April 2007

Director's Cut

For those of you who have elementary-age children, you have probably heard of Flat Stanley. For those of you who have not, bear with me while I make the connection to geospatial technology! A couple of months ago, I got a note home from my second-grader’s teacher that the kids had read a book called Flat Stanley about a boy who gets flattened and then mailed to California to visit a friend. The children in my son’s class each made their own “Flat Stanley” and were instructed to have it mailed out of the state for an adventure. We chose Washington State where a good friend of mine from high school now lives. Well, Flat Stanley did lots of cool stuff in Washington including visiting the Seattle Space Needle and Pikes Place Market, but the one activity that really got my attention was geocaching, which my friend has been doing with her son since he was three years old.

Wikipedia defines geocaching as “an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure," usually toys or trinkets of little monetary value. Today, well over 350,000 geocaches are currently placed in 222 countries around the world, which are registered on various websites devoted to the sport.” The first first documented placement of a GPS-located cache took place on May 3, 2000, in Oregon.

The website www.geocaching.com lists a few simple rules for geocaching:

1. Take something from the cache
2. Leave something in the cache
3. Write about it in the logbook
4. Where you place a cache is up to you.

Here are some tips from my friend who is an avid geocacher:

• The cheapest GPS work just as well as the expensive ones, you just won't have color/detailed city maps/radio perks

• When starting out pick easy caches (check the difficulty and terrain; ratings for both should be "1")

• Check logs to see when the last person found it or if folks are reporting the cache missing

• Use the hints :)

• Trade up: if you are taking something from the cache try to leave something of equivalent or better value

• Enjoy the environment and remember all your other outdoor safety supplies/food

• Practice CITO (Cache In Trash Out) and bring a plastic bag to pickup any trash you find along the way

When I did a couple of zip code searches for geocaches in Mississippi, I was actually quite surprised at the extensive number of geocaches in different areas of the state, including one described as “Stennis Launch Pad!” My friend has found that geocaching has allowed her to explore lots of new places where she lives that she otherwise would not have known about or visited. So, if you decide to give geocaching a try, here are some websites you will find useful:

• One of the main geocaching websites: http://www.geocaching.com

• A geocaching tutorial: http://www.geocacher-u.com/101/index.html

• A kids tutorial: http://www.kidzworld.com/article/6549-geocaching-101

• An alternative geocaching site is www.terracaching.com, whose goal is to have members place and seek caches that are somewhat higher in quality, either from the difficulty of the hide or from the quality of the location

• An Audio Podcast: http://podcacher.com (excellent and family friendly)

• Mississippi Geocachers Association (MSGA) which promotes the sport of geocaching in Mississippi: www.msgeocacher.org/

I am hoping to take my own son, A.J., geocaching soon so that Flat Stanley’s first geocaching adventure won’t be his last. Happy Geocaching!

IMAGE OF THE MONTH

A stunning series of satellite imagery of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef released by the CSIRO shows for the first time visual confirmation of the theory that sediment plumes travel to the outer reef, and beyond. Read more

Image taken February 9 - 13, 2007

SEEN AND HEARD

"I love hard-dollar savings and short returns on investment. This is how technology is supposed to work in a business."

- Bob Bramski, Vice President and CIO,
DS Waters

DS Waters produces and distributes bottled water products in the United States. DS Waters’ bottled water products include leading regional brands such as Alhambra, Belmont Springs, Crystal Springs, and Sparkletts. The company, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is the U.S. leader in home and office water delivery. Water is bottled at more than 25 manufacturing facilities, then delivered by a fleet of more than 2,000 delivery trucks to millions of homes and offices across the country. DS Waters employs approximately 5,500 people in more than 30 states with an annual estimated revenue of approximately $1 billion. The problem they faced was making field technicians more productive while making customers happier by providing accurate information about delivery schedules. DS Waters began researching wireless and GPS technology the company hoped would take the place of the hours-long process using radios, cell phones, and two-way pagers its field technicians relied on to receive jobs. The results showed an annual revenue savings of more than $3 million per year.

Source: www.esri.com

SAVE THE DATE

What: MARS Wrap-Up Event
When: May 4, 2007, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Mississippi ETV Auditorium

3825 Ridgewood Road  Jackson, MS

Join us for the conclusion of MARS (Mississippi Area Remapping Strategies), the geospatial high school adoption program funded through EIGS in cooperation with the IHL Geospatial Council. Activities will include mission outcome reports from participating high schools, a poster contest, lunch, and a geocaching exercise. To attend, please contact Joyce Brasell at 662-562-3458, jbrasell@northwestms.edu.

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 9-13, 2007
17th Annual SCAUG Conference
New Orleans, LA

April 15-18, 2007
The 2nd Geospatial Integration for Public Safety Conference
New Orleans, Louisiana

May 9-10, 2007
8th Annual Coastal Development Strategies Conference
Biloxi, MS

LEGISLATIVE CORNER

The Senate last week agreed to push the last day of the session to Tuesday, April 3rd so lawmakers could finish spending more than $5 billion on state services.
The session was set to end Sunday. The House already agreed to extend the session.

Lawmakers finally settled on a state budget last Tuesday. The fiscal year begins July 1.

The budget includes more money for schools, universities and community colleges. State workers will see a $1,500 pay hike or have their salaries realigned with the regional average, whichever is greater.

DID YOU KNOW

Did you know a Delta State University student has inspired the addition of a GIS merit badge for the Boy Scouts of America? “We ‘hammered out’ a two-page proposal with a list of example requirements and sent that off to the national office,” said Michael Koehler, a Delta State University student and Eagle Scout. “The proposal received approval, and it’s going to take a year or two for the badge to be stocked in council.”

The merit-badge program is a key element in the Boy Scouts’ education mandate, with more than 120 badges that indicate skill and knowledge in a variety of subjects. Each of the more than 300 local Boy Scout councils is required to stock all merit badges and their corresponding educational pamphlets. More than 1 million pamphlets are sold annually, and many are approved reference text in libraries and school curricula.

Resource Spotlight

2007 Geospatial Solutions Buyers Guide Available Online
The 14th annual resource guide is organized alphabetically in grids to conveniently help you identify software, hardware, data, and services in the spatial technology marketplace.
More information

Entrepreneurial Service Providers
The Mississippi Technology Alliance is launching an exclusive online directory, Entrepreneurial Service Providers (ESP), and you are invited to enjoy the benefits. ESP is a directory designed to help entrepreneurs find professional service providers, like you, that can meet their specific business needs. From financial services to legal assistance to technical consulting, the directory covers a variety of needs. The benefit for entrepreneurs is that the directory is a convenient and an easy way to narrow down their search for a business that can meet their precise needs, in their location. The benefit for you, as a service provider, is that your business profile will be featured in this exclusive directory. If you are interested, you can set up your service provider profile by going to http://www.technologyalliance.ms/esp/ and then click the Sign Up button. For more information, please email hhall@mta.ms or sbuckley@mta.ms or call 601-960-3610.

2006 Asian Survey and Analysis of Remote Sensing Market, Aerial and Spaceborne
Global Marketing Insights, Inc. has completed the “2006 Asian Survey and Analysis of Remote Sensing Market, Aerial and Spaceborne” and delivered the final report to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellite and Information Service Division. NOAA has accepted the final report and posted it as a PDF.

20th Annual GIS-T Conference publishes 2 key reports about GIS for transportation
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sponsors the annual GIS for Transportation Symposium. At each GIS-T meeting two key reports are published: the Summary of State DOT GIS Activities and the Roll Call of States. The Summary of State DOT GIS Activities is comprised of the results of a survey issued to each state by the FHWA with questions about software deployments, cost/benefits and currently active projects. The Roll Call of States is a quick synopsis of the project priorities of each state or province and the issues about which they are most concerned. More information

Global Perspectives

Japan Launches Its 4th Spy Satellite
Source: Associated Press
Japan launched its fourth spy satellite Saturday, completing its capabilities to monitor activities worldwide and bolstering its ability to observe neighboring North Korea's nuclear program. The satellite, along with a smaller test prototype, was launched from the country's space center on a remote southern Japan island atop an H-2A rocket, the workhorse of Japan's space program. Japanese space agency spokesman Satoki Kurokawa described the liftoff -- which had been postponed three times due to poor weather -- as a success. Television footage showed the rocket racing up through cloudy skies. The launch of the radar satellite enhances a multibillion dollar, decade-old plan for Japan to have round-the-clock surveillance of the secretive North and other areas Japan wants to peer in on.

Satellite images show river pollution threatening Great Barrier Reef
Source: GIS Development.net
Pesticide-rich plumes of sediment spewed out of Australian river mouths have been shown to reach the Great Barrier Reef, threatening to damage the coral and other sealife which make up the natural wonder. Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has published satellite images which show that the commonly-held belief that river waters would disperse before reaching the reef was not always true. While under normal circumstances the force of the flow leaving estuaries is insufficient to carry sediment more than 15km out to sea, in extreme conditions the polluted waters can hit both the inner and outer reefs while sediment is still at high concentrations. For imagery, see Image of the Month.

About 'The Great Barrier Reef’: The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands, that stretch for 2,600 km covering an area of approximately 344,400 sq. km. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

South Panola High School On Track with ArcGIS Training

As part of Mississippi Area Remapping Strategies (MARS), the geospatial high school adoption program, students and teachers from South Panola High School participated in an Intro to ArcGIS training course on March 1-2, 2007, at the Panola Enterprise Building.

The training (provided by the University of Mississippi Geoinformatics Center) will help the students with their project which involves mapping bus routes for the South Panola School to identify the shortest and most efficient routes in order to eliminate redundancy in routes. The overall goal of the project is to save fuel costs for the District and to cut down on pollution.

In the training course, the South Panola students learned about methods for compiling the data they will collect via a GPS device installed on the bus. The GPS device, provided by EIGS member company NVision Solutions, Inc., will allow the students to track bus movements on a computer in real time as it travels its route.

Upon completion of their project, the South Panola students will create maps of individual bus routes and will present their results and recommendations to the school district.

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 results will be presented on May 4, 2007, from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Mississippi ETV Auditorium in Jackson. For more information about the MARS project or to attend on May 4th, please contact Joyce Brasell at 662-562-3458, jbrasell@northwestms.edu.

Partner News

Newest Issue of Pointe Innovation features Mississippi’s Geospatial Technology Cluster

The Spring 2007 issue of Pointe Innovation is now available and includes a feature section on the geospatial technology cluster in Mississippi, an interview with new Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Gray Swoope, and a profile on Gulfport’s Emerald Coast Software Company. Geospatial articles in this issue include:

• Geospatial Technology in Mississippi: A Multi Million Dollar Industry

• WorldWinds: A satellite savvy Mississippi business

• InTime: NASA research yields better crops

• GIS Technology: Serving humanitarian efforts

• Geospatial Engineering: Bringing maps to life

• No Boundaries: Geospatial training moving full throttle in Mississippi

If you are not already a Pointe Innovation subscriber, visit www.technologyalliance.ms and order your subscription online today.

MTA to host Breakfast with an Innovator in Oxford

The Mississippi Technology Alliance (MTA) is expanding the “Breakfast with an Innovator” networking series in 2007 to include events throughout Mississippi. The next “Breakfast with an Innovator” will be held in Oxford on April 12th at the Oxford Conference Center.

The featured speaker will be Dr. Alice Clark, vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs at The University of Mississippi who will discuss innovations coming out of the research pipeline at Ole Miss.

MTA is presenting Breakfast with an Innovator in Oxford in partnership with the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation. Registration for the breakfast is $10 per person. To register, visit www.technologyalliance.ms and click on the Breakfast with an Innovator banner.

EIGS In the News

DigitalGlobe Helps Pilots Fly to Safety With the Alaskan Aviation Safety Project
GIS Café.com – March 28, 2007
DigitalGlobe has teamed up with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), NASA and the Medallion Foundation to launch a new research and development project designed to help improve aviation safety in Alaska. Using cutting edge high-resolution satellite imagery, the DMVA will be able to develop 65,000 square kilometers of extremely accurate terrain datasets for Alaska's most deadly mountain passes and transportation corridors in order to reduce the number of aircraft accidents. Read more

Professor helps tech students with school bus route project
The Panolian, Batesville, MS -- March 6, 2007
With a dozen computers and an Ole Miss geology professor on hand, technology students from South Panola High School got specialized training last week to help implement a project using geospatial information technology.

5 state high schools to participate in program
Clarion Ledger, Jackson, MS – March 4, 2007
The Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions and the Geospatial Council of the state College Board have established a high school adoption program with five Mississippi high schools. This spring, the selected high schools will work with university and community college partners to design and complete a community-based geospatial information science and technology project.

Cleveland students partake in geospatial pilot program
Bolivar Commercial, Cleveland, MS – February 8, 2007
Cleveland will be taking part in a pilot program as an effort to prepare high school students for careers in geospatial industry. Students will use mapping skills to provide a virtual tour guide of the surrounding area. The Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce donated $1,000 to the program.

To sign up to receive The Sensor, visit www.eigs.olemiss.edu
To unsubscribe please send an email to eigs-out@pfidc.com with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line and your email address in the body.

Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions - 125 Old Chemistry - University, MS 38677