About socalgovgis - Michael Carson

Michael Carson, GIS Manager (retired) for the City of Burbank and President of Southern California Government GIS User Group. Currently teaching GIS at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita.

Protected Areas Database of the US

Posted on January 10, 2017 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PADUS) is the official inventory of public parks and other protected open space. With more than 3 billion acres in 150,000 holdings, the spatial data in PAD-US represents public lands held in trust by thousands of national, State and regional/local governments, as well as non-profit conservation organizations.

It is possible to download data for the entire US or a state from the Data page. Data can be downloaded in Shapefile or Geodatabase format. A fact sheet can be found here. To view data in a viewer or download the data click below.

Sea Level Rise Viewer

Posted on January 9, 2017 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management has released a sea level rise viewer. You can use the web mapping tool to visualize community-level impacts from coastal flooding or sea level rise (up to 6 feet above average high tides). You can also download the data used in the app or access the map services. Check it out!

College of the Canyons GIS

Posted on January 5, 2017 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

Are you looking to learn more about GIS than just how to push buttons in the software? Want to build a GIS skill set that will set you apart from others? Desiring to be exposed to the practical and real world use of GIS? Then come join me at College of the Canyons and sign up for GIS 101, Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. The class will be challenging and rewarding! Also, your earned units are UC/CSU transferrable.

Registration for the Spring semester has started, so make sure to register early. The GIS class will meet at the Valencia campus every Wednesday from 6:30pm to 9:35pm, February 8 to May 31. The textbooks for the course can be found here.

Feel free to contact me, Michael Carson (michael.carson@canyons.edu), if you have any questions.

Airports & Lounges Wireless Passwords

Posted on January 3, 2017 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

This interesting interactive map makes it possible for you to click on an icon to get directions on where to sit to get the best Wi-Fi access as well as instructions for entering the password. Check it out!

Rio Hondo College GIS

Posted on January 3, 2017 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

Start off the new year right and take a GIS class or two at Rio Hondo College. Courses start the week of January 30th. Apply for admission and register for classes entirely online. Available courses include two Introduction to GIS (GIS 120) courses including one located off site at the LA County Department of Public Works (900 S Fremont Ave, Alhambra), also offered is Cartography (GIS 221), Crime Mapping (GIS 281) and Intermediate GIS (GIS 281).

To register for classes, you must first apply for admission (entirely free online). Directions for applying for admission and registering for the classes can be found at http://riohondo.isteaching.com/spring-semester-2017.html For additional information, contact Prof. Warren Roberts wroberts@riohondo.edu (P.S. Did you know select Rio Hondo GIS courses are transferable courses to CSU and other universities?)

Merry Christmas 2016

Posted on December 23, 2016 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As usual, you should check out the Christmas Map as well as The Physics of Santa Claus.

And if you are looking for something to do with the family, head on over to the new Santa’s Village in Skyforest. -mike

CIA Cartography Division 75th Anniversary

Posted on December 20, 2016 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

For decades the CIA relied on geographers and cartographers for planning and executing operations around the world. During the 1940’s in support of the military’s efforts in WWII, cartographers pioneered many map production and thematic design techniques, including the construction of 3D map models. To celebrate 75 years of serious cartography, the Central Intelligence Agency has declassified and put decades of once secret maps online. Check it out!

You can read more about it here too.

The Ski Resort Mapper

Posted on December 19, 2016 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

Check out this story about James Niehues, the person that hand paints all those ski resort maps that you probably have used or seen before.

Drones Flying Free

Posted on December 15, 2016 by socalgovgis - Michael Carson

Check out these webinar mini-conferences on drones and geospatial technology. They will help you understand the updates to FAA drone regulations, the legal issues surrounding drones, and what equipment and software you need for your drone mission.