Our colleagues at the University of Connecticut Center for Land User Education and Research (CLEAR) have recently opened registration for the first 3 webinars of 2012. These webinars are part of a FREE monthly webinar series that covers new and noteworthy topics from the UConn Center for Land use Education and Research’s (CLEAR’s) research, geospatial training and outreach programs.

An Introduction to “Buildout” Analyses DATE: February 28th, 2012 TIME: 2:00 – 3:00 PM IT’S FREE!  REGISTER NOW ABSTRACT A “buildout” analysis is a planning tool that can provide insight into the possible future impacts of a town’s current land use regulations. But what does a buildout really tell you? In the first half of the webinar, we’ll explain what a buildout is and isn’t, go over common misconceptions about buildouts, and review several different types of buildouts and what type of data are needed for each. In the second half we’ll illustrate some of these concepts with two case studies – one done in 2008 for the CT Office of Policy and Management and in partnership with the Central Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, and a recently completed buildout done in partnership with the Town of Kent. And of course, we’ll (attempt to) answer your questions. After spending this hour with us, you may not be able to do a buildout using your iPhone and a pocket calculator, but you will be able to ask good questions about the need for, uses, and types of buildouts that might apply to your community.

LID in Connecticut: a Virtual Tour of Where It’s Working   DATE: March 13th, 2012 TIME: 2:00 – 3:00 PM IT’S FREE!  REGISTER NOW ABSTRACT No need to get on the bus for this tour! Join us for a virtual tour of Low Impact Development (LID) around the State of Connecticut. Dave Dickson and Mike Dietz will use NEMO’s LID Atlas, a cutting-edge web tool powered by Google Maps, to highlight LID projects around the state. At each stop you’ll learn the background of each site, get to see pictures, learn about obstacles, and successes. Different types of LID practices will be covered, from rain gardens to porous pavements. At the end, we’ll demonstrate the use of the Atlas so that you can take your own tour, not only around Connecticut but the entire U.S. Perhaps some of these sites will inspire you to initiate an LID project in your town? Come find out!

ArcGIS.com: A User-Friendly Tool for Creating Maps Online   DATE: May 8th, 2012 TIME: 2:00 – 3:00 PM IT’S FREE!  REGISTER NOW ABSTRACT Interactive web maps are powerful tools for organizing and disseminating information for public consumption. For years, Google has led this revolution in online mapping by making it easy for practically anyone (even you) to create a custom web map of their own using Google Maps and Google Earth. But Google isn’t the only game in town anymore. ESRI, the creator of the most popular desktop GIS software, has recently launched ArcGIS.com, a free web based tool for creating web maps and mapping applications. It allows a user to create customizable maps with built-in functions including the ability to: connect to a wide variety of base maps and mapping services, import existing GIS data, customize how information is displayed, edit data using a simple interface or smartphone, collaborate with others, create online galleries of web maps, establish public or private map groups, add new data, and more. This webinar will provide an overview of ESRI’s new ArcGIS.com website. Many of the functions listed above will be covered through discussion and live demonstration and will include examples of how towns and land trusts might use the technology to meet their online mapping needs.