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March 2007 Welcome to The Sensor -- the newsletter of the Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS) bringing you the latest developments from Mississippi’s emerging geospatial industry cluster. Please feel free to share this with friends and colleagues. To subscribe, visit www.eigs.olemiss.edu For further information, or to submit story ideas, please contact Lisa Stone - lstone@olemiss.edu |
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Guest Corner: Mississippi Counties Moving to GIS
Assistant Executive Director of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors, and a member of the Mississippi Coordinating Council for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System As we are all aware,
the cost of doing business in government is rising while the necessary funds
are failing to keep pace. This is true at all levels of government here in
Mississippi so any opportunity that shows promise for cost savings while
still producing quality and efficient services is worth investigation.
Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) hold promise that,
if undertaken in the right way, will allow state and local government to
operate in a more efficient and cost effective manner. |
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IMAGE OF THE MONTH
Photo: Outdoor biomass burning, including
forest fires and the burning of fields in the tropics, is a Scientists using NASA data recently tracked the path and distribution of aerosols -- tiny particles suspended in the air -- to link their region of origin and source type with their tendencies to warm or cool the atmosphere. Pinpointing pollutant sources is an important part of the ongoing battle to improve air quality and to understand its impact on climate. SEEN AND HEARD COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Google wants to help Defense Department users fuse and distribute their geospatial data with the same technology that powers the Google Earth application used by 200 million people worldwide, Rob Painter, director of Google Earth Federal, said at the AFCEA SpaceComm 2007 conference sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of AFCEA International. Interviewed in the Google booth, Painter said that although the public Google Earth uses commercial satellite and geospatial imagery, Google Earth Fusion allows federal agencies to manipulate and integrate their own geospatial imagery with the company’s software tools. This imagery can include Digital Raster Graphic for imagery and terrain, geographical information system software, and land feature and 3-D building height data, Painter said. Google Earth Fusion allows DOD agencies to build their own “worlds,” he said, with the possibility that one agency will build a world based on commercial, unclassified information imagery, while another will build one based on classified information and imagery. Source: www.FCW.com CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT
Considered the premier smart growth conference
on the Gulf Coast, the 8th Annual Coastal Development Strategies Conference
(Smart Growth) will be held May 9-10, 2007, in Biloxi, MS. This annual
conference focuses on how to balance conservation efforts and economic
development as the Coast moves forward with planning, designing and building
safe, healthy and livable communities for Southern Mississippi. The MS
Department of Marine Resources' Comprehensive Resource Management Plan (CRMP)
and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce are hosting the event
which draws elected officials, city and county staff, contractors,
developers, bankers, planners, realtors, engineers, landowners, federal and
state agencies, resource managers, and others committed to rebuilding the
Gulf Coast. |
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 4 - 7, 2007 LEGISLATIVE CORNER
Speculation at the State
Capitol is that a special legislative session within the current regular
session could begin as early as Friday to consider the incentive package
that was offered to lure Toyota to Northeast Mississippi. Pete Smith, a
spokesman for Gov. Haley Barbour, would not confirm it, but said "it will be
in the coming days." DID YOU KNOW Did you know that Mississippi is the birthplace of the Blues? Sure, most people do. But did you know that GPS and GIS are being used in the development of a Mississippi Blues Trail? The Trail will be composed of scores of historical markers and interpretive sites, and will include locations throughout the state. The Trail is a project of the Mississippi Blues Commission and is being developed in phases as funding becomes available. Phase 1 of the Trail consists of nine markers that were funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support was provided by the Mississippi Development Authority/Tourism Division, Delta State University, and local convention and visitor’s bureaus. Detailed Blues Trail maps will be available that will provide driving directions, GPS coordinates, and basic information for each site. Be sure to visit their website for more information. |
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Resource Spotlight A Global Survey of National Remote Sensing Laws The National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law recently published the Land Remote Sensing Laws and Policies of National Governments: A Global Survey. The survey was prepared for the U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Satellite and Information Service, and the Commercial Remote Sensing Licensing Program. A complimentary copy can be found at www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu.
2006 Geospatial Technology Report: Get an extensive overview of the state of the geospatial industry with the all-new eighth annual Geospatial Technology Report. The report contains detailed information on the completeness, complexity, and direction of geographic information system (GIS) projects being implemented at nearly 400 infrastructure-based organizations. The report contains information on how GIS implementations vary between six vertical markets, what the latest application development priorities are, and what are the most common applications integrated with GIS and why. |
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Global Perspectives
Iran May Launch Its Own Spy Satellite |
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Water Valley Blasts Off Into ArcGIS Training
As part of Mississippi Area Remapping Strategies (MARS), the geospatial high school adoption program, students and city officials from Water Valley participated in an Intro to ArcGIS training course on February 22-23, 2007, in the Geoinformatics Learning Lab at The University of Mississippi. A total of eight students and one teacher from Water Valley High School attended the training along with several city employees from Water Valley, including the Mayor, Fire Chief, and employees from the Water Department. The Intro to ArcGIS training course covered basic theories involved in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and introduced basic functions utilized in ESRI’s ArcGIS software for GIS analysis. The high school students and Water Department employees will use the GIS training to complete a joint project for collecting locations and other information of fire hydrants. The MARS program is a high school adoption program with Mississippi high schools from Water Valley, Batesville, Cleveland, Enterprise, and Claiborne County and is funded through EIGS in cooperation with the IHL Geospatial Council. The participating high schools are working with university/community college partners to design and complete a community-based geospatial information science and technology (GIS&T) project. The projects will be completed by May 2007 with results to be presented at student forums. Be sure to check the EIGS newsletter for further details and updates.
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Time to Qualify for
2nd Annual
For more information and/or to register and take the online qualifying test, visit http://www.skillsusa.org/compete/college.shtml. |
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EIGS In the News
Baker awarded contract from MDOT |
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To
sign up to receive The Sensor, visit www.eigs.olemiss.edu Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions - 125 Old Chemistry - University, MS 38677 |
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by
Joel Yelverton 
College/postsecondary
students studying GIS, RS, and GPS from across the country are invited to
participate in an online qualifying test being offered March through April
by SkillsUSA for the 2nd Annual Geospatial Technology Contest to be held at
the SkillsUSA Championship in Kansas City, Missouri. The test is comprised
of 150 questions selected from a test bank of more than 2,000 questions.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of the questions will deal with technical
knowledge of GIS, RS and GPS with the remaining 25 percent split between
employability skills knowledge and general academic skills related to
Geospatial Technology. The fee for taking the online qualifying test is $40
which includes a subscription to the SkillsUSA student magazine and other
SkillsUSA materials, plus the opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA
activities.