Rhode Island GIS News

Updated Rhode Island E-911 Data Now Available from RIGIS

2013-05-22T12:33:00.001-04:00

The Rhode Island Enhanced 911 Uniform Emergency Telephone System has contributed four updated datasets to RIGIS: Sites (aka addressed structures, categorized under Facilities & Structure), Roads (categorized under Transportation), Driveways (categorized under Transportation), and Fire Hydrants categorized under Utilities and Communication).

If you spot any records or areas that may need reviewing, please contact them! Bluntly put, your feedback could help save a life. They may be easily reached via email at ri911gis@akassociates911.com.

Selected RIGIS-Distributed Datasets Pertaining to Narragansett Bay Supplemented with Source Project Reports

2013-05-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

The download packages for the following datasets have been updated with reports from the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. The reports describe these data in more detail, including why and how they were developed, as well as how they relate to each other.

Eelgrass (line)

Eelgrass (polygon)

Narragansett Bay Estuarine and Marine Wetlands Trends Analysis

Narragansett Bay Estuarine Habitat

South Coast Estuarine Habitat

Hardened Shorelines in Narragansett Bay

Degraded Coastal Wetlands of Narragansett Bay

Potential Wetland Impacts in Narragansett Bay

Land Use Adjacent to Wetlands in Narragansett Bay

Since it isn't clear in the RIGIS data clearinghouse that these all complement each other, the titles and metadata for these datasets are slated to be updated and consolidated, albeit at a later date!

New Submerged Aquatic Vegetation and Habitat Data Available from RIGIS.

2013-05-14T10:09:00.001-04:00

New submerged aquatic vegetation and habitat data are now available from RIGIS. Contributed by the Rhode Island Eelgrass Mapping Task Force, these data hail from the summers of 2006, 2009, and 2012. Look for the datasets titled "Submerged Aquatic Vegetation" under either the "Oceans and Estuaries" or "Biology and Ecology" sections at the RIGIS data clearinghouse.

Save the Date - Joint RIGIS User Group / RIGEA Meeting at RIC on April 22nd

2013-03-18T10:52:00.000-04:00

As a result of introductory discussions between Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS) and Rhode Island Geographic Education Alliance (RIGEA), both organizations have decided to hold a joint meeting at Rhode Island College (RIC) on April 22nd.

This first-of-its-kind joint meeting will be held at RIC (600 Mount Pleasant Ave, Providence, RI 02908) from 4:00 PM- 7:00 PM on Monday, April 22nd in the "Faculty Dining Room South" of the Donovan Dining Center (#41 on this campus map https://www.ric.edu/campusmap/pdf/campusmap.pdf). Please park in areas K or A on the same map.

This late afternoon meeting (free and open to the public) will include introductions of both programs, a few presentations from RIGIS and RIGEA members followed by a charette where the overlapping goals of both organizations will be explored.

Here is a preliminary agenda:

Sign-in and Welcome (10 minutes)
RIGIS
- Introduction (10 minutes)
- Presentations (30 minutes)
RIGEA
- Introduction (10 minutes)
- Geography in the Classroom Presentation (15 minutes)
- Classroom Geography and GIS - Our Challenge (15 minutes)
Charette Session (60 minutes)
- Purpose: To explore for shared interests, gather ideas and build partnerships
- Questions for GIS Professionals (discussion)
  - Is K-12 geospatial education important to them? Why?
  - What benefits from geospatial literacy? (Employment, decision-making,)
  - What ideas and opportunities for supporting geospatial education?
- Questions for GIS Educators (discussion)
  - How to better leverage the RIGIS database
  - GIS mentoring of RIGEA members by RIGIS volunteers ("adopt a school/teacher")
  - Transitioning K-12 students to RI Higher Education GIS offerings
Wrap up Discussion: Key takeaways, next steps (10 minutes)

Gather contact information (RIGEA board, interested RIGIS members)

We look forward to seeing you there!

GIS-Pro 2013 - presentation deadline extended to March 8th

2013-03-06T17:55:00.002-05:00

As a member of URISA, a NEURISA Board member, and your RIGIS Coordinator, if you haven't already done so, I urge you to seriously consider submitting an abstract to the largest professional GIS conference this side of San Diego. Need I remind you that in 50 years it has only been held *once* in New England?... I guess I just did.

However, there's only 2 days left to do submit your abstract, so there's no more time to procrastinate! Please click on the link below to sign up.

- Shane

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Presentation proposals are still being accepted for GIS-Pro 2013: URISA's 51st Annual Conference for GIS Professionals taking place September 16-19, 2013 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Abstracts are now due by Friday, March 8th, 2013...so don't delay!

All are welcome to submit proposals. There are no membership, certification or experience requirements, and the presentation opportunities are plentiful... from formal speaking slots and panel discussions to casual luncheon presentations and ignite talks. GIS-Pro 2013 is the perfect venue to share big ideas, solicit feedback, and get noticed.

See more about presentation ideas, guidelines, and a link to online submission form at: http://www.urisa.org/gisproCall_pr

Regards,

NEURISA

Shane D. White, GISP | RIGIS Coordinator | T: +1.401.222-6483 | swhite@doa.ri.gov | http://www.edc.uri.edu/rigis
State of RI, Dept of Admin, Div of Planning | 1 Capitol Hl 3rd Fl | Providence, RI 02908-5872

Reminder: RI Parcel Symposium - Wednesday, February 20th @ 9am in Cranston

2013-02-18T09:16:00.000-05:00

Just a quick reminder that Tuesday from 9am until noon is our first ever RI Parcel Symposium. We have lined up 9 total speakers from GIS consulting firms, a regional water utility, a surveying firm, a regional planning organization and municipal government to speak about how they utilize municipal GIS parcel mapping, their experiences with acquiring this information, and what they know about how municipalities fund ongoing GIS parcel map maintenance.

As with other RIGIS User Group meetings, there will be a 30-minute break in the middle for people to catch up with acquaintances and/or make new ones.

Please click on http://goo.gl/maps/z001R for a parking/building entrance map.

GIS-Pro 2013 Coming to RI! - Call for Presentations

2013-02-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

GIS-Pro is coming to New England in 2013 (Providence, RI)! Please mark the date (September 16-19, 2013).

GIS-Pro is URISA's Annual Conference for GIS Professionals. URISA is a multi-disciplinary association where professionals from all parts of the spatial data community come together to share concerns and ideas.

URISA recently released a call for presentations. The suggested topics list from the committee is extensive. Take some time to review it and develop your own ideas. Just remember to submit via the online abstract form by Monday, March 4, 2013.

I encourage you to submit an abstract. GIS-Pro 2013 is an excellent opportunity to highlight how RI GIS Professionals are using geospatial technology to address challenges in their communities and organizations.

I hope to see you at the new Omni (formerly Westin) Providence this September! - Shane

RI Parcel Symposium - February 20th - Save the Date, Call for Presenters

2013-01-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Please mark your calendars for a joint meeting of the RIGIS User Group and the RI Municipal User Group on Wednesday, February 20th from 9:00AM until Noon.

Thanks to Maria Giarrusso at the City of Cranston (RI Municipal GIS User Group Co-Chair), the meeting will be held in the Cranston City Hall (860 Park Ave) Council Chambers during school vacation week so that there is plenty of free parking!

This meeting will be a "Parcel Symposium" where members of the GIS community from many types of organizations will present their experience with obtaining and using municipal parcel data to support their work. Following these presentations, we will hold an open discussion on how municipalities fund the ongoing maintenance of this valuable data source.

If you are involved with the creation of municipal Land Parcel data or if you benefit from using this data, please plan on attending this meeting. The more people who attend, the livelier our discussion will be!

Call For Presenters:

If you are using municipal Land Parcel GIS data and are involved with one of the following types of organizations (Federal, State, or Local Government, K-12 or Higher Education, Public or Private Utility, Non-Profit Agency, or Private Consultant or Surveyor), we are looking for you to make a short (5-15 minute) presentation on how you use municipal Land Parcel GIS data.

Please contact Shane White (RIGIS Coordinator) at shane.white@doa.ri.gov or 401-222-6483 with your interest in participating at this event.

URI GIS Training - it's not too late

2013-01-02T14:43:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year everyone.

Just a quick reminder that URI is holding two GIS training courses this month and there is still space available in each one, so you are not too late to sign up!

The 3-day "Introduction to GIS" course starts on January 8th, and the half-day "Using ArcGIS.com" course is offered the morning of January 15th.

Please click on http://geospatial.uri.edu/training/class_description_Arc10.html and http://geospatial.uri.edu/training/ArcgisOnline.html respectively for more information and to register.

Why not start the new year off by honoring your resolution to improve your GIS skills!

"RI Community Resource Maps" (RI APA Brown Bag Lunch) on January 24th

2012-12-28T10:52:00.001-05:00

RI NEMO is spreading the word about the upcoming RI APA Brown Bag Lunch:

RI Community Resource Maps - January 24, 2013
12 - 2 PM Community Room behind Louttit Library
274 Victory Hwy/Rt. 102 West Greenwich, RI

Join us to explore using RI maps online at ArcGIS.com. We will introduce a new, expanded series of maps for non-GIS users created specifically to support local planning and land use decisions.

How is this different from previous workshops on online mapping?
Features quick and easy ready-made maps with click on/off layers.

More maps from the RIGIS database added.
Example applications for planning and project review.
We heard you! Improvements address your comments on the Beta version.
Opportunity to schedule a workshop at your town hall.

Led by Marie Esten, Loon Environmental & Lorraine Joubert, RI NEMO, URI Extension

New maps to be posted online by the workshop date, with support from the URI Geospatial Extension program. FREE. Bring your lunch. Optional but you may bring a laptop to practice. RSVP to Nancy Hess, nancy.hess@doa.ri.gov Division of Planning

Hosted by the West Greenwich Planning Department. URI funding for this program provided by RI HEALTH, Office of Drinking Water Quality. Lisa DeProspo Philo, Communications Specialist,
University of RI, NEMO Program, 1 Greenhouse Road, Coastal Institute, Kingston, RI 02881, phone 401.874.5687

FALL NEARC 2013 - Save the Date!

2012-12-24T13:48:00.000-05:00

source: http://www.northeastarc.org/index.html

Sunday, September 29 - Wednesday, October 2, 2013
The Radisson Hotel, Nashua, NH

The 2013 NEARC conference will feature keynote sessions, vendor demonstrations, poster displays and over 60 technical workshops and user presentations. The conference is expected to attract over 500 users of Geographic Information System software including urban and regional planners, educators, natural resource managers, utility professionals and government agencies that use geographic information to help with decision-making and problem-solving on a daily basis.

Conveniently located in central New England, The Radisson Hotel in Nashua, New Hampshire characterized by their castle architecture, is undernew ownership, has undergone a total renovation of all rooms, and added an upscale bar and restaurant. Overnight accommodations are available for a discounted group rate of $129/single or double per night plus 9% tax.

RIGIS Event Calendar updated for 2013

2012-12-05T14:30:00.001-05:00

I wanted to let you know that I have just finished updating the RIGIS Event Calendar for 2013.

As with last year, this calendar includes all regional state, cultural and major religious holidays for event scheduling purposes. It also includes all regional (and many national) conferences, meetings, webinars and training courses related to GIS or the use of GIS. It also includes all published deadlines (call for presentations, early bird registration, hotel reservation, etc.) for each of these events.

Please take a few minutes to click on http://www.edc.uri.edu/rigis/about/calendar.html and the "Month" tab and scroll through the events for the next year.

If you know of any event that is missing from the calendar, or if something comes up that should be added to the calendar, please notify me and I will add it ASAP.

Happy Holidays!

Registration open for Esri 10.1 educational seminar, Nov 28 @ URI, 8:30am

2012-11-19T13:16:00.002-05:00

It's official! This half-day seminar *is* happening. Online registration is now available for Esri's "ArcGIS 10.1: Transform Your Organization" seminar. You can expect a solid introduction to the new features available in ArcGIS 10.1, plus Mark Scott's usual sprinkling of helpful tips and tricks as he steps through live demonstrations.

This seminar will be held on the morning of Wednesday, November 28th, at the Coastal Institute located at the University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Campus. An agenda is available here:
http://www.esri.com/events/seminars/arcgis-101/agenda/index.html

Although walk-ins will be welcomed, we would greatly appreciate your registering ahead of time using this direct link (note that this location hasn't been listed yet on Esri's online calendar of events):
http://events.esri.com/info/index.cfm?fuseaction=seminarRegForm&shownumber=16554

Since this will be held at the URI Bay Campus, *no* visitor parking permit is needed. Driving directions and a campus map are available here:
http://www.uri.edu/home/visitors/Map/NarragansettBayCampus.pdf

Please contact Nora Lyons Sauter (NLyonsSauter@esri.com) directly with any registration questions. Hope to see you next Wednesday!

Announcements: RIGIS User Group meeting cancelled, Esri ArcGIS 10.1 seminar for RI in the works

2012-10-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Just a quick announcement that due to multiple competing priorities, for the first time since we resumed regular RIGIS User Group meetings in August 2009, we will not be holding a quarterly RIGIS User Group meeting. Please remove the placeholder date of October 26th from your individual calendars; I have removed it from the RIGIS Calendar. Our next scheduled RIGIS User Group meeting is February 7, 2012.

In it's place, we are working on scheduling a RI offering of the Esri "ArcGIS 10.1: Transform Your Organization" seminar series (http://www.esri.com/events/seminars/arcgis-101/index.html) now going on throughout the country. Nothing is nailed down yet; a future announcement will come out once we have an agreed upon date, time and location. At this point, it looks like it will happen in late November or early December.

New Fishing and Boating Access Dataset Available From RIGIS

2012-08-30T12:27:00.002-04:00

This new dataset represents the location of publicly accessible boating and fishing access points across Rhode Island that are either owned or maintained by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Includes and attribute field that denotes whether or not the location represents shore fishing access, small craft launch area, or a boat ramp. Look for this under the "Inland Water Resources" or "Oceans and Estuaries" data download areas at the RIGIS online data clearinghouse.

The Boat Ramp and Boat Ramp (fresh water) datasets have been retired in lieu of this new posting.

Updated Sewered Areas Dataset Available From RIGIS

2012-08-30T12:19:00.000-04:00

Contributed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, this dataset is based upon the updated sewer lines dataset that was released in May. Look for it under the Utilities & Communication data download area at the RIGIS data clearinghouse.

Now (re)tweeting GIS employment opportunities and seekers

2012-08-28T15:03:00.000-04:00

"Now retweeting for RI, CT, MA! GIS jobs, internships, temp positions & volunteer openings plus geospatial resumes and CVs. Mention @RIGIS!"

This is the tweet that we sent out this afternoon from @RIGIS. It is in response to a need of the RIGIS community that was raised through the RIGIS Executive Committee's Outreach & Education Working Group.

Please send us (however is easiest for you) any information on these types of opportunities or searches and we will post them as tweets to our @RIGIS Twitter page.

You can either post an opportunity or search to our RIGIS-L listserv, send an email to shane.white@doa.ri.gov or mention @RIGIS in your own tweet. Please include as much information as you can about the position (if you need someone), or your needs (if you are searching for a position) and we will post it as soon as we can to @RIGIS.

Sneak Preview: New Orthophotography of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Coastal Waters

2012-08-24T14:28:00.001-04:00

A new collection of orthophotography was recently delivered to the Rhode Island Eelgrass Mapping Task Force. 4-band, 0.5-meter spatial resolution, collected June 28 & 30, 2012. These images are under review now, and will likely be shared with RIGIS in September.

In the meantime, here is an ArcGIS Online map with a sneak preview of the images. Note that both true color and false color views are available.

Updated Historical Cemeteries Data Available From RIGIS

2012-08-24T13:55:00.002-04:00

This updated dataset contains locations and basic descriptions for an additional 485 historical cemeteries, not to mention the corrections and updates that have been made since the last version was released in April 2011. Look under the "Cultural, Society, and Demography" data download area on the RIGIS website for this update.

If you come across any cemeteries that need to be updated while using this dataset, have any new records to contribute, or are interested volunteering to locating historical cemeteries, please contact Greg Bonynge (greg@edc.uri.edu).

RI Municipal User Group meeting on August 8th - Reminder

2012-07-27T11:32:00.002-04:00

This blog post is directed to all municipal employees in Rhode Island. All others, FYI.

On the request of Maria Giarrusso and Dave DosReis (RI Municipal User Group Co-Chairs), I have been asked to remind you that there is a meeting being held on Wednesday, August 8th at 12:30pm at the URI Bay Campus (215 South Ferry Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882) in the Coastal Institute, Hazard Room. The meeting is free and open to all municipal employees in RI (if you are currently involved with GIS or not). These meetings provide an open group discussion environment where lessons-learned are freely shared in the spirit of cooperation.

Since the last meeting of this group was dominated by a discussion of municipal tax parcel mapping, I have been asked to facilitate a group discussion on the components and mutual benefits of a statewide tax parcel database at this meeting. For the same reason my colleague Mike Doyle has been asked to solicit input on RIGIS' effort to revise our current Parcel Standards document (http://www.edc.uri.edu/rigis/about/docs/RIGISParcStnds.pdf).

We urge you to pass the word to others in your office who you think may be interested in discussing and/or hearing how to tackle mapping and information related work.

We hope to see you there.

- Shane (on behalf of Maria, Dave and Mike)

RIGIS User Group meeting - new date to save - August 14th

2012-06-21T14:23:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know that due to speaker availability issues, we have moved the upcoming RIGIS User Group meeting to Tuesday, August 14th (from August 7th). The meeting will still take place at the same time (1-4pm) and at the same place (125 Arthur W Devine Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02886: Warwick Sewer Authority) as previously scheduled.

As I mentioned in my original "save the date" notification, this meeting will focus on Emergency Management uses of GIS. Speakers have been confirmed from RI and CT to speak on this topic, and I am working on a speaker or two from a Federal agency as well. The invited speakers from CT will relay their experiences with Hurricane Irene and the October 2011 Snowstorm that knocked out power to the majority of households and businesses in their state.

RIGIS Data Updates for June

2012-06-21T11:56:00.002-04:00

A number of new and updated datasets have been posted over the last several days! http://www.edc.uri.edu/rigis Here's a quick rundown:

1) The quarterly update of Rhode Island E-911 data is now available. Please continue to submit suggestions for updates & corrections to ri911gis@akassociates911.com. Roads and Driveways are under the "Transportation" data download area; Sites - "Facilities and Structures"; Fire Hydrants - "Utilities and Communication"

2) Updated soils data (polygons, special line features, special point features) shared by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services are now available. Information on the new soils data are available at: http://www.ri.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/RI_Soil_Survey_2012.html
Folks interested in learning more about the RI Soil Survey Program and to provide input on future updates please come to the work planning conference on June 28th: http://nesoil.com/RIconference.htm These datasets are stashed within the "Geological and Geophysical" data download area.

3) Invasive plants species data for selected areas around Rhode Island have been shared by the Rhode Island Forest Health Works Project. These may be found under the "Biology and Ecology".

4) An updated Sewer Lines dataset was also posted in May. Contributed by the RI Department of Environmental Management, it features updated main sewer lines, force mains, and interceptors for public and private sewer system based on the best available information supplied by municipalities and utilities. Look for this dataset under "Utilities and Communication".

Ignite Spatial Providence - May 7 - Live Streaming Option

2012-05-03T10:25:00.002-04:00

I am happy to say that at this point we already have 37 people registered for this free event. The room that Lynn lined up for us at Brown University seats up to 200 people, so keep the registrations coming! To go directly to the webpage to register for the event, please click on http://www.neurisa.org/events?eventId=479374&EventViewMode=EventRegistration. To first learn more about the event, click on http://www.neurisa.org/events. We really hope to see you there!

Thanks again to the 12 speakers who agreed to share their work, Brown University for hosting, NEURISA for handling registration, Applied Geographics and Mapping & Planning Services for providing us with break refreshments, and New England GeoSystems for live streaming the event... that's right... live streaming.

New England GeoSystems will be testing free Live streaming services provided by UStream.com for Ignite Spatial Providence. If you are not able to attend and would like to participate remotely, please send an e-mail to Marwin@ne-geo.com before the 6th of May with no text in the body of the email and the subject “Streaming”. Connections will be limited to the first 50 people. You will receive an email the day of the event with a link to view the live stream. Be aware that these services are free and are subject to advertisements. No organization involved in this event endorses any of the advertisements that you will be presented with. We have never used this service before, so there are no guarantees that it will work! If everything goes without a hitch, we will also be able to post a video after the event on our websites.

Again, let your geospatially-oriented friends know about this fun event.

Ignite Spatial Providence - May 7 - Free Registration Now Open

2012-04-27T14:23:00.002-04:00

If you haven't already done so, please visit http://www.neurisa.org/events and register to attend "Ignite Spatial Providence" at Brown University in Providence on Monday, May 7th starting at 4:30pm. Even though registration is free, we really need you to sign up to make sure that we have enough goodies for everyone. The registration page now contains the full agenda with all speakers and presentation titles.

Here's the agenda... more information can be found on the registration website above.

4:30 - Free On-site Registration & Networking

5:00 - Introductions

5:15 - Combining Municipal Parcel, Health Department Lead Exposure, and Lead Law Compliance Data to Gauge the Problem and Target Intervention by Jim Lucht, The Providence Plan
5:20 - Adding Place to a Water Quality Project in Cambodia (WaterForCambodia.org) by Chris Stanton, US Air National Guard
5:25 - Careful with What You Create (Adventures of Mobile Development for Southington, CT) by Marwin Gonzalez, New England GeoSystems
5:30 - What's New in ArcGIS Online by Al Frauenfelder, Esri
5:35 - Rhody Archeology by Jane Miller, Public Archeology Laboratory
5:40 - A Tale of Two Spatial Data Sets by Michele Giorgianni, Applied Geographics

5:45 - BREAK (desserts, coffee and bottled water sponsored by Applied Geographics, and Mapping and Planning Services)

6:15 - Preliminary Work in Determining Rates and Drivers of Agricultural Intensification in Mato Grosso, Brazil by Stephanie Spera, Brown University
6:20 - Using SLAMM to Predict Future Salt Marsh Habitat by Kevin Ruddock, The Nature Conservancy
6:25 - Surveyors / GIS – Different Sides of the Same Coin by Ed O'Brien, RI Society of Professional Land Surveyors
6:30 - Protecting Rhode Island's Biodiversity in the Context of Climate Change by Pete August, University of Rhode Island
6:35 - Advancing the Analysis Potential of Topographic Maps in the Digital World by Pete Steeves, US Geological Survey
6:40 - A Land Cover/Use Collision Course: Pressures of Agricultural Development and Land Protection in Tanzania by Marc Mayes, Brown University

6:45 - Wrap-up & Discussion

7:00 - Adjourn to the English Cellar Alehouse (165 Angell Street)

See you there! - Shane

RIGIS event updates - notify your legislator, registration now open

2012-04-20T13:30:00.001-04:00

Just a couple of updates as these events draw closer...

RIGIS Fair at the State House on Wednesday, April 25th at 3:00pm:

Everything is falling into place nicely with this event thanks to the volunteer efforts of many of you in the RIGIS community. If you are in the neighborhood, please plan on stopping by to check out demonstrations by your peers on 5 diverse uses of GIS in Rhode Island. If you know a Rhode Island Senator or Representative (or someone who works with or for of them), please forward them this email to let them know about this event happening while they are in session.

Ignite Spatial Providence at Brown University in Providence on Monday, May 7th at 4:30pm:

We have made great strides in setting up this event, and planning is almost complete. At this point, we have a registration site set up thanks to one of our sponsors (NEURISA). Please click on http://www.neurisa.org/events to register for the event. This registration website will be constantly updated as we receive more information. Upcoming information will include a more detailed agenda with speaker names and presentation titles, and a website that we are working on setting up to allow those who cannot make the presentation to view a live streaming version of it online.