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17th Century Maps found buried in Oxbridge Library
Two 17th Century atlases have been uncovered in the archives of an Oxford Library. The maps are by the Portuguese Cartographer Joao Teixeira.
The Description of the maritime ports of the Kingdom of Portugal dates from 1648 and there are only 5 other known copies. The other atlas is unnamed but appears to looks to be Plans of the cities and fortresses of the conquest of Oriental India. of which there are thought to be only 4 other copies.
More details can be found in the article below.
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IJHG August edition available online
The following articles are now available on the International Journal of Health Geographics’ website. These can be accessed for free and include articles submitted to the Journal from 25 July to 23 August 2009.
Methodology
Using hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions to measure access to primary health care: an application of spatial structural equation modeling. Md Monir Hossain and James N. Laditka.
Research
An agent-based approach for modeling dynamics of contagious disease spread. Liliana Perez and Suzana Dragicevic.
http://www.ij-healthgeogr[...]
AGU-FM09 Session G02 - GRACE, GOCE and Beyond
We would like to draw your attention to the session G02: Satellite Gravity Missions: GRACE, GOCE and Beyond (*abstract submission deadline: 3 September, 2009).
We intend this session to be a lively forum for a discussion of application of mass flux measurements from these satellite missions; what they are telling us today; and how we might proceed in the future.
A session description is included below for your convenience:
The geodetic community is in a unique situation, with several dedicated gravity field missions in operation simultaneously. The status of the GOCE and GRACE missions will be provided. This session solicits papers that describe innovative new applications of data collected by these missions. Papers that describe science insights from new signals uncovered in the data, or new techniques of signal extraction are encouraged. Topics of interest also include simultaneous exploitation of GRACE and GOCE data; exploitation of 3d satellite gravity gradient data; combinations of satellite and in-situ data; methods of extending the mass-flux data records beyond the mission lifetimes; and potential directions to ensure the continuity of these measurements into the future.
Deadline - 3rd September
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Open Geospatial Consortium Learning Resources
The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) offers a set of public
resources for learning about, developing and implementing
interoperable geospatial capabilities. The OGCNetwork "Learn"
page ( http://www.ogcnetwork.net[...] ) offers links to
* Courses, journals, and professional papers
* Articles
* Compliance testing information
* Conference presentations by OGC staff and members
* Discussion forums
* Document motions from OGC meetings
* Email discussion lists
* Links to videos
* OGC policy guidance on Lat/Lon axis order
* OGC standards document catalog
* OGC Interoperability Days event information
* Tutorials on developing implementations of OGC standards.
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South Korean Satellite destroyed
From Spatial Sustain :
South Korea's hopes of entering the space race took another blow when thier latest satellite failed to depoly correctly and burned up in the atmosphere. The launch went well and the Russian rocket performed as expected. However, it is thought that one of the satellite covers didnt come off and this is the reason for the failure.
This is the latest set back, the launch had been delayed last week due to software issues with the rocket.
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All EO-1 Satellite Data now in public domain
Seen on SlashGeo :
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration EO-1 satellite was launched on November 21, 2000 as part of a one-year technology validation/demonstration mission. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) instrument on EO-1 was used to validate and demonstrate technology for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). The original EO-1 Mission was successfully completed in November 2001. As the end of the Mission approached, the remote sensing research and scientific communities expressed high interest in continued acquisition of image data from EO-1. Based on this user interest and willingness to assist in funding continued operations, an agreement was reached between NASA and the United States Geological Survey to allow continuation of the EO-1 Program as an Extended Mission.
The EO-1 Extended Mission is chartered to collect and distribute ALI multispectral and Hyperion hyperspectral products in response to Data Acquisition Requests (DARs). Under the Extended Mission provisions, image data acquired by EO-1 are archived and distributed by the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) and placed in the public domain.
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Free Google Maps e-learning module
From GeoChalkBoard:
Google maps are allowing users to download one of their e-learning modules "Google Maps for your Apps" for free until the end of September.
Google Maps for your Apps:
This course is designed to enable you to take advantage of Google Maps for your website. You will learn how to create maps, add map controls for user interactions (zooming, and panning), programmatically alter the map extent, add points of interest to the map, add custom icons, geocode addresses on the fly, read addresses from a database or XML file, and display aerial photography.
Google maps are releasing 4 new learning modules on the 1st November.
- Introduction to the Google Maps API
- Advanced Google Maps API Programming
- Building Rich Google Maps Interfaces with Dojo
- Debugging Google Maps Applications with Firefox and Firebug.
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Dublin Core -2009 Registration Now Open
International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications:
"Semantic Interoperability of Linked Data"
12-16 October 2009, Seoul, Korea
Registration for DC-2009 is now open. You can access directly the registration form by visiting http://www.dc2009.kr
DC-2009 will focus on linked data and the enabling of the Semantic Web. Conference participants will explore the conceptual and practical issues in breaking the constraints of data silos and connecting pieces of data, information, and knowledge. Metadata is a key to these processes supporting publishing and interlinking structured data on the Semantic Web. There is a growing interest in the metadata community in connecting existing and future data contained in silos within and across organizations in a meaningful way that supports extraction and correlation of the data. The linking of data from disparate data silos presents technical and social challenges that will be explored at DC-2009 through full papers, project reports, posters, special sessions and workshops.
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Research Fellowships in Historical Cartography
The J.B. Harley Research Fellowships in the History of Cartography
The Harley Fellowships - the only one of their kind in Europe - provide support of up to four weeks (normally at GBP 400 per week) for those, from any discipline, doing the equivalent of post-graduate level work in the historical map collections of the United Kingdom. Web site: http://www.maphistory.inf[...]
Harley-Delmas Fellowships
For the period 2007-2011, in addition to the normal J. B. Harley Fellowships there are also Harley-Delmas Fellowships funded by the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. Successful applicants researching the history of cartography during the European Renaissance to the Enlightenment c.1400-c.1800 will be eligible for a Harley-Delmas Fellowship. All applicants, however, should apply for a J. B. Harley Fellowship. Eligibility for a Harley-Delmas award will be decided by the Selection Committee of the Trustees.
The closing date for applications is 1st NOVEMBER. The Fellowship website includes an Application page that should provide all the necessary information as well as answering many frequently asked questions
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Deprecation plans for ArcGIS 9.3.1 and ArcGIS 9.4
The deprecation plans for ArcGIS 9.3.1 and ArcGIS 9.4 have now been released. Deprecation is the term used to describe the standards and specifications of the new software.
It is always interesting to see what is being added to software for a new release, but it is also worth reading the documentation carefully before installing the software to see what is being taken out.
Go-Geo! reported earlier in the summer that VB6 would not be supported by ArcGIS 9.4. This is inline with Microsofts move to end their support of VB6, moving users to the .net platform.
Mandown Blog reports a few more of the changes from the recently released documents. Certainly worth a read.
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GeoTools 2.5.7 released
From the new look GeoTools web site:
GeoTools are pleased to announce the release of GeoTools 2.5.7, which is now available for download. While there are a number of new features included in this release, such as ArcSDE versioning and non-spatial table support and improvements to the performance and stability of filters and the next-generation JDBC datastores, there is more exciting news for this release. At least, it is for me.
This release marks LISAsoft's first official foray into the release processes of GeoTools. Assisted by veteran release managers Jody Garnett and Justin Deoliveira, and some very clear and well documented build processes, I only ran into a few troubles. For those of you that are familiar with the release process of these projects, you'll know where those troubles live; the cite testing for GeoServer. But patience prevailed and the release was put out late last week.
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Better Mapping 2009
Following the success of previous Better Mapping events, the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) and The British Cartographic Society (BCS) are to run another four events in October 2009.
The events are to be held in the following places:
- 26th October: Bristol - Armada House Conference & Events
- 27th October: Glasgow - Centre for Contemporary Arts
- 28th October: Birmingham - Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre
- 29th October: London - School of Economic Science
There will be a mix of academic and non academic speakers including; Dr Ken Field of Kingston, Susie Jones of RSMS, Giles Darkes ex-Oxford Brookes now a cartographic consultant.
Cost:
£75 AGI/BCS Members
£150 Non-members
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Mapping software for Mac OS X
Read on Oliver's blog, Mapdiva, LLC announces the first release of Ortelius map illustration software for Mac OS X. Ortelius is a powerful vector-based program allowing you to easily create floor plans, landscape plans, scaled drawings, and a wide variety of high quality custom maps. Designed for ease-of-use, it allows you to draw directly with features such as roads, rivers, coastlines, buildings, symbols, and contours.
Features of Ortelius Standard Edition
* hundreds of styles and symbols
* WYSIWYG drawing and editing
* dozens of fully editable map templates
* smooth vector graphics
* automatic junctions
* direct intelligent labelling
* scalable maps and plans
* 20+ special drawing tools
No information about the format the package will import/export data in at the moment but hopefully it will be flexible enough and not limited to a proprietary data format.
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Reasearch positions - Sikkim, Himalaya
Several long-term research positions are available as part of a Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, funded project on “Technological Innovations and Ecological Research for the Sustainable Use of Bioresources in Sikkim”. The project is jointly implemented by the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) (Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, http://www.ncbs.res.in), Bangalore, and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) (http://www.atree.org), Bangalore.
The areas of research encompass both basic and applied ecology and include the mapping and monitoring of faunal and floral biodiversity, field and laboratory measurements of biodiversity and ecosystem services (carbon, hydrology, pollination, bio-resources) and their response to climate change, and work on sustainable use of bio-resources by local communities.
Candidates with backgrounds in life sciences, botany, zoology, geo-sciences, ecology, environmental science, social sciences and remote sensing/GIS and with demonstrated field experience and interest in working in Sikkim and the Northeastern India will be considered. Depending on the position, laboratory work in Bangalore will be combined with field measurements and observations in Sikkim. The GIS/RS position will be based in Bangalore. Short-listed candidates will be interviewed by project Scientists in Bangalore or Sikkim.
Interested candidates should send their CV and statement of interest by email to: sikkimdbt@ncbs.res.in. Applications will be reviewed until suitable candidates are found.
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OSM editing software review
Spotted this on Mapperz Blog. A nice little review of editing tools available for editing Open Street Map data. The article picks one stand alone editor and one online live edit tool. The number of contributors to the OSM project continues to grow but there is an increasing need for OSM data to be validated and updated by the community. Only by doing this will the data quality increase and the dataset will continue to be useful.
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Swiss ask Google to remove Streetview service
Seen on Slashdot, Switzerland has asked Google to disable their Streetview service in Switzerland. The Swiss office for Data Protection made the request to Google as they feel that Google has not met the conditions they set for collecting and publishing the photographs. Specifically, this relates to the blurring of faces and number plates of cars. Google said they would make any face or number plate anonymous and that they would publish a schedule of where they intended to capture data so as to forewarn the public of their activities.
However, it would seem that the Swiss officials are not satisfied that this has happened. Therefore the Swiss office for Data Protection are asking for the images to be removed immediately. We will have to see what happens, will they be able to resolve the situation or will Switzerland not be in Google Streetview?
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Augmented reality GIS
Picked up on the Anything Geospatial blog, a very interesting video of the use of augmented reality in GIS.
The video shows an American Police helicopter and scanner with various GIS displays being used to supplement the live images being captured. Nice features include the ability to use a gazetteer to select an address, which the camera then locates and zooms to. Also, when tracking an object, stolen cars for example, the GIS can be used to show a list of streets that the target is approaching. This could be useful when directing ground crews towards a target, although there seems to be no reason that the ground crews could not be fed the same images from the helicopter.
Exciting stuff, and certainly worth a look.
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Black Counrty shown on OS maps
The BBC is running an article that the Black Country has been shown on an OS map for the first time. Sheet No. 139 shows the name "Black Country" while the sheet has been renamed "Birmingham and Wolverhampton including the Black Country".
The OS said that it "did not normally show places that were not geographically defined" but that they were responding to the feelings of the residents of the region.
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Journal of Maps - August issue
The Journal of Maps is pleased to announce the publication of the August 2009 issue.
The table of contents is copied below and is available at:
http://www.journalofmaps.[...]
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ESRI Technical Event with Eduserv – 15 September 2009
ESRI Technical Event with Eduserv – 15 September 2009
Following the success of the ESRI Technical Event held at the University of Leeds in 2008, Eduserv and ESRI have arranged a second meeting, to be held at the University of Birmingham on September 15th. The meeting is intended to bring together people from universities who are either using ArcGIS or other ESRI software or providing and supporting ESRI software in their institutions.
In addition to an overview of the new facilities in the latest release of
ArcGIS, 9.3.1, other topics include a visit to Birmingham University's 3-D Visualisation Suite, a discussion of how to get usage data out of the ArcGIS license management system and an introduction to ArcGIS in virtualised or server environments. There is also provision for networking with colleagues from other institutions and to meet staff from ESRI UK.
This is a completely free event which includes lunch.
Date: Tuesday 15 September 2009 (10:00am tea / coffee for a 10:30am start)
Registration Page: www.myesriuk.com (go to CHEST Seminar / ESRI Technical Event on 15th September)
Location: University of Birmingham (specific room details and map will beprovided after registering)
Schedule:
10:00 Tea/coffee
10:30 ESRI introduction by Angela Baker (ESRI UK)
10:50 Virtualisation vs. ArcGIS Server by Peter Halls (University of York)
and Alison Rumble (ESRI UK)
11:20 User Experience Talk
12:00 Lunch with time for networking as well as guided tours of the
Virtualisation Suite at University of Birmingham
2:00 Interoperable Landmap and EDINA Data and services by Kamie Kitmitto (University of Manchester)
2:30 New features of 9.3.1 and extensions – demonstration by Alison Rumble (ESRI UK)
3:00 Tea/coffee break
3:30 Licensing Talk by Anna Clough (Leeds University) and Peter Halls (University of York). Topics include: how to find out how many users you really have and who those users are (flex logfile analysis); non-dongled support; use outside of the British isles; licence servers.
4:00 Question and Answer Period
4:30 Tea / Coffee - home time!
For full details of the Chest Agreement for ESRI please visit:
www.eduserv.org.uk/ESRI
Please register at your earliest and pass this email on to any colleagues who may be interested in attending.
If you have any questions, please contact Eduserv Help at help@eduserv.org.uk
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GIS - niche or mainstream?
Through the Computer World Blog, there is a very interesting article discussing the future of GIS and the importance of it as a mainstream application with the head of ESRI, Jack Dangermond.
This isnt an ESRI plug, Dangermond is certainly a key player in pushing and defining GIS in all areas. His views are usually pretty neutral and certainly worth a read.
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PhD Positions in Earth Observation/Remote Sensing
The University of Tromsø, Norway, has 3-5 vacant research fellow positions in earth observation/remote sensing for applicants who would like to complete a PhD degree. The positions are organized under the Department of Physics and Technology, and the research fellows will be enrolled in the Barents Remote Sensing School (BARESS), which is a research school in earth observation at the University of Tromsø.
The desired research area is earth observation/remote sensing, specifically using SAR (synthetic aperture radar) and PolSAR (polarimetric SAR) data, addressing research problems like:
* change detection,
* marine target detection (ships, icebergs, oil spill),
* sea surface dynamics studies (wind, waves, currents),
* land cover classification (vegetation, forest, sea ice, glaciers),
* physical and/or statistical modelling,
* methodology for data analysis and multi-sensor data fusion.
Applicants should describe their interests and relate their background with respect to the above mentioned research topics.
More details on how to apply are found at:
https://secure.jobbnorge.[...]
For further information, please contact: Professor Torbjørn Eltoft at torbjorn.eltoft@uit.no or Associate Professor Camilla Brekke at camilla.brekke@uit.no
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Drones set to collect radar data
Spotted on GIS Lounge, the USAF have been taking high resolution radar images across known active fault zones in the Western United States. The aim is to create a temporal dataset that can be used for interferometry. This technique can be used to detected change in surfaces, and through the use of feature tracking, estimate velocities. This study is concentrating on change.
So why is this so significant? Well, the interesting part is that the sensor is mounted under the aircraft in a USAF drone. The plane then flies on autopilot over the same area, to within 15 ft (5m) of the previous flight path. The long term aim is to be able to set the drone off on its own to acquire images significantly reducing the cost of image acquisition. This could result in other projects using the technology to gather high resolution data at regular time intervals for monitoring surfaces, vegetation and change.
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LBS & TeleCartography - Registration deadline
The registrations for 6th International Symposium on LBS &
TeleCartography, CGS, University of Nottingham (2nd Sept - 4th Sept
2009) will close on 20th August 2009.
The symposium will bring togetherexperts from around the world to present the latest research results and developments with focus on Location Based Services in the fields of Cartography, Geoinformation, Computer Sciences, Telecommunication, Geodesy, and Geomedia Techniques. Details at http://www.lbs2009.org/
The conference provisional agenda is at
http://cgs.nottingham.ac.[...]
The HORIZON Doctoral Colloquium is scheduled on 1st September 2009 (Tuesday) before the conference. To register for the conference visit
http://cgs.nottingham.ac.[...]
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BBC Map of the week - Crime
The BBC has been running a map of the week over the past few months. These have generally been pretty interesting. This week’s subject is crime and the study area is Oxford. The maps have separated crime into sectors, violent, anti-social and so on. You can then look at the reported crime across the Oxford area. It is clear that certain crimes are concentrated in certain areas, no surprise there then.
What is of particular interest is the map that shows all crime through time. What the researchers have done is taken a years worth of reported crime and mapped it against the time and day it took place. So the user gets to see that certain areas have more crime on certain days or at specific times of the day. With the background mapping, it is clear that a significant amount of crime is associated with pubs and drinkers in the City centre on Friday and Saturday nights. Again, this is no surprise but rather than using conjecture, this kind of analysis shows the patterns clearly and can help reveal other hot spots that are not so obvious.
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UK Contribution to ICA Map Exhibition deadline approaching.
A final reminder that any entries for the UK contribution to the Map Exhibition at the ICA conference in Chile in November must be with me by Monday 17th for consideration.
For more information and invitation, see www.cartography.org.uk/news.asp
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Accuracy 2010 - Ninth International Symposium on Spatial Accuracy Assessment
International Spatial Accuracy Research Association (ISARA)
Ninth International Symposium on Spatial Accuracy Assessment in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
July 20-23, 2010
Leicester, UK
TOPICS: All topics concerned with spatial accuracy and uncertainty in a natural resources and environmental sciences context are appropriate, for example:
* Semantic uncertainty and vagueness
* Modelling uncertainty using geostatistics
* Propagation of uncertainty in GIS
* Visualizing spatial uncertainty
* Uncertainty in Remote Sensing
* Spatio-temporal uncertainty
* Accuracy and uncertainty of DEMs
* Modelling scale in environmental systems
* Positional uncertainty
PUBLICATION: Symposium proceedings, an edited book planned as part of Springer's Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography series and possibly an international journal.
MODES OF PARTICIPATION: Oral papers and posters. Pre-conference workshop proposals also welcome.
DEADLINES:
* Abstract submission: 28.09.09 * Abstract acceptance notification: 1.11.09
* Workshop proposals: 19.10.09
* Workshop acceptance notification: 1.11.09
Nick Tate and Pete Fisher (co-Chairs)
Giles Foody and Pete Atkinson (Programme Committee co-Chairs)
Contact: accuracy2010@le.ac.uk
****************************************
Download a pdf of the full call for papers at: http://www.le.ac.uk/gg/ac[...]
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Junior Research Fellowships at Imperial College London
Centre for Transport Studies
Imperial College London has created a significant number of new Junior Research Fellowships, to enable outstanding young researchers to establish academic careers. The Fellowships are
for 3 years and are intended to enable the successful applicant to focus full time on developing an independent research identity but with encouragement and support from a senior academic mentor. Applicants may be from the UK or abroad and will be normally
expected to have up to 4 years post-doctoral experience at the time of application.
Proposals will be judged primarily on the basis of their scientific merit, track record and potential for development of an independent research programme. Applicants will need to identify an Imperial College academic staff member to act as their sponsor and to provide relevant facilities and mentorship for the tenure of the Fellowship.
This is a tremendous opportunity for a talented young researcher to establish an academic career at Imperial.
The Centre for Transport Studies is keen to encourage suitable applicants with interests in any of our areas of research activity, which include:
* Travel demand modelling
* Transport network operations
* Transport and the environment
* Intelligent transport systems
* Transport economics, policy and regulation
* Transport risk, safety and security
* Railway operations and management
* Engineering geomatics
* Air transport and air traffic management
* Freight transport and logistics
* Port and maritime operations
We are also happy to hear from potential applicants with complimentary disciplinary or research interests that could contribute to our multi-disciplinary research activities.
Further information about the Junior Fellowship Scheme can be found at www.imperial.ac.uk/jrf and further information about the Centre for Transport Studies can be found at ww.imperial.ac.uk/cts
Potential applicants wishing to discuss this opportunity informally are welcome to contact Prof. John Polak (j.polak@IMPERIAL.AC.UK) by email.
The deadline for applications is 30 October 2009.
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Free licensing to DataScene
CyberWit, Inc. is providing free licensing to DataScene, a data graphing, animation, and analysis software package. This may be of interest and benefit to many of you. Here are some highlights of DataScene:
* Plotting 39 types of graphs with brilliant quality (http://www.cyber-wit.com/[...]).
* Powerful data analysis capabilities (http://www.cyber-wit.com/[...]).
* Creating graph animation for presentations, classes, and web pages (http://www.cyber-
wit.com/DataScene_Animation.html).
* Monitoring and charting real-time data (http://www.cyber-wit.com/[...]).
* Super clean and configurable user interface (http://www.cyber-wit.com/[...]).
* Easy to learn in 5 minutes with a friendly Wizard.
* Free Community licensing (http://www.cyber-wit.com/[...]).
I haven't been all the way through the licence agreement yet, but the example graphics look pretty good so it may be worth downloading the trial version first, running with that for a month and then considering taking up this community version.
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Geospatial computing for the arts, humanities and cultural heritage - Call for papers
The first call for papers for the Workshop at 5th IEEE International Conference on e-Science focusing on Geospatial computing for the arts, humanities and cultural heritage has been made. This event is due to be held in Oxford, UK, 9-11 December 2009.
Details from the press release can be found below:
References to time and location pervade the human record, both past and present: an oft-quoted statistic is that some 80% of all online information is in some way georeferenced. It is unsurprising therefore that as researchers in the arts, humanities and cultural heritage become more fully engaged with e-infrastructures, their disciplines’ engagement with, and use of, spatial and temporal data gives rise to new and interesting research questions in this area.
How, for example, can heterogeneous academic data resources which fall into the 80% of georeferenced information – including, for example, historical texts, archaeological databases or museum collections - be linked and cross-queried without dictating the research process or methods used? How can geo-temporal data be visualized, both geographically and non-geographically? What is the role of ‘virtual globes’ such as Google Earth as platforms for the expression of such data? What can digital tools and methods in geospatial computing contribute to the use and understanding of space and time in the practice-led arts, creative industries and galleries (e.g. for documenting performances or visitor pathways)? How can issues of scale that are common to both time and space be usefully explored in the arts, humanities and cultural heritage sectors?
This workshop seeks contributions from which might further these, and similar, questions. Contributors might (not exhaustively) include:
* Academics in the arts, humanities or cultural heritage who are making use of spatial and/or temporal data in their research
* Researchers with relevant interests in HCI or related disciplines
* Researchers, curators, practitioners etc. from outside the academic sector (e.g. museums and galleries)
* Developers or information scientists working on geospatial or temporal tools or applications
Short contributions (up to four pages, including images, references and notes), in IEEE format (see http://www.oerc.ox.ac.uk/[...]) are invited.
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Preserving Geospatial Data
The Digital Preservation Coalition announce an important addition to its series of Technology Watch Reports:
Preserving Geospatial Data by Guy McGarva of the University of Edinburgh, with contributions from Steve Morris (NCSU) and Greg Janée (UCSB). http://www.dpconline.org/[...]
'Increasingly large amounts of geospatial data are being created and
collected.' Explained Guy McGarva, principal author. 'Much of this data
has long term value but its preservation is a complex problem caused not least by the variety of formats. It is very important that people understand the approaches and actions that need to be considered when preserving geospatial data with the aim of ensuring future access.'
The report is designed for repository managers and archivists who may be expected to preserve and manage geospatial data but don't have a background in geospatial sciences. The report provides an advanced introduction to the often daunting world of geospatial data management and it supports efforts to ensure that these valuable and complex data sets can be secured for future generations.
Key recommendations of the report pertain to formats, metadata and the systems used to manage geospatial data. They also underline the need for careful rights management when preserving commercially sensitive third party data.
This report is the seventh in the series - previous reports have
included hot topics such as the preservation of PDF files, the Jpeg 2000 standard, Preservation metadata, large scale storage, institutional repositories and the Open Archival Information System. Future reports Including File Format Selection and Web Archiving are in development.
Commenting on this latest addition, William Kilbride - Executive
Director of the DPC - said, 'Geo-spatial technologies are set to become one of transformative technologies of the next decade. The growing prevalence of location-aware services already points to this. But time and space go together. This report sets a premium on long term access to spatial data, and it provides practical recommendations as to how to secure that long-term.'
'The Geodata Team within Edina have a well deserved reputation for
supporting researchers and teachers.' He added. 'Services like Digimap have set a benchmark for access to complex spatial data. It is really pleasing to see that experience and expertise also looks to the long term.'
Well done Guy, an important and interesting contribution. Guy works for Edina and is developing ShareGeo, which is a data repository that aims to promote the sharing of data.
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AGU Session on Open Source Remote Sensing
There is a session on Open Source Remote Sensing applications at the American Geophysical Union meeting December 14-18, 2009 in San Francisco. This session could be quite interesting as there is a strong open source GIS community but the open source remote sensing applications seem less prominent.
The deadline for submission is the 3rd of September. I will keep an eye out for information about webcastings of the event as this session will be interesting but i for one will not be able to attend the event. Full details below:
Session IN18: Open Source Remote Sensing Software and Applications for Earth and Environmental Science
Please note: abstracts are due online on September 3, 2009.
Abstract Submissions:
http://www.agu.org/meetin[...]
Link to AGU Session:
http://www.agu.org/meetin[...]
Abstract:
Satellite and airborne remote sensing imagery is integral to geospatial research in earth and environmental sciences. The synoptic bird’s eye view helps us see relationships among landscape elements in their spatial context, the continuum of nature and human infrastructure. There are increasing amounts of satellite and aerial remote sensing imagery of the earth available for free and low cost (e.g., Landsat; USGS and USDA aerial photography), via convenient online data portals and virtual earths. However, for some user communities, licensing costs for commercial image processing and analysis software may present barriers to scientific use of free remote sensing imagery. The goal of this session is to present examples of application and development of free and open source remote sensing and image processing software for use in the earth and environmental sciences. Of particular interest are abstract submissions highlighting open source software applied to the following: high resolution imagery (0.5-5 m pixels) for detailed landscape mapping, LIDAR, plugin image processing algorithms for virtual earths, operational web-based remote sensing, and web processing services (WPS).
Conveners:
Drew Pilant, US Environmental Protection Agency; Peter Fox, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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OS 1:250 000 and MiniScale on ShareGeo
EDINA's data sharing repository, ShareGeo is pleased to announce that the Ordnance Survey datasets 1:250 000 scale map and MiniScale products are now available for download through their service.
These datasets will be available in Digimap at some point in the near future but you can download them now through ShareGeo. All you have to do is to visit ShareGeo
1:250 000
1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster map base combines roads, railways and other key features to make this the ideal cartographic backdrop. This small-scale product gives an excellent overview of the country. The files in this dataset cover Scotland and northern England.
MIniScale
Ordnance Survey’s MiniScale is a small-scale product designed for use within desktop graphic applications, providing geographic context for the whole of Great Britain. MiniScale shows the major boundaries, lines of communication, settlements and physical features of Great Britain. This is just the TIFF raster version of the dataset. Other versions will be available from Digimap shortly. It can also be used within a geographical information system (GIS). MiniScale is aimed at any customer that requires a high-quality, visually appealing map for their documents and publications, whether a magazine, brochure or web pages.
At present the MiniScale data is only available as a GeoTiff download. If you need the vector data then it can be supplied but this may take a few days.
ShareGeo
ShareGeo is a data sharing repository. You can upload data allowing others to discover and use it. If your data is derived from OS base maps do not worry. ShareGeo sits behind a UK Federation login so all users that can access it are entitled to use OS data in the same way as they use data from DigiMap.
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Kingston GIS summer school 2009
Monday August 24th - Friday August 28th.
Programme
Workshop 1: GIS concepts and fundamentals
Workshop 2: Geographical data analysis and modelling
Workshop 3: GIS and the third dimension
Workshop 4: Map design and geovisualisation
Workshop 5: Integrating GIS with emerging technologies
Registration
Per day without accommodation - £225+VAT
4 workshop days without accommodation - £800+VAT (saving of £100+VAT)
5 workshop days without accommodation - £975+VAT (saving of £150+VAT)
Time is running out to register for all or part of this summer school that Kingston run in conjunction with the AGI.
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Cranfield GIS MSc - Infoterra bursary
Infoterra, a leading provider of geo-information products and services, is offering a £6000 bursary to a suitably qualified student registering for the full-time MSc Geographical Information Management at Cranfield University in October 2009. Consideration for the award of the bursary will be by submission of a CV and a statement of how the applicant sees their career developing in the future, and is at the discretion of Infoterra Ltd. Deadline for submissions is 31 August 2009.
For more information visit: www.cranfield.ac.uk/sas/gim?id=gg
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Submitt your map to the International Map Exhibition - ICC 2009, Santiago, Chile
The International Cartographic Association (ICA) meets for its 24^th International Cartographic Conference in Chile in November 2009. As part of that conference there will be an exhibition of cartographic products from around the world. For the UK contribution to that exhibition we are inviting you to submit examples of any cartographic products prepared or published by you in the last two years. Please provide two copies of each item wherever possible; one copy will be displayed in the International Map Exhibition in Chile. The other copy will be exhibited at a future BCS event and will be added to the BCS collection held in the National Library of Scotland.
All types of cartographic product will be considered. The exhibition will include regional and national atlases, electronic atlases, topographical and hydrographical maps, satellite images, urban maps, relief maps, maps of mountains, tourism, national parks, geological maps, globes, educational and multi-media material.
Entries are invited in 4 categories: printed maps; atlases; globes; and electronic media. There is a separate entry form for each category, an *electronic copy* of which must be filled in for each item to be submitted. Copies of these forms are available from the BCS website: www.cartography.org.uk/news.asp <http://www.cartography.or[...] Forms should be sent as an e-mail attachment to:- david.forrest@ges.gla.ac.uk
Two copies of each Map, etc., should be sent to me at the address below to arrive no later than 14^th August 2009. Please enclose a printed copy of the form(s) with each product. If the number of submissions exceeds our allocated display space the UKCC will select the most representative entries from those submitted.
If you have any questions regarding any aspects of this invitation please contact David Forrest by e-mail or on 0141 330 5401
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Adding Google maps to website
A nice little guide to adding Google maps to a website has been written by google. There are two guides, a quick and easy version:http://maps.google.com/he[...]
and a longer advance version:
http://maps.google.com/he[...]
Google maps are a quick way to provide some spatial elements to your website.
Spotted on the Map room blog
http://www.mcwetboy.net/m[...]
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Journal of Maps now a member of CrossRef
The Journal of Maps is now a member of CrossRef (http://www.crossref.org), which acts as the official DOI registration agency for scholarly publications. DOIs (http://en.wikipedia.org/w[...]) are fundamental to the persistence of access to web based scholarly content, as well as aiding data discovery. It is good practise for authors to include the DOI in citations.
The Journal of Maps has now created DOIs for all published articles and these can be fully accessed using the DOI Resolver (http://dx.doi.org/). For example:
http://dx.doi.org/10.4113[...]
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