Connecticut GIS Day – Moved to November 17

Posted on October 7, 2011 by

Connecticut’s GIS Day events are usually scheduled for the Wednesday of Geography Week in mid-November but this year that Wednesday is the last day of the annual NEARC conference. Because of this conflict, CT’s GIS Day celebration has been moved to Thursday, November 17!

The map poster gallery will still be in the Hartford Legislative Office Building (LOB) for the entire month. The presentations, table displays and demonstrations are now scheduled for Thursday, November 17th.

We look forward to seeing everyone at Connecticut GIS Day on Thursday November 17th!

WhereCamp Boston – October 29&30

Posted on October 6, 2011 by

WhereCamp Boston is a volunteer-created unconference for anyone interested in geography and technology. This year’s event will be happening October 29th-30th, with a two full days of unconference sessions and keynotes at the Microsoft NERD Center in Kendall Square.

An unconference is a conference planned by the participants through an online wiki and on the spot. The event is open to anyone, but you don’t just attend WhereCamp Boston — you can host or participate in discussions, demo your projects, or join another cooperative event.

WhereCamp Boston topics include: GIS, web mapping, technology, marketing, startups, development, social media, gadgets, communities, design, hardware hacking, entrepreneurship, open source software, mobile computing, social software, and much, much more!

When: October 29-30, 2011

Location: Microsoft NERD Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142

Registration: To register for WhereCamp Boston 2011 visit: http://wherecampboston.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn

A Sense of Place: Exploring Newport and Narragansett Bay Through Historic Maps Exhibit

Posted on October 6, 2011 by

“A Sense of Place: Exploring Newport and Narragansett Bay Through Historic Maps” exhibit includes several maps from the Redwood Library, Newport County Preservation Society and maps on loan from private collections. This exhibit includes Des Barres charts, Ezra Stiles’ map of Newport, Blaskowitz charts and some very rare maps of Rhode Island.

Time: Now until December 30, 2011

Location: Redwood Library and Athenaeum, 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI

Cost: Free (although donations are welcome). On until December 30th.

For more information on the Redwood Library & Athenaeum map exhibition and symposium click here.

Envisioning the World: The First Printed Maps, 1472-1700 Exhibit

Posted on October 5, 2011 by

This exhibit includes the first known printed map of the world (T and 0), the first two-color printed world map, the oldest printed road map (the Peutinger Table), Mercator and Ptolemy maps and so much more. It’s a private collection from California and will be at the museum until December 31, 2011.

Location: Naval War College Museum, Newport, RI

Time: Now through December 31, 2011

Cost: Free!

Reservations: The Naval War College Museum is open to the public and visitors must obtain a Visitor Pass to access the naval base and the Naval War College Museum. To obtain a visitors pass call (401) 841-4052 at least one day prior to your visit to obtain authorization to access the naval base to visit this museum.

For more information on the “Envisioning the World: First Printed Maps, 1472-1700” exhibition at the Naval War College Museum click here.

Geocube – The world of Geography at your fingertips

Posted on October 4, 2011 by

Linkedin is a great site for professional networking and yesterday it led me to have a brief but very informative email conversation with Karl Donert (president of EUROGEO) about geography education outreach. Karl led me to a very polished interface called Geocube. Geocube is an interface that resembles a Rubik’s cube that allows a user to discover different geographical topics in an interactive fashion.

Primary interface of the Geocube

Once a general topic is selected an additional interface opens showing more specific topics of discussion.

Secondary interface of the Geocube

Within each of the specific topics (numbering 54) of discussion is written text with terms and definitions, as well as images and embedded videos. All in all a very comprehensive site covering the multidisciplinary aspects of geography enabling the education of the next generation. The project is an European initiative from the HERODOT Network for Geography in Higher Education

Nationwide Protests Continue

Posted on October 4, 2011 by

This map, from Mother Jones, shows protests across the country.

For over two weeks protesters have gathered on Wall Street in New York City. This movement, catalyzed by a sluggish economy, income inequality, and corporate greed has spread nationally and internationally. The protests have included mass arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge, questionable use of force by police, as well as people sharing personal stories of why they are upset. The map above, created by Mother Jones, uses Google Maps to show protests across the United States.

For more check out:

Twitter Hashtags – #ows #occupywallst
The Guardian’s Live Blog
We are the 99% Tumblr

Consolidated Federal Funds Report: 2010 and Federal Aid to States for Fiscal Year 2010

Posted on October 4, 2011 by

These two reports provide an overview of virtually all federal spending at the national, state and county levels. The Consolidated Federal Funds Report shows spending for procurement contracts, salaries and wages, direct payments and loans, grants and insurance. The Federal Aid to States report show federal grants to state and local government.

Consolidated Federal Funds Report: 2010 <http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/cffr-10.pdf> [PDF]

Federal Aid to States for Fiscal Year 2010 <http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/fas-10.pdf> [PDF].

Highlights [PDF]

Connecticut GeoFocus Fall Edition Now Available

Posted on October 3, 2011 by

The latest issue of the Connecticut GeoFocus newsletter is now available and includes the following topics:

To view this issue visit: http://www.ct.gov/gis/lib/gis/CT_Geospatial_Newsletter_Fall_Edition_2011_final.pdf

Online Map Tracks LRA Incidents in Central Africa

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

GIS has developed into a critical technology for crisis management. The ability to synthesize spatial and non-spatial information quickly and accurately is invaluable in responding to everything from criminal incidents to natural disasters. One product that exemplifies this is the LRA Crisis Tracker, which is a real-time mapping platform that tracks incidents related to the Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa. Such incidents include kidnapping, killings and more. The LRA tracker website includes a methodology, that among other things, notes the methods used in verifying incidents; those incidents that are reasonably verifiable are mapped. This application is a product of Invisible Children, an organization that strives to use “…film, creativity, and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in Central Africa to peace and prosperity.”

2010 ACS 1 Year Estimates Released – 9/22/2011

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

The 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) 1 year estimates were released today (9/22/2011). These estimates provide detailed social, economic and housing estimates (e.g. education, langauge, income, poverty, housing value, etc.) for geographic areas with a population of at least 65,000.

The 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) 1 year estimates include data for the state of Connecticut, Connecticut Counties, and Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, and Waterbury.
For additional information on the release visit: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/2010_release/

The 2010 ACS 1yr Estimates are accessible through the NEW American Factfinder located here: http://factfinder2.census.gov/