Creation of Digital Contours That Approach the Characteristics of Cartographic Contours

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The capability to easily create digital contours using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software has existed for decades. Out-of-the-box raw contours are suitable for many scientific applications without pre- or post-processing; however, cartographic applications typically require additional improvements. For example, raw contours generally require smoothing before placement on a map. Continue reading →

Fall Foliage Prediction Map 2016

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What many people love most about the fall are the vibrant colors that mark the transition from summer to winter. Temperature, the amount of sunlight, and precipitation all affect how quickly the foliage will change from green to red, yellow, or orange. This interactive tool illustrates where autumn colors are peaking across the United States.

The map uses data from NOAA precipitation forecasts, daylight and temperature forecasts, historical precipitation data for this year, as well as other government and private data sources to visually indicate the foliage change between August and November, noting seven degrees of change. In addition to helping users plan a weekend getaway to enjoy fall’s many colors, the site offers some science trivia about what causes leaves to be certain colors and why leaves fall.  Check it out!

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Brief Survey About GIS Analytics

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My name is Jordan Sugar and I am a student with the UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles. As part of my Master’s Thesis, I am working with a team of MBA students to provide consulting services for a company that provides usage and performance analytics and capacity testing for spatial web services (like a Google Analytics for web-based maps). The company is interested in expanding operations to the United States, and our goal is to determine if an expansion would be successful and to provide a relevant recommendation.

We have put together a brief survey about GIS analytics, and I wanted to see if you would be willing to share it with your members. As an extra incentive, one lucky respondent will receive a $50 Amazon gift card! Here is a link to the survey: http://ucla.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8oaJPWRYqoqwRDv.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Thank you for your time and assistance!

Jordan Sugar
UCLA Anderson, Class of 2017
jordan.sugar.2017@anderson.ucla.edu

ArcGIS 10.5 Pre-release and ArcGIS Pro 10.4 Alpha

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For those of you that keep your ArcGIS maintenance current, the ArcGIS 10.5 pre-release is available for you to download from your ESRI account.  This includes ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Enterprise, and ArcGIS Engine.

Note that existing ArcGIS 10.1-10.4.1 authorization numbers will continue to work with ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Engine 10.5.  At 10.5, ArcGIS Server is renamed to ArcGIS Enterprise.  ArcGIS Enterprise requires ArcGIS 10.5 authorization numbers.  When upgrading to 10.5, you will need to reauthorize for use.

ArcGIS Pro 1.4 is currently in alpha and continues to build towards functional equivalency with ArcMap while bringing its own innovations to desktop GIS and providing greater support for Web GIS. It features an improved and innovative user experience for processing and analyzing imagery; a new, secure, cross-platform scripting language for rendering and labeling; and greater capabilities for creating and using vector tiles. For those of you that have current ArcGIS maintenance, your account manager should have email from ESRI on how to participate in the alpha software testing program.

Test Drive ArcGIS Online’s Analysis Tools

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This course is for people who know something about spatial analysis and want to learn what ArcGIS Online has to offer. You’ll get free access to the full analytical capabilities of ArcGIS Online during the course. Course at a glance:

  • Hands-on exercises, short video lectures, quizzes, case studies, and discussion
  • Six weeks, two to three hours of study per week
  • Certificate of completion and awards
  • Course dates: November 9 – December 20, 2016

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Getting To Know Web GIS

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“Getting to Know Web GIS, Second Edition” is ESRI’s new workbook featuring detailed, step-by-step exercises that teach readers how to share resources online and build web GIS applications easily and quickly.  Readers will learn how to quickly make web GIS apps using configurable app templates in ArcGIS Online; apply the ArcGIS Online cloud based analytics and smart mapping capabilities to create informative, meaningful, and beautiful maps; build 3D scenes within apps; and much more.  Continue reading →

Salary and Housing Prices

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How high does your salary need to be to comfortably buy a house in your city?  In LA, it looks like you need to be making $92,091.89.  The mortgage database HSH put together this map that analyzes the salary needed to buy a home in different parts of the country.  The map is based on the median home prices in metro areas including the surrounding suburbs, and assumes you will have a 30 year fixed rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment and be able to afford the base cost of owning a home (principal, interest, taxes, and insurance).

Forget about food if you buy in San Francisco!

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Finding Government Publications

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The US government is one of the world’s largest publishers, both in paper and on the web.  More than 200 years ago Congress authorized the sending of free copies of certain government publications to libraries around the country.  This developed into the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), with more than 1,100 public, academic, and government libraries as members.  Each of these libraries receives government materials for free, and is required to make them available to the public.

The Federal Depository Library Program is run by the Government Printing Office (GPO), which recently changed it’s name to Government Publishing Office in order to indicate it is now more involved with electronic data rather than paper.

If you are looking for government publications and other federal information, give these online sources a try:  Continue reading →