWMD staff access to monitoring station location and attribution information as well as a host of other GIS base data needed for planning activities. Timmons Group will also be assisting the District in the development of ArcGIS Server Image Caches to optimize the performance of EMAPS and GIS System Architecture Design activities.

“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to partner with the South Florida Water Management District given their staff’s strong commitment to GIS, their advanced technical capabilities and geospatial vision for the future,” said Todd Pulsifer, Timmons Group's Southeast Technology Services Manager. “We see this as a great launch-point for the District, establishing Dynamic Map Caches, a solid Architecture and robust mapping application.”

Press Release - Timmons Group
Copyright 2008 Timmons Group

2008-10-04T17:42:00.000-04:00

Current Map Data and Intuitive Sales Tools Available in BusinessMAP 5

BusinessMAP 5, the latest version of ESRI's, affordable, easy-to-use database mapping solution, continues to transform information from databases, contact managers, and spreadsheets into colorful, information-rich maps. Maps created with BusinessMAP allow professionals in all industries to make more informed business decisions for territory design, demographic analysis, customer prospecting, route planning, and more.

Interactive features and data new to this release of BusinessMAPinclude

- Windows Vista Compatible — It now works with Microsoft's latest operating system and includes updates such as enabling zooming with the mouse wheel.

Up-to-Date Map Data — It ships with updated U.S. streets, ZIP Codes and other map data including D&B business listings, and demographic data with population estimates and projections.

- Connects Easily to Contact Management Software — Updated links for ACT!, GoldMine, Outlook, and Excel allow users to plot and query information geographically, creating groups for targeted mailings and other processes.

- Enhanced Spider Diagrams — Illustrate "many-to-one" relationships with spider diagrams or desire lines, further enhanced to show distance measurements for each line. For example, display lines to illustrate customer traffic to a retail store.

- Create Smart Polygons — Associate attributes to polygons drawn on a map. For example, draw a territory defined by major roads and assign a territory name, sales representative, total number of customers, or other attribute to the polygon.

- Edit Data and Include Latitude and Longitude in Database for Easy Geocoding — A new dual purpose tool permits the editing of data from within BusinessMAP 5 as well as saving the database with latitude and longitude fields. Use the lat/longs for faster geocoding in BusinessMAP or other ESRI applications.

- Add Photos to Maps — Include pictures, such as an office photo or proposed new site, to a specific location right on the map.

- Enhances Google Earth and Google Maps — Share maps by transferring your points and polygons from BusinessMAP 5 to Google Maps or Google Earth. Pull data created with Google Maps into BusinessMAP 5 for advanced customization and analysis.

Features such as color-coded analysis, territory design, ring studies, drive-time analysis and geographic queries along with the ability to bring in and analyze geographic points and information makes BusinessMAP a source of competitive advantage.

"People intuitively process and analyze information presented on a map with a speed and thoroughness that far exceeds looking at the same data displayed on a table, list, or spreadsheet," says Royce Hall, BusinessMAP product manager, ESRI. "BusinessMAP 5 is an excellent way to incorporate mapping into your daily tasks. Anyone who uses information with a geographic component and wants to look at business problems more clearly in order to improve service and enhance operational efficiency will find this software beneficial."

BusinessMAP is available for Windows Vista, XP, or 2000. For more information, visit www.esri.com/businessmap, call ESRI directly at 1-800-970-0033, or contact your local ESRI distributor. For a current distributor list, visit www.esri.com/distributors.

Press Release - ESRI
Copyright © ESRI

2008-10-03T18:40:00.000-04:00

Trimble Announces Real-Time Corrections Service for
In-the-Field, High-Accuracy Mapping in Florida and Colorado

Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) today announced the availability of high-accuracy, in-the-field mapping with its new Trimble® VRS Now™ H-Star™ service in the state of Florida and across Denver's Front Range in Colorado. A subscription to the Trimble VRS Now H-Star service gives users working in utilities, local government, natural resources, and land management the ability to obtain real-time, decimeter level accurate positions consistently and directly at the job site. With instant access to H-Star corrections on demand, field workers can be more efficient and high-accuracy mapping projects can be up and running in minutes to increase productivity.

By accessing proven Trimble VRS™ technology, subscribers can correct data in the field without setting up base stations, and there is no need for post processing data. Mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) professionals with the Trimble H-Star compatible GPS receivers—the GeoXH™ 2008 series handheld receiver or GPS Pathfinder® ProXRT receiver—can take advantage of the service.

"Utilities personnel and other asset management professionals are under increasing pressure to complete high-accuracy mapping projects even more quickly," said Pierre Desjardins, manager for Trimble's GNSS Infrastructure business area. "Users equipped only with an H-Star compatible GPS receiver, a cellular connection and a subscription to the Trimble service can overcome these challenges in the field by tapping into H-Star corrections."

In addition, teaming the GPS Pathfinder ProXRT receiver receiver with the Trimble Nomad™ series of handhelds (800X, 800XC and 800XE models) removes the need for a separate phone. The Trimble Nomad handheld's integrated cellular modem allows users to connect directly from the handheld to the Trimble VRS Now H-Star service for optimal performance. With the GPS Pathfinder ProXRT receiver, users can also install the GLONASS option, which increases the number of GNSS satellites that can be accessed.

To learn more about the Trimble VRS Now H-Star service and about how to subscribe go to:

http://www.trimble.com/mgis_vrsnow_h-star.shtml

Press Release - Trimble
COPYRIGHT 2008, TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED