Wednesday October 18th
Facilitator: Ann Deakin
Spatial prioritisation of invasive species management and survey efforts
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Presenter: Amy Conley; New York Natural Heritage Program, Emily Caboot; University of Albany
Emily Caboot is a graduate student at the University of Albany working with the New York iMap Invasives program on municipal outreach.
Abstract
With limited resources available for invasive species management, it is essential to focus those resources where they will have the highest potential impact. This could be in areas of high existing biodiversity, where a new invasion could devastate rare or particularly high quality habitat; or in areas more prone to invasive spread, where a new invasion has a higher probability of initially taking hold. The New York Natural Heritage program developed a set of statewide spatial layers (rasters, 30 meter resolution) to help conservation partners decide where to focus their efforts when surveying and managing for invasive species. The model incorporated data about components of ecological significance, priority protected lands, and a variety of anthropogenic stressors linked with invasive species spread. The synthesis layer identifies areas predicted to have high value natural habitat that are also prone to new invasive species populations and dispersals. It can be useful for managers to quickly highlight those areas with the most ecologically valuable habitat at the highest risk from invasive species. To allow managers and planners more flexibility in identifying priority areas, separate layers were also produced that highlight the risk of spread by invasives, as well as areas of highest ecological significance, as described by rare species. The data are publicly available and can be accessed through the New York iMapInvasives website.
Commercial Fishing and Offshore Wind Energy: Reducing Effects of Wind Farms on Commercial Fishing.
Presenter: Melissa Albino-Hegeman; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Melissa Albino-Hegeman is marine biologist at the Department of Environmental Conservation. She currently serves as the GIS and Data Coordinator for the Division of Marine Resource in East Setauket.
Abstract
New York State is actively pursuing offshore wind energy and is in the process of identifying new lease sites. There are potential negative impacts of offshore wind energy on the commercial fishing industry. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is responsible for providing input to this process to help mitigate any these negative impacts.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Observer data contains information on the fishing effort and where it occurred. The data is collected by a NOAA employee and includes beginning and endpoints for both mobile and fixes gear, such as trawls or nets. Using data from 2011-2016 was used to visualize spatial patterns in commercial fishing by species, gear type and vessel size. This was used to identify areas with the least potential impact on the commercial fishing industry.
New York State is actively pursuing offshore wind energy and is in the process of identifying new lease sites. There are potential negative impacts of offshore wind energy on the commercial fishing industry. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is responsible for providing input to this process to help mitigate any these negative impacts.
Delineating Forests with Terrain Models
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Presenter: Robert S. Wills; Dutchess County Planning & Development, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Robert Wills coordinates GIS at the Dutchess County Department of Planning, and the Department of Behavioral and Community Health. He is a Registered Architect in the states of New York and Illinois. Bob has overseen the conversion of paper parcel maps to digital data, county-wide acquisition of digital orthophotography and planimetric data, the delineation of forests and catchment areas for over 5200 streams in Dutchess County, contributed to the Dutchess County Natural Resource Inventory, and has sat on New York State committees looking at how GIS can improve understanding of the scenic resources of the State.
Abstract
Existing land cover data like that from the US Geological Survey’s National Land Cover Data, is low-resolution raster (grid) data, with pixels typically 30 meters a side. Because of the coarse nature of these data, they are not suitable for parcel-based analysis, and that don’t mirror the true outline of forest edge, both of which were requirements for the Cary Institute.
The initial effort to draw all the forests used airphoto interpretation techniques on Dutchess County’s 2000 aerial photography, with rules developed by Cary for what is or isn’t “forest”. Eight technicians from both Cary and Dutchess County’s Planning and Health Departments completed this work over a couple of months. With a new Lyme Disease research study currently underway at Cary, Dutchess County was asked to update the forest data.
Without staff resources to complete the project as it was initially done, GIS techniques were employed on data the county acquired in 2014. By subtracting a layer representing elevations of the earth’s surface (digital elevation model) from a layer representing height of features above ground (buildings and vegetation) the height of vegetation was determined, after other techniques to clean up non-vegetative surfaces (building heights) were applied. The original Cary forest-definition rules were employed to eliminate most irrelevant forest areas (single and small areas of trees), resulting in a layer comparative to the original 2000 data. This is a more accurate representation of all forest areas without subjectivity and variability (and error) inherent in a technician’s interpretation of aerial photography.
Facilitator: Ben Houston
Extracting 3D Features from LiDAR Data
Presenter: David McKittrick; Blue Marble Geographics
David McKittrick is a Senior Application Specialist at Blue Marble Geographics in Hallowell, Maine. A graduate of the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, McKittrick has spent over 25 years in the field of GIS and mapping, focusing on the application and implementation spatial technology. McKittrick has designed and delivered hundreds of GIS training classes, seminars, and presentations and has authored dozens of articles and papers for a variety industry and trade publications.
Abstract
As LiDAR data permeates the mainstream, its use and utility is becoming much more widespread and diverse. As a spatial commodity, LiDAR is the raw material from which a wide variety of 3D datasets are generated. Using a series of customizable algorithms applied to the geometric structure and other attributes of the point cloud, buildings, vegetation, utility cables, and other features can be effectively identified, classified, and ultimately extracted into vector models of the features they represent. Subsequently ground points can be isolated and gridded to form an accurate terrain model as the basis for precise volumetric calculation, terrain analysis, and change detection. In this presentation, we explore the workflow whereby features are identified and extracted from LiDAR data. We walk through the procedures for point cloud filtering and noise removal; identification and automatic reclassification of ground points; 3D building model creation; height calculation of forest canopy and individual trees, and delineation of above-ground utility cables.
Urban Drainage Modeling for Storm Water Design using QL2 LiDAR
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Presenter: Benjamin Houston; GroundPoint Technologies, LLC, Karen Kwasnowski; GroundPoint Technologies, LLC
Ben Houston has over 25 years of experience with mapping technologies with a broad background in public health engineering, utilities infrastructure, and storm water management. He has worked as both an engineer and a GIS analyst in for-profit and non-profit. Karen Kwasnowski has over 15 years experience as a senior GIS technologist with a broad range of LiDAR, remote sensing and geospatial project experience. She is co-founder of GroundPoint Technologies and currently oversees all of GroundPoint’s technical production. She has successfully lead LiDAR and GIS projects for a range of government agencies such as the New York City and Los Angeles County. Her specialties include quality control and accuracy assessment of LiDAR data and the development of terrain products for GIS integration.
Abstract
Airborne LIDAR data for topographic mapping is becoming more and more ubiquitously available across NYS. Recently the USGS has targeted Quality Level 2 (QL2) as having the broadest applications and value for the cost of collection. Once collected, most of this data is available to GIS and design professionals at no additional cost. Several urban drainage projects have demonstrated that QL 2 LiDAR data can be used to characterize surface flows across urban and suburban environments sufficient to support storm water design criteria. Results will be presented based on a project conducted in Ulster County NY.
This session will also explore the relationship between design scale mapping requirements (i.e., 1”=20’, 1”=40’, 1”=100’, etc.) and the most recently adopted geospatial data accuracy standards governing the use of high resolution aerial imagery and laser scanning. The latest ASPRS Standards for Geospatial Data Accuracy help to resolve ongoing confusion over National Map Accuracy Standards and current digital data products.
LiDAR for the Urban Landscape: How and Why
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Presenter: Timothy Morrissey; City of New York DoITT Citywide GIS, Mike Wiley; Applied Geographics, Drew Meren; Quantum Spatial, Jarlath Oneil-Dunne; University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab
Timothy Morrissey is the Deputy Director of GIS at the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunication (NYC DoITT). He has worked in the Technology sector across a wide spectrum of industries from Financial Services & Healthcare to Non-profits & Government, serving a range of capacities: development, architecture & design, and program & project management. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a Master’s Degree in Software Engineering from Brandeis University, as well as an MA in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mike Wiley has been in the Geo/GIS industry since the mid-1990s. He holds classic GIS degrees (BS Environmental Design and MS Regional Planning) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His project experience includes management consulting, data
Drew Meren has been in the Geospatial space from more than 15 years. A graduate from Towson University, with a Geography degree, he started his geospatial career working for municipalities, Baltimore County, MD and Prince William County, VA near Washington DC. Drew began working in the private sector reselling geospatial data like contours, Mobile and aerial orthophotos and LiDAR. He primarily focused on customers the Northeast part of the US and New England due to his upbringing in NYC and Western Mass. Drew joined Quantum Spatial last year as an Account Manager focusing on the East coast, from Virginia to Maine. Quantum Spatial holds several Federal and statewide contacts in aerial and LiDAR data collections throughout New England.
Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne is the Director of the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory. Over the years his research has focused on the application of geospatial technology to a broad range of natural resource related issues such as environmental justice, wildlife habitat mapping, high-elevation forest decline, land cover change detection, community health, and water quality modeling. Most recently his work has centered on urban ecosystems. The results of his urban tree canopy assessments have been used by dozens of communities to establish tree canopy goals. Jarlath is well known for his expertise in object-based image analysis (OBIA) and speaks regularly on a wide range of geospatial related topics at local, regional, and national conferences.
Abstract
The City of New York has realized the importance of developing accurate and current elevation and land cover data in support of resiliency and green infrastructure initiatives. In 2010, the City acquired high accuracy, bare-earth processed Topographic LiDAR data for the full extent of New York City. This data was used to support a variety of projects such as coastal storm and sea level rise inundation, flood risk assessment, and mitigation, green infrastructure and tree canopy planning.
In 2017, the City has embarked on a project to collect new Bathymetric as well as updated Topographic LiDAR data. This new data will support City operations in the form of data analysis, policymaking, resiliency and environmental planning. In addition, the use of the 2010 and 2017 data will be used to analyze how Hurricane Sandy as well as human interventions have recently altered the City’s landscape. Since 2010 the evolution of Aerial Bathymetric LiDAR (TopoBathy) has allowed for elevation data below certain depth of water in and around the City. In the Spring and Summer two aerial missions were set out onto the City to collect both the Topographic and TopoBathy LiDAR data. Collection was captured from 2 different planes, separate crews and sensors. Coordination with the City, FAA, media, the weather and contractors required well organized procedures and systems between all involved. This abstract will look into these tasks during the scope development, coordination and acquisition stages.
The remaining project continues with eventual production and associated derived products, which include land cover, tree canopy change, and Digital Elevation Models will provide an unprecedented opportunity to analyze these changes and understand how New Yorkers are affected by them, and support future resiliency planning efforts.
The New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications (DoITT), the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency (ORR), and the Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) have contracted with Applied Geographics, Inc. (Boston, MA) to lead a team of experts, which includes Quantum Spatial, Inc. (Dulles, VA), and the University of Vermont’s Spatial Analysis Lab.
Facilitator: Sheri Norton
Cities RISE: Breaking data silos and empowering cities to address their greatest housing challenges
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Presenter: Andrew Kieve; Tolemi
Andrew Kieve is the co-founder of Tolemi, a software company that delivers cloud-based data management and software applications to local governments. The Tolemi platform links, structures, and standardizes disparate data points trapped across the government enterprise and feeds a suite of easy-to-use front-end tools. Even non-technical users can better engage with and understand their own data to streamline operations and take evidence-based action for urban planning, public safety, and economic development.
Abstract
Earlier this year, the Office of Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman launched the Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (“Cities RISE”) program, including investments totaling more than 0 million over the next two years to cities and towns across New York State. The program aims to address and transform blighted, vacant, or poorly maintained problem properties through the use of housing and community data from various governmental sources. Cities RISE advances Attorney General Schneiderman?s comprehensive strategy for helping New York families and communities rebuild from the housing crisis.
As part of Cities RISE, each participating city and town has been granted a license for the Building Blocks mapping and data aggregation software. This application unifies data in real-time from across siloed departments and sources, and gives governments an easy-to-use analytics tool to empower data-driven decision-making. By bringing together data from code enforcement, police, tax, and more into a map-based web portal, city leaders are unlocking the power of their data and building resiliency in the wake of the housing crisis.
This session will highlight (a) case studies of cities that are using spatial data to drive strategic code enforcement & transparency, (b) the role that GIS professionals are playing in the implementation & adoption of the platform, and (c) the underlying technology that enables integration of data from across disparate sources within governments.
Data Analytics and Visualization in Public Safety
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Presenter: Jason Baum; Project Manager NYS Office of Information Technology Services
Jason Baum is the program manager for ShareGIS with the NYS GIS Program Office. He previously worked on issues relating to GIS data in 911 systems and emergency communications. Before coming to NYS he was the GIS Coordinator for the Town of Bethlehem, NY. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 1997 with a GIS Certificate and a
Masters in Regional Planning.
Abstract
The volume if data generated and stored by the day to day operations of public safety agencies is staggering. Public Safety executives need efficient and meaningful ways to quickly view and analyze information which is automatically rolled up and summarized. This presentation will help participants understand the data analytics thought process, tools, and practices currently being developed in the Office of Information Technology Services Public Safety Cluster.
Facilitator: Susan Nixson
Geospatial Programming in GIS Education
Presenter: Wende A. Mix, Ph.D.; Department of Geography and Planning SUNY Buffalo State
Dr. Mix is an Associate Professor in Geography and Planning at Buffalo State College where she teaches undergraduate introductory and advanced GIS courses, Urban Applications of GIS, and Interactive and Web-based mapping. As a member of the Data Analytics Interdisciplinary Unit she teaches graduate courses in geospatial programming and open data.
Dr. Mix has Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University at Buffalo, Department of Civil Engineering (1987) and a Master’s concentrating in Geographic Information Systems, University at Buffalo, Department of Geography (1983). She graduated from Mount Holyoke College, Cum laude in 1981 with a double major in Mathematics & Geography.
Abstract
The era of point-and-click GIS education is fading. Educators are recognizing the importance of programming to truly understanding basic GIS concepts about spatial data and data analysis. This presentation reports on curriculum at SUNY Buffalo State where geospatial programming is introduced in the ArcGIS desktop environment using python, using python stand-alone modules including Geopandas, PYSAL, etc. and using R. Specific examples of programming activities for visualization, manipulation including data quality checks and cleaning, and spatial analysis are presented. Examples include accessing and analyzing open data as well as using APIs’ such as the Census API. The pros and cons of these varied approaches are discussed as well as how the geospatial programming curriculum supports interdisciplinary data analytics/data science education at SUNY Buffalo State.
Building a Geospatial Pipeline in Western New York: Sample Student Work
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Presenters: Jonathon Little; Monroe Community College, Wayne Howard; Monroe Community College
Jonathon Little is an Assistant Professor of Geography/GIS at the State University of New York – Monroe Community College, where he has taught since 2007. He is the recipient of the 2017 GeoTech Center’s Distinguished Geospatial Educator Award winner as selected by the GeoTech Center of Excellence. Jonathon is the principal investigator of a National Science Foundation grant for geospatial education. He is the GIS coordinator and is a leader implementing technology online and in the class, and spearheaded the new A.S. degree program in Geography and GIST Certificate. He teaches online and face to face sections in Introduction to GIS, Remote Sensing, as well as additional Physical Geography courses, and developed courses in Cartography, Spatial Analysis, and a Capstone Course in Geospatial Technology. He loves to play tennis and travel the world. Originally from California, he now lives with his family in Rochester, NY.
Wayne Howard is currently enrolled in Monroe Community College’s GIST program and has been working in the field of watershed management as a GIS Analyst since 2010 for Genesee RiverWatch. He and his wife live in Rochester, NY and own and operate Solara Concepts – a computer and environmental consulting business specializing in GIS, technical training and database design. Wayne is a member of the Genesee Finger Lakes GIS/SIG. He also enjoys reading, singing, biking, snowshoeing, camping and hiking – especially in the Adirondacks!
Abstract
With support from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program, Monroe Community College has built a geospatial career pipeline between high schools, our GIST (Geospatial Information Science and Technology) Certificate program, ‘Get the GIST,’ and the geospatial workforce. To build awareness of geospatial technology in local high schools, we offered professional development to teachers in 2015 and 2016. Five teachers will have begun offering introduction to GIST for dual credit by fall 2017. GIST courses aligned to local workforce needs and the Geospatial Technology Competency Model (2014) have been implemented: Introduction to GIS, Cartography, Remote Sensing, Advanced GIST, and a Capstone Course. A student currently enrolled in the GIST program will highlight some of the work in his portfolio. He is using cartography and spatial analysis to improve communication and augment decision making in the field of watershed management, in order to reduce nutrient loading in local watersheds. By developing a geospatial pipeline among high schools, our college, and the industry, the program will be able to meet the local and regional industry needs.
New York Giant Traveling Map: Hand-on/Feet-on Geography Fun
Presenter: Susan B. Hoskins, Cornell University Institute for Resource Information Sciences
Abstract
Explore New York State on foot using a new geography teaching tool from National Geographic. The New York Giant Traveling Map is 15′ x 20′ of feet-on fun for youth AND adults while learning map reading basics – scale, orientation, geographic reference and map symbols. The floor map activities can be adapted to highlight New York’s unique physical geography and history. Educators can borrow the map from the New York Geographic Alliance.
Wednesday October 18th
Facilitator: Ben Houston
Drone Mapping Panel Session
Remote Intelligence: VIEW PRESENTATION
McDonnell: VIEW PRESENTATION
Presenter: Matt Mercurio; Spatial Analytix, Trevis Gigliotti; Principal Point Geogrpahics, Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne; UVM Spatial Analysis Lab, Rob Schwarz; Remote Intelligence, Scott McDonnell; NYS DEC, Greg Hale; Hale Technology in Practice, Rob Budreski; Air Shark
Abstract
90-minute panel discussion to cover a range of UAS implementation topics such as startup, equipment, staff training, field operations, data processing and delivery, and software. Come prepared to hear about tips for success, pitfalls to avoid, and case studies on projects that went well and projects that maybe didnt go so well and why. This moderated session will include questions from the moderator as well as open questions from the audience.
Facilitator: John Barge
A Panel Discussion of LIDAR Project Life Cycles in Government Agencies
Federal/State/County Presentations:VIEW PRESENTATION
City Presentation:VIEW PRESENTATION
Presenters: Craig Neidig; USGS, Jeffrey Langella; NYS ITS GIS Program Office, Sheri Norton; Ontario County, Tim Morrissey; City of New York, DoITT GIS
Craig Neidig is the USGS National Map Liaison for West Virginia, Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania. Based in Charleston, West Virginia, Craig coordinates projects and funding for 3DEP, NHD and other programs in these states.
Jeff Langella is the Technical Lead on the NY Statewide Elevation Program. He has worked for NYS for 12 years as a GIS specialist supporting multiple efforts including the NY Statewide Elevation Program, NY Statewide Orthoimagery Program, Data Improvement Manager, and NYS emergency management.
Sheri Norton’s background is originally in archaeology, with undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Anthropology. She spent several years working on contract projects in California and New York, utilizing GIS-prepared predictive models and GPS for surveys at Fort Drum Army Base near Watertown before returning to graduate school at SUNY Albany to complete a Master’s program in Geography concentrating on GIS applications. Sheri has been the GIS Coordinator for Ontario County since 2012, holding that position previously in Warren County from 2004-2012. Her experience also includes time in the private sector as an analyst with Applied GIS, Inc., and New York State as a research assistant for the Department of Environmental Conservation. She has been active in the local and state GIS community over the past 20+ years, as co-coordinator of the Lower Adirondack GIS Users Group, board member and Secretary of the NYS GIS Association, and currently the assistant chair of the NYS Geospatial Advisory Council.
Timothy Morrissey is the Deputy Director of GIS at the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunication (NYC DoITT). He has worked in the Technology sector across a wide spectrum of industries from Financial Services & Healthcare to Non-profits & Government, serving a range of capacities: development, architecture & design, and program & project management. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a Master’s Degree in Software Engineering from Brandeis University, as well as an MA in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Abstract
Representatives from Federal, State, County, and Local agencies will each briefly discuss various portions of LIDAR project life cycles. This panel discussion will cover from an overall program view for updating LIDAR coverage statewide to specific requirements for a County or City level project. The panel will discuss the 3DEP program, active and planned projects, managing a project, and uses for the final products. As time allows, the panel will answer questions from the audience.
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Facilitator: Frank Winters
New York Counts Everyone Becuase Everyone Counts
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Presenter: Frank Winters, State GIO
Digging for Data: Finding Census data and Shapefiles in One Place
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Presenter: David Kraker, US Census Bureau
Facilitator: Ann Deakin
Adapting to a Cloud Based GIS at a Small Liberal Arts Institution
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Presenter: Dakota Casserly; St Lawrence University GIS Program, Carol Cady; St Lawrence University GIS Program, Shayla Witherall; St Lawrence University Donor Relations
Reintroducing CUGIR
ABOUT CUGIR
Presenter: Keith Jenkins, GIS & Geospatial Applications Librarian, Cornell University, Mann Library
Thursday October 19th
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Facilitator: John Barge
Holding the Line Yet Pushing the Boundaries
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Presenter: Robert Gehrer; NYS ITS GIS Program Office, Karen Henry; NYS ITS GIS Program Office
Robert Gehrer is a geographer and program manager at the NYS Office of Information Technology Services’ GIS Program Office. Mr. Gehrer has over 20 years of experience in geospatial projects and programs in both the public and private sectors. Among his current responsibilities are the leadership and management of the State’s effort to maintain and enhance municipal boundaries geodatabase.
Karen Henry is an IT Specialist in the GIS Program Office. Karen has 17 years of GIS experience in both the public and private sectors teaching and as a GIS Specialist for local and statewide projects. She has been with the GPO for almost 8 years and has been involved in projects for broadband, emergency services and civil boundaries mapping.
Abstract
The NYS GIS Program Office (GPO) is increasing its efforts to update the content and improve the accuracy of its municipal boundaries data. This data is currently being used by municipalities to validate and update the statewide address points and street centerline datasets. It is increasingly being used in computer aided dispatch systems and will soon be a critical GIS layer for the deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1 systems. Most recently, the GPO has begun working with the US Census Bureau to update TIGER files in preparation for the 2020 census. Many changes are dictated by property annexation and village dissolutions, while others involve improving alignments and integrating with other framework data layers. In every case, the work is done most accurately when we partner with municipalities to incorporate local knowledge and GIS data. This presentation will provide an overview of how this work is being accomplished and why it is mutually beneficial for municipalities and New York State to partner in this effort.
Street and Address Maintenance Program Update
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Presenter: Craig Fargione, GISP
Street and Address Maintenance Program NYS GIS Program Office
Craig Fargione is the Application Manager for the GeoLynx Address Point and Street editing application. He has worked in the GIS Program Office for a little over 6 years and has been involved in projects for mapping Broadband availability, Geocoding, and Street and Address Mapping.
Abstract
The Street and Address Maintenance (SAM) Program has now been in maintenance mode for a little over two years. We continue to work with existing partners as well as adding new partners to help us maintain our statewide Street and Address data.
This presentation will focus on many ongoing SAM Team activities including pursuing additional address verification methods through new and existing partnerships, transforming SAM data into various formats for multiple 9-1-1 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems, and adding and populating new fields to the schema to keep the data NENA compliant and make the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) easier for everyone.
Some SAM team members have also been involved in discussions on using the SAM Address Point data to help with LUCA and the upcoming 2020 Census. The presentation will discuss the potential for this use and how it makes it even more important that the SAM data be as accurate as possible. Lastly, with all this work on Streets and Address Points, we?ll talk about the continual improvements seen in our publicly available geocoding service and the future upgrade to a newer version.
The Role of GIS in Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1)
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Presenter: Cheryl Benjamin; NYS GIS Program Office
Cheryl has been involved in mapping and geospatial activities in New York State government for over 29 years and led the development of several State GIS framework layers including street centerlines, address points, and civil boundaries. She has been instrumental in developing unique and successful partnerships with state and federal agencies, local governments, tribal nations, and for profit entities to build and maintain the statewide street and address point layers. She currently manages the State’s Street and Address Maintenance (SAM) Program, located within the NYS Office of Information Technology Services’ GIS Program Office.
Cheryl has participated in state and national GIS advocacy and standards activities for many years. She is currently a Director of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) Board, NSGIC’s designated liaison to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), co-chair of NENA’s NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model Standard Workgroup, and a member of the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s Address Standard Adjudication Committee.
Abstract
GIS has been playing a role in 9-1-1 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) map displays and vehicle routing applications for many years but Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) elevates the use of GIS in 9-1-1 to a whole new level. This presentation will explain what NG9-1-1 is, the role of GIS in NG9-1-1, and why GIS data completeness and accuracy is so critical in a NG9-1-1 system.
Attendees will be provided with a basic understanding of 9-1-1 call flow today and how GIS will be used in future NG9-1-1 call processing. A brief overview of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model Standard that defines the GIS data layers used in a NG9-1-1 system will also be included. GIS professionals who develop and maintain GIS data for use in 9-1-1 or are partnering with the NYS GIS Program Office to maintain the NYS Streets and NYS Address Points data will better understand how NG9-1-1 requirements impact their data maintenance activities., Ana Gomez; Westchester County NY, GIS
Facilitator: Tom Sears
Geospatial Development in Government Human and Social Service Programs
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Presenter: Sam Wear, Westchester County GIS
Sam Wear has led management and development of the Westchester County, New York, GIS program since 1988. In addition to overseeing the County’s enterprise GIS program, he works extensively with municipal governments throughout the County in building both local GIS capacity and collaborative efforts with the County. His 30+ years of County service also include a four-year IPA detail with the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program in Reston, Virginia.
He is two-time President of the Northeast Arc Users Group and founder of the New York State GIS Association. He earned his B.S in Wildland Recreation Management from the University of Idaho and a M.S. in Natural Resources Management at the University of Vermont.
Abstract
While recognizing the many geospatial technology advancements made over the past 30 years, one area of local government which continues to see limited deployment in GIS applications is in human and social services. The reasons for the slow uptake are many, some of which are obvious and justifiable, but evolving opportunities for broadening GIS development in government social services programs are promising based on advancements in web mapping, vehicle and mobile technologies, increased data availability, and a growing understanding among administrators in these program areas on the value of building geospatial capacity.
With appropriations that often dwarf other local government department operating budgets, human and social services include broad program areas such as public assistance, welfare, special needs, disability programs, housing and homeless services, child protection services and just as important, the many contracted services governments use to assist in administering programs.
This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing discussions and work with Westchester County GIS towards building GIS/geospatial in human and social services program areas. While government human and social service programs may be phenomenally different in structure and administration across New York State, many of the issues and potential GIS/geospatial solutions are conceptually similar.
GIS for Business Intelligence: Getting Cloud Connected
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Presenter: Ed Farrell; Data Vision Group (DVG)
Ed Farrell is a Senior GIS Engineer at DVG and has been using GIS in the public & private sectors, and academia for over 10 years.
Abstract
For any company who sells and distributes products to domestic and international retailers, locational knowledge is key. The presentation will focus on a geo-enabling project for a cosmetics company with the goal of transforming from spreadsheets to a GIS driven environment for business data visualization and analytical decision making for sales and operations. Business intelligence (BI) systems have matured over the past several years, and have become a complementary system to GIS. Enhancing BI data with map visualizations and spatial analytics enables organizations to make insightful and sound business decisions. We will discuss how a cloud GIS was connected to an on-premise data warehouse using automation and ETL tools (e.g. Anaconda Python, Azure PaaS). The GIS automation/ETL involves multiple geoprocessing steps, logging/alerting, and ultimately supports ArcGIS Online cloud GIS maps and applications and future applications. We will also focus on the process and impact of the GIS transformation for the company.
Point of Interest (POI) Data – Understanding your Footprint
Presenter: Bill Loges; Infogroup, Ana Gomez; Westchester County NY, GIS
Bill has 20 years of experience in planning and economic development through P.O.I data. Through a massive undertaking, Bill developed and facilitated an archive of historical address points that are now being used nationwide by many leading Economist. Early on, Bill developed a Point of Interest client market in the UK, Bill also coordinated a custom solution between InfoGroup and the City of New York to measure and map consumer expenditures in the NYC metro.
Abstract
While recognizing the many geospatial technology advancements made over the past 30 years, one area of local government which continues to see limited deployment in GIS applications is in human and social services. The reasons for the slow uptake are many, some of which are obvious and justifiable, but evolving opportunities for broadening GIS development in government social services programs are promising based on advancements in web mapping, vehicle and mobile technologies, increased data availability, and a growing understanding among administrators in these program areas on the value of building geospatial capacity. With appropriations that often dwarf other local government department operating budgets, human and social services include broad program areas such as public assistance, welfare, special needs, disability programs, housing and homeless services, child protection services and just as important, the many contracted services governments use to assist in administering programs.
This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing discussions and work with Westchester County GIS towards building GIS/geospatial in human and social services program areas. While government human and social service programs may be phenomenally different in structure and administration across New York State, many of the issues and potential GIS/geospatial solutions are conceptually similar., Ana Gomez; Westchester County NY, GIS
Thursday October 19th
Facilitator: Mickey Dietrich
Advancements in GIS for Local Governments
VIEW PRESENTATION
Presenter: Mickey Dietrich, NYS Tug Hill Commission
Mickey Dietrich is the River Area Council of Governments Municipal Management Consultant and GIS Specialist for the NYS Tug Hill Commission. He received an A.A.S. degree in Natural Resource Management from SUNY Morrisville, a B.S. degree in Forest Resources Management and Environmental Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF), and a M.P.S. in Quantitative Methods in Forest Management (Concentration in GIS) also from SUNY ESF. He has been active within the NYS GIS Association with many different roles and currently is the Past-President of the NYS GIS Association. His work with the Tug Hill Commission has him providing technical assistance, especially relating to GIS technologies, to over 60 towns and villages within and around the Tug Hill region. He also enjoys volunteering and using his skills to assist Life Vest Inside, a non-for-profit organization helping to spread kindness worldwide.
Abstract
Advancements in GIS and GPS technology have helped to break down barriers that used to exist for local governments. This presentation will show you how the NYS Tug Hill Commission and some of their communities have utilized GIS applications such as GIS Cloud, PostGIS, and QGIS to help local governments in the Tug Hill Region advance their GIS capabilities. Also, this presentation will highlight the importance of the advancements in Blueooth GPS technologies in helping these local governments overcome data collection barriers. Partnerships also played a key role in making GIS for these local governments a reality.
I will walk you through some of the different technologies we have used, as well as, how communities within our region have utilized some of these technologies. Our communities and us have used many different types of technologies ranging from ESRI, GIS Cloud, Quantum GIS, MapWindows GIS, Google Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps, Trimble SketchUp, Fusion Tables, etc. They have been used for applications in natural resources, zoning, tourism, asset management, and others.
I will show you some of the examples of how these technologies were used and how they might apply to others. You will be able to see what features some of these technologies had that made them the best choice for the application they were chosen for. This will give you a quick overview of just some of the technologies out there that could be utilized on a budget.
Managing and Preserving Geospatial Records
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Presenter: Jennifer O’Neill; New York State Archives
Jennifer O’Neill has worked for the New York State Archives for eighteen years and currently supervises the Scheduling and Records Services unit. As such, she develops and reviews state agency and local government records retention schedules, coordinates the archival appraisal process, and provides training and advice to state agencies and local governments on a variety of records management topics.
Abstract
The New York State Archives authorizes the retention and disposition of New York State local government records and provides advice on managing and preserving records in various formats, including geospatial records. This presentation will provide guidance to local governments in determining how long to retain geospatial records, organizing and naming files, and identifying long-term preservation formats and strategies.
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Program Overview
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Presenter: Todd Harbour; New York State (NYS)
Todd Harbour is the Chief Data Officer (CDO) for New York State, where he orchestrates work to design and implement a data management regime for the Empire State. Todd’s work includes developing a data governance strategy, framework, and roadmap, defining a unified information architecture, realizing master data, coordinating data sharing, and establish a state-wide data analytics community of practice.
Prior to this role, Todd was a senior federal government official based in the Washington DC metropolitan area, where he led work to establish data strategies, business frameworks, and data management platforms, which helped provide a reliable basis for answering questions from Congress and organizational leaders. Previously, Todd served as senior vice president at FGM Inc., a software and systems engineering corporation in Northern Virginia.
Todd is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP), Scrum Master (CSM), and Chief Information Officer (CIO) with the Project Management Institute and National Defense University, respectively. Todd is also a certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) and Data Governance and Stewardship Professional (DGSP) with the Data Management Association (DAMA). Todd currently holds 4 graduate degrees in information systems, project management, business administration, and government information leadership.
Abstract
CUI data is data that does not meet the threshold for becoming classified data under Executive Order 13526 but needs to be controlled and protected under Federal law, regulation, or policy. The standard prescribes new procedures for marking, controlling, decontrolling, storing, sharing, and destroying CUI information. The new standard affects Federal executive branch agencies, state, local, tribal, business, and academia that are authorized to receive CUI data. This new standard also includes new technical requirements for information technology (IT) systems that store CUI information.
Facilitator: Sheri Norton
Preparing For Future Climate: The Hudson River Flood Impacts Decision Support System
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Presenter: Kytt MacManus; Columbia University CIESIN
Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) since 2010. Adjunct Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B) at Columbia College since 2014. Geographic Information System (GIS) Programmer at the Earth Institute’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) since 2007. A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist, he has taught classes in Analytics for Environmental Science and Policy (ENVPU6246) and Environmental Data Analysis (ENVPU6275) at SIPA, and Introduction to GIS for Sustainable Development through Columbia College.
Kytt has extensive experience with global dataset and web application development for the NASA Socio-economic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), a data center in NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) hosted by CIESIN. His research interests include the development of data driven web applications for decision support; the integration of global population and housing census to support policy; and the use of Python for Scientific Computing.
Kytt holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy from the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with Minors in Linguistics and Philosophy from Northeastern University. He has continued his education at the Columbia University Data Science Institute where he continues to explore the latest breakthroughs in computing.
Abstract
The data, maps, and information in the Hudson River Flood Impact Decision Support System are provided to illustrate the scale of potential flooding in the Hudson River Valley under different sea level rise and storm scenarios. The information can help municipal and regional planners prepare for future floods.
The sea level rise scenarios available within the tool range from 0 to 6 feet above the base mean sea level of 1983-2001, a standard sea level used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Users can choose from storm scenarios ranging from the 5-year to the 1000-year flood. Critical infrastructure such as transportation and emergency services can be viewed along with the flood maps, to identify those that could be vulnerable to flooding in the future.
A unique aspect of the information presented here is that it includes freshwater flowing from tributaries into the Hudson, in addition to tides, storm surges, and sea level rise. This means that it captures the effects of rainfall to the extent possible, which can be particularly significant in the upper parts of the Hudson, just below the Troy dam.
Current projections from the updated ClimAID report still show great uncertainty in future rates of sea level rise, with projections for the year 2100 ranging from 1.25 to 6.25 feet near New York City. Tools such as this Hudson River Flood Impact Decision Support System can help plan even in the face of uncertainty.
Building Level Flood Hazard Assessment in New York State
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Presenter: Alyssa Fico; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University
Alyssa Fico is a Senior Research Assistant in the Geospatial Applications Division at CIESIN. She is a geographic information systems (GIS) analyst and contributes to a number of local and regional projects on flood hazards, climate change impacts, and population migration.
Abstract
Adapting to climate change impacts requires access to detailed data on potential impacts from coastal and riverine flooding under different storm and sea level rise scenarios. This presentation will describe the data and methods from projects funded by the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) to apply the Hazards U.S. (HAZUS) flood assessment methodology to New York State at detailed scales. A new integrated collection of building footprints is being developed for New York State outside of the City of New York. These data will be combined with economic valuations, building characteristics, critical infrastructure data, and modeled flooding from storm and sea level rise scenarios to produce detailed information on possible flood impacts. The project results and data will be made publicly available for use in regional and local planning. The data collection, integration, QA/QC, and analysis methods will be presented along with a summary of the expected data and information that will be made public at the end of the projects.
Crude by Rail – New York State’s Inland Geographic Response Plans
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Presenter: Scott Stantion; O’Brien & Gere
Mr. Scott Stanton, a Scientist with OBG with 7 years of experience, is currently responsible for assignments requiring Geographic Information Systems (GIS), project management, and database management. He is a graduate of SUNY Cortland with a bachelor’s degree in Geography. Mr. Stanton provides GIS support for numerous projects. He is responsible for producing and managing geographic databases, creating and editing figures in reports, supervising GIS analysts, and working with clients to meet expectations and increase efficiency.
Abstract
Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) are location-specific plans developed to provide guidance for oil spill responses throughout the United States. Until recently, the majority of crude oil transportation in the United States has occurred via waterways on oil tankers and barges, therefore, most existing GRPs focus on the protection of sensitive biological habitats and socio-economic features in nearshore environments. The recent development of crude oil extraction from the Bakken formation has resulted in a significant increase in the volume of crude oil being transported via railroads and pipelines and has highlighted the need for inland response planning.
Rail cars transporting the volatile and flammable Bakken crude oil now traverse more than 850 miles of New York State on two major Class 1 Railroads. In response, Executive Order 125 was issued by the governor directing state agencies to strengthen the state’s preparedness for incidents involving crude oil transportation. New York State’s (NYS) Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Services and Department of Health, are leading a multi-stakeholder effort to develop Inland GRPs for the 21 NYS counties currently impacted by crude-by-rail transportation.
County steering committees were established consisting primarily of local first response agencies, as well as their state and federal partners. Utilizing Sensitive Resource Maps developed by DEC, coupled with the local steering committee input, location-specific response plans were drafted, reviewed, and set as final working “evergreen” documents, which are open for update/refinement at any time in the future.
The NYSDEC GRPs are similar to typical GRPs in that they are map-based, location-specific contingency plans that outline response strategies for the protection of sensitive resources. However, the NYSDEC GRPs differ from traditional GRPs in several ways. They extend contingency planning to cover spills on land, in addition to surface water-based spills. Due to the flammability of Bakken crude oil, much more emphasis is placed on the fire risks associated with a train derailment. This is done by mapping sensitive human receptors (e.g., schools, daycare centers, assisted living centers, etc.), critical infrastructure, and identifying fire (and vapor) suppression assets. The NYSDEC GRPs also place more emphasis on the initial response options available to local first responders, options that can be implemented before other response assets may arrive on-scene (State, Federal, and RP). This presentation will discuss the creation and implementation of these plans using ArcGIS, Collector App, and ArcGIS Online.
Facilitator: Eric Herman
Developing a Recreational Data Mobile Crowd-sourcing Application: Tell us Where and How You Play!
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Presenter: Mickey Dietrich, NYS Tug Hill Commission
Mickey Dietrich is the River Area Council of Governments Municipal Management Consultant and GIS Specialist for the NYS Tug Hill Commission. He received an A.A.S. degree in Natural Resource Management from SUNY Morrisville, a B.S. degree in Forest Resources Management and Environmental Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF), and a M.P.S. in Quantitative Methods in Forest Management (Concentration in GIS) also from SUNY ESF. He has been active within the NYS GIS Association with many different roles and currently is the Past-President of the NYS GIS Association. His work with the Tug Hill Commission has him providing technical assistance, especially relating to GIS technologies, to over 60 towns and villages within and around the Tug Hill region. He also enjoys volunteering and using his skills to assist Life Vest Inside, a non-for-profit organization helping to spread kindness worldwide.
Abstract
The NY Department of Sate, Office of Planning and Development (OPD), in partnership with Stone Environmental Inc., has developed two applications for gathering recreational use and conditions data from recreators in New York State. These applications will provide OPD with historically difficult to capture recreational use data that can be incorporated into offshore, coastal, and inland decision making and planning efforts. Conference participants will learn about app development processes, functionalities, and data uses.
OPD has developed two ways of capturing recreation data: 1) a downloadable mobile app that is contributed to, and populated by, recreation users in New York. Users are able to tag their location and fill out a short survey regarding their recreation activity and experience and upload images and videos, and; 2) opportunistically harvesting location and attitude (“mood”) data from public social media posts on facebook and Instagram. Both data products will be publically available recreational use datasets on OPD’s Geographic Information Gateway (Gateway) as well as a recreational “Mood” map viewer on the Gateway’s Latest Conditions page. Crowd-sourced recreational use data will also be used in OPD planning and development efforts.
Presentation attendees will hear about the applications development process beginning with identifying OPD data gaps and user surveys to inform mobile application development, design and beta testing. Attendees will experience demonstrations of the applications and their functionalities. Examples of how OPD will use this data in planning efforts will also be discussed.
NYCyclist: Crowdsourcing Government Spatial Data
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Presenter: Conor Clarke; New York City Department of City Planning
Conor Clarke has been a City Planner and Geographic Information Systems Analyst at the New York City Department of City Planning for over five years. He obtained his Master of Urban Planning degree from Hunter College, part of the City University of New York, and also has a background in urban anthropology. Conor has worked on several transportation and GIS-related projects at NYC DCP including the Jerome Avenue-Cromwell Avenue and Red Hook transportation studies, the Regional Transportation Plan and the Brooklyn-Queens Connector streetcar project. He was born and raised in New York City and has no intention of leaving.
Abstract
The Department of City Planning recently launched the NYCyclist web application. The project is a yearlong pilot that allows users to edit the geometry and attributes of the City’s bike routes and building footprints spatial data, thereby collaborating with government agencies to maintain datasets.
This presentation will provide insight into how the application was developed, some of the data work that went into it and how the City will use it to improve its official datasets. Users will log in to a webmap interface that allows them to pan around New York City and view and edit the City’s latest data. We hope to use this as a way to encourage the public to collaborate with the City to maintain these vital datasets during the pilot. Potential users will come from the cyclist, GIS and developer communities, all of whom may have an interest in this kind of application. The application provides an opportunity to experiment with online, collaborative data editing using GeoGig, a spatial data versioning platform similar to Git.
This project is an effort to build on “Open Data” initiatives, and create a dynamic feedback loop between the New York City government and citizens. While the two datasets that the application crowdsources “bicycle routes and building footprints” are now publicly available, they are maintained solely by the City, limiting their scope and transparency. The agencies that maintain the data will review edits made by citizens with the goal of improving the data and releasing more accurate datasets.
Underground Infrastructure Data Interoperability: The Last Frontier of GIS Data Integration
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Presenter: Alan Leidner; Center for Geospatial Innovation, Fund for the City of New York.
Abstract
Please refer to the BusinessWeek article on Underground Infrastructure. I will be speaking about mapping the infrastructure from pre-9/11 days all the way to the present effort by OGC to develop underground infrastructure data standards.
Facilitator: Lindi Quackenbush
GIS Resources for Highway and Asset Management
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Presenter: Erik C. Backus; Clarkson University, William B. Olsen; Clarkson University; Charles Davidson; Davidson Associates
Abstract
We propose a session that demonstrates the practical application of GIS for asset management. Through the example of a project conducted by Clarkson University and the Town of Sherburne, NY, we will show the kinds of improvements that GIS can help accomplish. This session will be partially hands-on, with participants asked to collect information using their smart phones, live in the session making for an interactive presentation. We will also present the results of work accomplished in the Town of Cazenovia, the City of Watertown, the City of Ogdensburg, and the Town of Sullivan, all making improvements in the operations of these municipalities.
Measuring Walkability through GIS: A Manhattan, New York Case Study
Presenter: Bernardita Calinao, PhD; Walkspan, LLC, Marie Rusin MS; Walkspan, LLC
Dr. Calinao’s educational background in Human Ecology and Environmental Science serves as an excellent knowledge base in evaluating the relations between health and environment; more than fifteen years of experience in directing and managing multidisciplinary research projects to investigate the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts of transportation development projects; currently the Deputy Director at the Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science (OFAS) and CEO at Walkspan; a recent grant recipient and principal investigator of a research study involving the assessment of neighborhood walkability in New York (OFAS); also leading a group in the development of a walkability app that will help people identify routes that will enhance the quality of their walking experience (Walkspan).
Abstract
Walking is the most practical physical activity for active living among the elderly population. It is versatile, inexpensive, and low impact. Given that 80% of the elderly in developed countries will reside in cities, the suitability of urban walking environments for the elderly becomes even more significant. This project aims to a) illustrate a microscale assessment method that determines sidewalk walkability surrounding three senior living centers, b) map relationships between third places, walkable areas,?and soft edges using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and c) present opportunities for placemaking that encourage the elderly community to walk more and improve their health. The methods applied include: a) on-site visual assessment of sidewalk features at the block level, b) inter-rater reliability testing to ensure integrity of audit instrument, and b) GIS: capturing, storing, visualizing, and interpreting of map data.
The results show that GIS is a useful tool in mapping the marked differences and patterns about the quality of the walking environment surrounding three elderly communities in Manhattan, New York. Total walkability scores in the south section of the Lower East Side, for example, is lowest. The Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood showed the highest level of walkability for the elderly and East Harlem’s main avenues have low walkability scores due to poor aesthetic qualities. Other problems identified include lack of seating for the elderly and pavement quality.
LIGHTNING TALK – SESSION 1
Chris Badurek:VIEW PRESENTATION
Bill Gutelius:VIEW PRESENTATION
John Marino:VIEW PRESENTATION
Shaun Vincent:VIEW PRESENTATION
Siqi Li:VIEW PRESENTATION
Presenters:
* R-based GIS Modeling of Invasive Plants along the Appalachian Trail – Chris A. Badurek; SUNY Cortland
* Deploying SLAM-based LIDAR for 3D Mapping and Creating an Indoor GIS – Bill Gutelius; Qntfi, Inc.
* A New and Improved PTNY Trailfinder – John Marino, Mohawk Valley GIS
* Using GIS to Improve Aviation Safety & Efficiency – Shaun Vincent; Col-East, Inc.
* Integrating Airborne LiDAR and Landsat Data to Quantify Forest Aboveground Biomass Amount and Uncertainty – Siqi Li; SUNY ESF
Chris Badurek is an Assistant Professor of Geography at SUNY Cortland specializing in GIS and remote sensing. He earned a Bachelors in Biology from Cornell University and PhD in Geographic Information Science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Chris is working on GIS modeling techniques with application to environmental management, environmental planning, and natural hazards mitigation.
John Marino is a GIS Analyst and Developer at Mohawk Valley GIS. In this role, John is fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute to unique GIS projects that have ranged from cartographic design for print publications to the creation of data-intensive web GIS database applications (and others that fall somewhere in between). John is a 2015 graduate of Syracuse University with a BA in Geography with a Minor in Environment and Society Studies.
Shaun Vincent is currently a mapping specialist and sales representative for Col-East International Ltd. He graduated from University of Massachusetts with a BS Degree in Geology. Beginning at Col East in 1999 as a CAD Specialist, he has been responsible for flight planning, imagery acquisition as camera operator, image processing and digital map editing and translation into a number of CAD platforms. Since then he has attended numerous AutoCAD classes, attained FAA FAA IDLE Level 3 certified for AC-1500/5300-16, -17, & -18 certifications, as well as developed AGIS-compliant data submissions and orthoimagery Shaun recently has learned the operations of our Ultracam Eagle 2 digital camera. His previous experiences also include field survey work. Shaun has been responsible for the preparation of imagery, mapping and reports to the FAA AGIS for approximately 30 airport projects since 2008.
Siqi Li is a PhD candidate at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Her research focuses on forest biomass quantification using an integration of passive and active remote sensing technologies. She has served as research assistant to New York View, which is an associate member of AmericanView, Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and School of Education, providing technique support including spatial data generation, 3D visualization, statistics analysis and spatial analysis. She has attended several international meetings to present her research outcomes.
Abstracts
R-based GIS Modeling of Invasive Plants along the Appalachian Trail: Management of invasive plant species is a significant challenge, particularly over the lengthy extent of the Appalachian Trail (AT). This application examines three species as case examples: tree of heaven, purple loosestrife, and Japanese stilt grass. A GIS model of distribution was developed using the environmental variables of elevation, slope, aspect, climate, as well as presence data from EDDmapS and GBIF. An ArcGIS layer of the predicted range for each was developed using logistic regression with the statistical package R. AT access points were also examined to determine predicted likelihood of each species at each location as an approach to developing preventative methods and management of invasive species in areas along the AT.
Deploying SLAM-based LIDAR for 3D Mapping and Creating an Indoor GIS: Handheld laser scanners are rapidly becoming a low-cost option for mapping interior spaces and obstructed areas. Typically, these devices lack GPS and instead rely on Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) to provide 3D maps of objects and the environment. SLAM-based handheld laser scanners (LIDAR) have increasingly become a tool for scanning providers to map highly complex, highly obstructed interior environments. Structures such as multi-story buildings, manufacturing facilities, and underground mines present a real challenge to static (tripod-mounted) scanning methods.
By employing SLAM, operators of handheld scanners are able to move in one continuous trajectory (without GPS) around the structure and in between objects causing obstructions to the views of static scanners. This presentation will very briefly review some of the latest handheld laser scanning technologies and contrast and compare them with more traditional static scanners. Additionally, a simple, high-level overview of the principles of SLAM will be covered, especially with respect to direct geo-referenced scanning techniques and scan-to-scan registration used by static scanning technology. Several real-world examples and results will be presented.
A New and Improved PTNY Trailfinder: In collaboration with Parks and Trails New York, Mohawk Valley GIS was tasked with refreshing the “Trailfinder” interactive map to modern standards. Data for the Trailfinder map includes multiuse trails and parking/trailhead locations from PTNY community partners. New or updated features of Trailfinder include trail and “amenity”/point-of-interest search by a variety of criteria, display of bike-friendly businesses, parking and trailhead locations, in-map directions, current location display, in-map measurement, mobile responsiveness, and more. This session will highlight the collaborative nature of the project while also describing the open source technical tools utilized in the creation of the map, challenges faced in its creation, as well as potential future enhancements.
Using GIS to Improve Aviation Safety & Efficiency: Starting in 2012, The Federal Aviation Administration began implementation of the NextGEN National Airspace system. NextGEN will replace the outmoded radar-and-radio based ATC in the USA with a new system utilizing GIS mapping information & GPS positioning to increase safety in air corridors & runways, improve efficiency both on the ground & in the air, and more easily roll out updates to airspace & airport information to flight personnel and traffic controllers.
Integrating Airborne LiDAR and Landsat Data to Quantify Forest Aboveground Biomass Amount and Uncertainty: Quantifying forest aboveground biomass (AGB) is crucial for understanding the role of forests in the global carbon cycle. Light detection and ranging (lidar) data provides accurate measurement of forest structure in the vertical plane; however, current airborne lidar datasets are often practically limited in terms of spatial coverage. This limitation can be compensated by supplementing lidar data with the extensively distributed Landsat imagery. We present a methodology that integrates airborne lidar and multispectral Landsat imagery to estimate the amount of AGB and the uncertainty of that measurement from plot to pixel levels in Heiberg Memorial Forest, a managed property in Central New York State. Our approach trained a regression model to estimate AGB from a limited lidar dataset based on field inventory data. The airborne lidar-derived AGB values were then used as reference data in a random forest algorithm to estimate AGB across a broader study area using Landsat data. Uncertainty propagating from plot level AGB to lidar-derived AGB and then pixel level Landsat-derived AGB was quantified.
Thursday October 19th
Facilitator: Eric Herman
Geospatial Data Act of 2017
ViEW PRESENTATION
Presenter: Cheryl Benjamin; NYS GIS Program Office
Cheryl has been involved in mapping and geospatial activities in New York State government for over 29 years and led the development of several State GIS framework layers including street centerlines, address points, and civil boundaries. She has been instrumental in developing unique and successful partnerships with state and federal agencies, local governments, tribal nations, and for profit entities to build and maintain the statewide street and address point layers. She currently manages the State’s Street and Address Maintenance (SAM) Program, located within the NYS Office of Information Technology Services’ GIS Program Office.
Cheryl has participated in state and national GIS advocacy and standards activities for many years. She is currently a Director of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) Board, NSGIC’s designated liaison to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), co-chair of NENA’s NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model Standard Workgroup, and a member of the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s Address Standard Adjudication Committee.
Abstract
The Geospatial Data Act (S.1253) has been the subject of much discussion over the summer. Some members of the geospatial community have voiced concern about the proposed legislation’s potential to add restrictions to federal procurement of geospatial data and services. The Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) was asked by Senator Hatch’s office to provide recommended modifications to the bill to address these concerns and subsequently assembled a working group from their membership which includes AAG, URISA and NSGIC representatives. This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the legislation, its intent to build a robust national spatial data infrastructure, the language of concern, and an update on the legislation’s status.
State GIS Career Opportunities
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Presenter: Frank Winters; State GIO
Abstract
Frank Winters will attempt to demystify GIS hiring and advancement in New York State government. While many in our field aspire to start or advance a career with a State position in GIS, few fully understand the hiring and advancement procedures and their subtleties. The Civil Service title series in Information Technology offers opportunities in a career ladder spanning from entry level to executive management. GIS experience, capabilities, education and certifications all now play into an individual?s opportunities with the State. In this presentation Frank will cover staff augmentation contracting, registration for State positions, and essential information for promotions including Civil Service testing and the new Selective Certification program.
LIGHTNING TALK – SESSION 2
Michael Ross:VIEW PRESENTATION
Anjali Sauthoff, Dennis M. Pokrzywka
Matthew Palmer:VIEW PRESENTATION
Carol Goodman Zollweg:VIEW PRESENTATION
Presenter: * The Rochester Water Bureau’s Map Modernization Project – Michael Ross; City of Rochester Department of Information Technology
* Analysis of Sea Level Rise on Westchester County Assets – Anjali Sauthoff, Westchester County GIS
* Applying Geospatial Technologies at the Town Level for Hazard Assessments, Emergency Response Planning and Operational Support – Dennis M. Pokrzywka; Town of Ballston LEMC
* NYSDOT Right of Way Database Creation – Matthew Palmer PLS; Erdman Anthony
* HTTPS: What, Why, How – Carol Goodman Zollweg; Bergmann Associates
Anjali Sauthoff is an environmental health scientist who is interested in the translation of scientific research into policy and practice. She works with universities, government, industry and the non-profit sector to develop integrated approaches to address societal impacts of sea level rise and changes in climate, as well as health effects of environmental exposures. Currently, she is working with Westchester County to analyze the effect of future sea level rise on County assets. Previous research at the Energy Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Madison focused on mitigation strategies for reducing transportation-related climate emissions. She received her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from Columbia University, and her Master’s degree in Neurobiology from SUNY Stony Brook.
Matthew is a Professional Land Surveyor for Erdman Anthony Engineering Services. He specializes in NYSDOT right of way mapping. He recently combined his familiarity of the NYSDOT right of way record system with his knowledge of GIS databases to create a graphical system for NYSDOT right of way record requests. As well as a system to add new NYSDOT acquisitions into the database from Micostation files that the NYSDOT already requires.
Ms. Zollweg is an software developer specializing in website, desktop, and mobile applications. She works with clients to develop solutions to improve their productivity. She is expert in the software development process from the beginning, starting with specifications and user-interface design, through development, testing, implementation and training. She’s been at Bergmann for 14 years.
Abstracts
The Rochester Water Bureau’s Map Modernization Project: The Rochester Water Bureau has selected Bergmann Associates to modernize their water distribution system GIS. The project consists of data migration to the ArcGIS Local Government data model, solutions implementation, and user training. This presentation is a project overview and status update.
Analysis of Sea Level Rise on Westchester County Assets: New York State recently enacted the Community Risk and Resiliency Act, which focuses on the effects of sea level rise, storm surge and flooding on vulnerable areas. Analyzing the potential impacts of sea level rise in coastal regions has typically required use of complex computer models. The development of web-based mapping technologies allows for non-modelers to evaluate sea level rise impacts at a regional scale, providing a powerful tool that augments analysis and communication.
Web-based GIS tools can aid in the evaluation of economic and social impacts under different future sea level rise scenarios, help to analyze potential impacts on natural resources and critical infrastructure, and visually support communication of uncertainty.
This presentation will describe how web-based GIS technology was used by Westchester County GIS to evaluate the impacts of future sea level rise on Westchester County-owned assets. The analysis revealed and helped to communicate broad impacts across sectors, including real estate and development, municipal planning, policy and public health.
Applying Geospatial Technologies at the Town Level for Hazard Assessments, Emergency Response Planning and Operational Support:Discussion of Town activities including:
• Allow local responders to ID hazards, analyze and prioritize risks interactively (Pictometry)
• First, zoom in on the Chief’s favorite deer stand, the controversial snowmobile trail change of the year, “who owns that back 40, where I’ve been hunting for the last 30 years?”
• Using the CEPA (County Emergency Preparedness Assessment) model at local level with Geospatial Tools.
• Convincing leadership / officials that “Plans Are Useless, But Planning Is Indispensable”
• Lessons learned in a volunteer organization with-little-to no funding.
• Relationships among local, state, and federal agencies during operations
• Bureaucratic and institutional challenges in Town Government
• Leaders who share vision, embrace technology The challenges of standing up a committee and using Town of Ballston:
• Significant natural, technological and man-made hazards.
• Using free Geospatial tools like Pictometry (county) Google Earth, Google Maps.
• Non-traditional funding (i.e. Southern Adirondack Library System (SALS) grant Library
• Library as Partner, backup EOC and resources for tech /training (Computers / Networks printers for public / easy access. Grant provided Funding for Pictometry training, ArcGIS Online, Terrago SW tools.
• Getting buy-in from traditional public Safety agencies (Fire, EMS) who “don’t need any of that new high tech stuff” (that the kids are using) “We know where everything is” (in our District”)
• Geospatial information is accessible to wider audiences who lack sophisticated and expensive software required to consume it. Online software offers a number of ways to make this data more accessible, more useful, and ultimately more valuable.
• Pictometry, Google Earth, Drone2Map, ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online
NYSDOT Right of Way Database Creation: This presentation will detail Erdman Anthony’s recent project with NYSDOT Region 3 to create a graphical GIS database that would aid the right of way department in records requests. The DOT right of way department maintains records for thousands of miles of highways. The project was a test to see if these records could be implemented into a database without having to reorganize the recording structure. Also the DOT has limited resources, so a lot of the work had to be automated to reduce labor costs. The DOT has changed the organizing structure of their records a few times over the years, which led to interesting problems. The database also had to incorporate new DOT acquisitions, and add the records automatically. The process for creating the database will be discussed, along with the solutions to the problems we faced.
HTTPS: What, Why, How: Any information sent between computers can be eavesdropped by a perpetrator in the middle of the two systems. This perpetrator can now retrieve the information communicated, or worse, impersonate one of the parties to steal more secure information. For this reason, modern browsers are moving towards requiring all sites to be secured via HTTPS and this includes GIS environments.
A typical GIS environment consists of a web server (IIS – Internet Information Services), an ArcGIS Server, and a Database Server. Communication between each of these servers must be secure so that the communication between the user and the data that user is viewing is secure from end to end.
In this presentation, we will clearly describe what HTTPS and SSL are. We will show a live example of how unsecured communication between computers can be viewed and subsequently how enabling HTTPS prevents this from happening.
We will then demonstrate how to set up a GIS environment to be secure from end to end. Practical, live demonstrations of securing each piece will be shown and explained.
The participant will leave with an understanding of what HTTPS and SSL are, why they are needed, and how to implement them in a GIS environment.
Facilitator: Mickey Dietrich
No Cell Service? No Problem!
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Presenter: Mickey Dietrich; NYS Tug Hill Commission
Mickey Dietrich is the River Area Council of Governments Municipal Management Consultant and GIS Specialist for the NYS Tug Hill Commission. He received an A.A.S. degree in Natural Resource Management from SUNY Morrisville, a B.S. degree in Forest Resources Management and Environmental Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF), and a M.P.S. in Quantitative Methods in Forest Management (Concentration in GIS) also from SUNY ESF. He has been active within the NYS GIS Association with many different roles and currently is the Past-President of the NYS GIS Association. His work with the Tug Hill Commission has him providing technical assistance, especially relating to GIS technologies, to over 60 towns and villages within and around the Tug Hill region. He also enjoys volunteering and using his skills to assist Life Vest Inside, a non-for-profit organization helping to spread kindness worldwide.
Abstract
Are you looking to go explore the wilderness, or are you a Forester, or are you just looking for an easy way to view your maps and location in the field? This presentation will highlight how you can utilize GeoPDFs in Avenza Maps to help you accomplish your mapping needs when there is no cell service around. You will see how you can create a GeoPDF from ArcGIS and QGIS to be utilized in Avenza Maps and how to collect information with it when you are out in the field.
Superstorm Sandy Recovery in New York State: Leveraging Web Maps to become More Resilient and Manage Retreat In Floodprone Areas
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Presenter: Amanda Murphy; New York Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery; Gina Stovall; New York Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery
Amanda Murphy is the Assistant Director of Geographic Information Systems working with the Research and Strategic Analysis team at the NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR). She has a Master of Advanced Science in Geographic Information Systems (MAS GIS) from Arizona State University and has been passionate about disaster recovery work since being affected by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Prior to joining GOSR, Amanda worked on soil survey data for the USDA-NRCS while taking GIS certification courses at Rutgers University in New Jersey. As a GeoMentor for her local municipal recreation department, Amanda has developed summer programs to teach kids ages 5-12 about geography and geoscience.
Abstract
On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy struck the New York metropolitan region, causing unprecedented damage to homes, businesses infrastructure throughout the State. The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) initiated many programs after the storm, one of which being the State’s voluntary Buyout program for home owners in high risk coastal areas prone to flooding. This “managed retreat” strategy requires collaboration from a range of stakeholders including the homeowners themselves, the broader public and many levels of government in multiple jurisdictions.
GOSR is using web maps for planning the State’s Managed Retreat from high risk areas. This ranges from analysis for internal operations and performance, managing field operations with state staff and vendors, and communicating statuses and plans with a wide range of technical and non-technical audiences (including elected officials, their staffs, and the public). GOSR uses spatial analysis tools and data on a daily basis to create mobile web mapping applications for disaster recovery and resiliency; underpinning the State’s efforts to build a more resilient coastline.
Specifically, using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the U.S. Census, combined with tax parcel information from the NYS GIS Program Office, coastal risk data from the NYS Department of State, GOSR has created a unique tools and applications to track one of the largest Managed Retreats in the country and translate that information to a wide array of stakeholders.
Facilitating disaster recovery by empowering non-expert GIS users in government
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Presenter: Kelly Richardson; NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, Amanda Murphy; NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery
Kelly Richardson currently works as a GIS Data Analyst on the Research and Strategic Analysis team for the NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery. She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan where her capstone project focused on participatory planning and mapping in relation to upgrading informal settlements in Brazil. Outside of her professional endeavors, Kelly enjoys trivia nights and spending time with her newly adopted cat, Babs.
Amanda Murphy is the Assistant Director of Geographic Information Systems working with the Research and Strategic Analysis team at the NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR). She has a Master of Advanced Science in Geographic Information Systems (MAS GIS) from Arizona State University and has been passionate about disaster recovery work since being affected by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Prior to joining GOSR, Amanda worked on soil survey data for the USDA-NRCS while taking GIS certification courses at Rutgers University in New Jersey. As a GeoMentor for her local municipal recreation department, Amanda has developed summer programs to teach kids ages 5-12 about geography and geoscience.
Abstract
The NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) program in the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) is a “managed participatory” approach to recovery and resiliency, established to aid communities across New York that were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee. Through 61 planning committees covering impacted communities across the state, communities developed projects and strategies to improve their physical, social, and economic resiliency. The NYRCR program is now working to implement projects proposed in the community plans.
Utilizing the same dataset, we developed both internal and external web applications for the program. The external facing application allows the public to explore project locations, types, phases, budget, and provides links to additional information. Users can filter and manipulate project data to examine which projects impact their communities. Internally, the NYRCR web app empowers non-technical users to examine their project data alongside other relevant datasets and answer commonly asked questions. The internal version of this application places the power to answer spatial questions about project data directly in program hands. This approach creates a web of GIS users who can make decisions and answer questions on their own, lightening the workload of the GIS team and allowing more time to be spent on in-depth analysis and research.
Facilitator: Tom Sears
Who Knew Auditors Made Maps!? Adaptive Use of Technology Bridging Audit Data and Spatial Analysis
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Presenter: Hilary Papineau; Research Analyst, NYS OSC, Steven Saleeby; State Program Examiner, NYS OSC, Marsha Daugherty; Program Research Specialist, NYS OSC
Hilary Papineau is a research analyst with the Office of the New York State Comptroller in the Division of State Government Accountability (SGA). An urban planner, Hilary is an SGA GIS coordinator where she uses spatial data to conduct risk analyses and visualize the results of the agency’s government audit reports. She previously worked for the New York City Comptroller’s Office.
Marsha Daugherty is a program research specialist with the Office of the New York State Comptroller in the Division of State Government Accountability (SGA). Marsha has a background in econometrics and conducts a variety of data analyses for SGA, including geospatial analysis. She previously worked for the New York State Department of Transportation where she used geospatial analysis for pavement condition data of the state’s roadway system.
Abstract
Leveraging technologies like GIS, combined with growing access to public data sets, can improve the effectiveness and value of government audit reports. The Office of the New York State Comptroller (OSC) Division of State Government Accountability (SGA) conducts audits of State entities to determine if taxpayer money is being used effectively and efficiently and to help improve government operations, programs, and financial management. SGA recognizes the value of data analysis and visualization made possible by geospatial technology and has developed a team of GIS users who conduct analyses of spatial data for risk assessment and visualization for its audit reports. SGA has also embraced mobile field data collection and analysis through mobile GIS applications to increase staff productivity and skill development. The use of geospatial technology has also led to audit staff becoming increasingly aware of the value of analyzing relationships between traditionally unrelated data sets. This type of analysis can help users identify improvement opportunities for NYS public program and services that impact public health, safety, and quality of life. Our presentation will show how SGA is tailoring spatial technology to improve our data analysis and make reports more digestible and relevant for the public through a variety of map case studies. We will also have a discussion of best practices and challenges that have developed as SGA pursues innovative uses of geospatial technology in auditing and how these principles can be applied to increase use of spatial technology in other nontraditional fields.
Implementing/Automating the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Wetland Determination Data Form using Survey123, Web AppBuilder, and Geocortex.
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Presenter: Elizabeth Arabadjis; VHB
A GIS specialist with three decades of experience working with GIS and related technology, Elizabeth has managed numerous GIS design and implementation projects for state agencies, county government, and local government and private sector clients. She joined VHB from Fountains Spatial, Inc., where she served as a Project Manager and Senior Software Designer. Elizabeth has worked on development projects ranging from real-time sonar systems and commercial software to customized applications programming. She has extensive experience in all software development life cycles of assessment, development, deployment, training, QA/QC, and support. Elizabeth has extensive experience in developing custom Esri applications for various platforms from desktop to mobile to web-based GIS applications. She is also an accomplished NET developer and has many years of experience developing enterprise applications using Oracle and SQL Server.
Abstract
With 23 offices along the east coast, and a staff of over 1300, VHB has a variety of data collection standards and methodologies. As a result of a few internal initiatives to improve field survey and data reporting efficiency via mobile applications, to promote data collection consistency across offices and regions, and to develop a database of field information; we have created a suite of applications to automate, as much as possible, the data collection and creation of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Wetland Determination Data Form. We have a developed a Survey123 mobile application for staff to enter information in the field regarding potential wetlands. Also using AGOL and Web AppBuilder (WAB) for ArcGIS, we created a back-office web application to view, edit, QA/QC, post process and create the Army Corp reports. In addition, since VHB has Geocortex, we re-created the back-office web application using AGOL and Geocortex. Each of these applications will be demonstrated; and the pros and cons of survey123, WAB, and Geocortex will be discussed.
Speaking the Language of Coordinate Systems: From Field to Feature Class
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Presenter: William Trask; Fisher Associates
Bill Trask is a GIS Project Manager at Fisher Associates with a background in the Energy and Survey Sectors specializing in the Natural Gas Pipeline industry. His line of work has required him to be familiar with a broad range of geospatial tools and a exposed him to a variety of GPS devices.
Abstract
GISers are the gatekeepers of spatial data; we are expected to download, receive, and retrieve datasets from a number of sources. This typically requires us to take data in various coordinate systems and project them into one coordinate system, especially when we need to do geoprocessing. Knowing how to do this correctly takes careful consideration. In addition to understanding these and other nuances of coordinate systems, we must also be able to identify when there’s a problem and how to relay the essence of that problem to our non-GIS colleagues.
Facilitator: Lindi Quackenbush
Using GIS to Streamline Environmental Project Workflows
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Presenters: Joseph P. Segretto; OBG, Logan Reid; OBG
Joseph Segretto, GISP is the GIS Applications Manager at OBG. Mr. Segretto holds a Master’s degree in Geography from Ohio University, and has over 18 years of experience working with geographic information systems. Joseph is an ESRI Certified Enterprise System Design Associate, and has applied his technical expertise in GIS, GPS, and data management to help O’Brien & Gere deliver innovative solutions to clients for the last 16 years.
Logan Reid is a Project Scientist at OBG. Mr. Reid holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from SUNY College at Geneseo, and has over 10 years of experience working as an environmental professional with GIS. His focus has been utilizing GIS for Site Investigations and Remedial Programs.
Abstract
This presentation will show how GIS was applied to support multiple phases of a Lead Remediation Project. The project included over 30 separate facilities, throughout New York State. The project required concurrently dispatching field data collection teams to different facilities to collect environmental samples. The project team included members with diverse backgrounds. GIS tools were created to be useable by each member of the team. A GIS was created to support the field data collection effort which would leverage mobile data collection to a SQL Server enterprise geodatabase. A web mapping application was built to help field staff fill out chains of custody at the end of each day and provide office staff real-time progress updates. As data came back from the lab, a model was built in model builder to update records with the sample results. For reporting, the project team constructed a Microsoft Access database to connect to the SQL Server geodatabase, where a team member could select a facility and choose from a number of pre-formatted reports. The GIS tools allowed team members to view sampling efforts in real-time, and generate reports with current reliable data on demand. Reports included sample identification plans with lead data and sample type included, and allowed for visual representation of impacted areas with accuracy and speed. This approach saved the client thousands of dollars due to the efficiencies of collecting digital data for thousands of points, and the ability to then reflect those data using GIS in meaningful, summative documents.
I will walk you through some of the different technologies we have used, as well as, how communities within our region have utilized some of these technologies. Our communities and us have used many different types of technologies ranging from ESRI, GIS Cloud, Quantum GIS, MapWindows GIS, Google Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps, Trimble SketchUp, Fusion Tables, etc. They have been used for applications in natural resources, zoning, tourism, asset management, and others.
I will show you some of the examples of how these technologies were used and how they might apply to others. You will be able to see what features some of these technologies had that made them the best choice for the application they were chosen for. This will give you a quick overview of just some of the technologies out there that could be utilized on a budget.
Connecting the Dots – Building Storm Water Network Data for 18 Municipalities
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Presenter: Jim Hall, GISP, PMP; Bowne Management Systems, Inc.
James “Jim” Hall is Vice President Strategic Accounts with Bowne Management System, Inc., which is a New York-based technology company that is focused on geospatial consulting and implementation. The company specializes in addressing large and complex needs, and designing and deploying cutting edge technology solutions.
Abstract
I propose to present an overview of the current Stormwater Mapping Project for the Sleepy Hollow Mapping Consortium. This is the latest of several projects undertaken by the Consortium and this effort is being funded by a NYS DEC grant. The Consortium is comprised of 18 cities, towns and villages – all are located in Westchester County, New York. In 2012-2013 the Consortium conducted a project to locate and capture key attributes for all the stormwater manholes and catch basins maintained by the participating municipal MS4s. Over 21,000 point features were captured. GIS data and hardcopy and digital maps were provided to the Consortium members and Westchester County GIS, which hosts the Consortium’s data on the Web. The current project is focused on adding the pipes. A range of hardcopy documents, existing digital data and data collected in the field are being aggregated to build a definitive geodatabase. The deliverables will be similar to the previous project. The presenter will also describe how the 18 municipal MS4s originally formed and work together effectively as a consortium. This structure has allowed the members to get GIS data for the their stormwater networks created with no municipal fiscal outlay. Each member does need to provide in-kind services, which will be described.
Capturing and Analyzing Geographic Information of High Spatial and Temporal Resolutions to Solve the On-going Problems
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Presenter: Tao Tang; State University of New York – Buffalo State
Dr. Tao Tang is a full professor working at the Department of Geography and Planning, State University of New York (SUNY) – Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY 14222. Dr. Tang received his B.S. degree in Geography at Northwest University of China, first M.S. degree in Geography at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, second M.S. degree in Geography at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and Ph.D. degree at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Tang has been teaching GIS and Remote Sensing courses and conducting researches and applied GIS projects at SUNY – Buffalo State College since January of 1998.
Abstract
Recent advancements of information technology (IT) and artificial Intelligence (AI) have changed the nature of obtaining, storing, and processing geospatial data. One of the current challenges to the practitioners in GIS is to understand “what is happening”? or “what just happened”? This presentation shows a couple of new methods to gather large quantity of or time sensitive geospatial information to analyze what is happening currently.
First, the research experiments were conducted to survey the patches of Japanese Knotweed invasive species and the water chestnut invasive species along the Erie Canal using unmanned helicopters or UAVs. The major advantage of UAV based remote sensor data collections is that we can deploy the sensor whenever and wherever we would like. The temporal resolution and concurrent-ability of this type of spatial data can be very high, which otherwise may not be available.
Secondly, research experiment of an ArcGIS online enabled smart cellphone APP was developed and planned to be deployed to millions and millions of cellphone users in collecting spatial data of air pollutions. The revolutionary change of this kind of approaches is to change every cellphone unit into a spatial data collection sensor for large quantity geospatial data gatherings.
The learning objective of this presentation is to show and tell some emerging geographic information analytical methods using new AI and IT technologies. Concurrent spatial pattern predictions in GIS, such as predictions of traffic jams and hurricane trajectories, using the self-deployed sensors including drones or individually owned cellphones are possible.