Day: October 22, 2009

Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey to Speak at ESRI Campus in Redlands

/ Matt Artz

kerreyFree Talk Will Launch New Educational and Cultural Series Sponsored by ESRI and the University of Redlands

Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, who ran for president of  the United States in 1992 and served as Nebraska’s governor, will speak at 5:00 p.m. on October 30 at ESRI, 350 New York Street, in Redlands.

Kerrey’s talk, which will be free and open to the public, will inaugurate an ongoing educational and cultural series of speeches, performances, and programs that ESRI and the University of Redlands Town & Gown organization will cosponsor. The events will be held in ESRI’s new state-of-the-art auditorium.

Kerrey, 66, was Nebraska’s governor from 1983 to 1987 and later served as the state’s U.S. senator from 1989 to 2001. He left the Senate to become president of the New School, a university in New York City that was founded on strong democratic ideals and daring educational practices. Throughout his career in public service, Kerrey has strongly advocated for increased education spending. He continues to do so today, recognizing that democratic life flourishes when all citizens are properly educated and given every chance to participate in the political process.

Kerrey’s talk will be followed by a short reception, allowing people the opportunity to talk with him in person.

towngown-image4Upcoming speakers will include Earl E. Devaney, chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board; Willie Smits, biologist and founder of Borneo Orangutan Survival; and Larry Burgess, local historian and director of the A.K. Smiley Library in Redlands. Future programs will include films; musical and theatrical performances; and talks by business leaders, government officials, and environmentalists.

ESRI president Jack Dangermond said the diverse slate of speakers and programs will pique the interests of people of all ages. “We look forward to bringing the community the caliber of events that will start a dialog on important topics of interest in the Inland Empire, as well as nationally and internationally.”

Stuart Dorsey, president of the University of Redlands, said the university is proud to cosponsor a series of programs he describes as an “ongoing education.” “It’s a way that the university and ESRI can give back to the community that so strongly supports us.”

Advance reservations are required. Visit www.esri.com/culturalseries and click the Reservations link or call the University of Redlands at 909-748-8011.

Series Schedule for 2009:

October 30, 5:00 p.m.: Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey

November TBA, 5:00 p.m.: Willie Smits, biologist and founder of Borneo Orangutan Survival, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting orangutans and their habitats

December 9, 5:00 p.m.: Earl E. Devaney, chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, which oversees spending of the funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the stimulus package passed by Congress

December 13, 3:00 p.m.:Larry Burgess, local historian and director of the A.K. Smiley Public Library, in a talk about early Christmases, California style

British Scientists Unveil New Climate Change Map Showing Likely Effects of Continued Carbons Emissions

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment

…from The Guardian…

A-map-showing-the-impact--003

“The British government today raised the political stakes on climate change when it published a new map of the world that details the likely effects of a failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“The map shows the impact of an average 4C rise in global temperature, which John Beddington, the government’s chief scientist, said would be “disastrous”. A study by the Met Office last month said that such a 4C rise could come as soon as 2060 without urgent and serious action to reduce emissions.

“The map was launched to coincide with the London Science Museum’s new Prove it climate change exhibition by David Miliband, foreign secretary and his brother Ed Miliband, energy and climate change secretary. It comes in advance of key political talks on climate change in December in Copenhagen, where British officials will push for a new global deal to curb emissions.”

GIS for Climate Change Bibliography, Part 2: Carbon Management

/ Matt Artz / 4 Comments

National Carbon Sequestration (NatCarb)
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/environmental10.html

City of Irvine’s GHG GIS Protocol
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/abstracts/a1826.html

The Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership Region
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/environmental6.html

GIS Contributes to Groundbreaking Carbon Emissions Inventory
http://www.esri.com/library/newsletters/giseducator/gised-winter08.pdf

Predicting the Vegetation Distribution and Terrestrial Carbon-Fluxes Using MC1 Model
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/abstracts/a1479.html

Generalized Contours of the Sauk Sequence for Characterization of Saline Aquifers for CO2 Sequestration
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume19/environment3.html

ESRI Commits to Clinton Global Initiative with Carbon Reduction Solution
http://www.esri.com/news/releases/09_4qtr/global_initiative.html
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2009/2009-09-28-03.asp

New Zealand Enlists GIS to Monitor Greenhouse Gas
http://www.esri.com/news/releases/09_3qtr/new_zealand_greenhouse.html

Enhanced Oil Recovery Revives Petroleum Fields and Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
http://www.esri.com/news/arcwatch/0209/salt-creek.html

ESRI Commits to Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2009/09/17/norway-lauds-guyana%E2%80%99s-forestry-initiative/
http://opnew.op.gov.gy/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=722:esri-commits-to-guyana-&catid=34:bulletins&Itemid=70

Illinois Basin Coal GIS Datasets for Coal Bed Methane, Carbon Sequestration, and Coal Resource Studies
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume21/mining4.html

Measuring the Carbon Content of Forests: The Carbon Measurement Collaborative
http://www.clintonfoundation.org/what-we-do/clinton-climate-initiative/our-approach/forests/measuring-carbon

Forestry Carbon Trading Opportunities Explored with GIS
http://www.esri.com/library/newsletters/environment/envobs-winter2009.pdf#page=8

Baselining CO2 Emissions of Las Vegas Residential Streets
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/abstracts/a1013.html

Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Communications Supported by GIS
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/winter0607articles/carbon-dioxide.html

Carbonfootprinting on the CSUN Campus Using ArcGIS
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/abstracts/a1462.html

Carbon Nation: Automated GIS Process is Creating a Snapshot of Biomass and Carbon in U.S. Forests
http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/1008/carbon.html

Web-GIS for Managing Agroforestry for Carbon Sequestration in East-Africa
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/abstracts/a1485.html

Bibliographies in this series:

GIS for Climate Change Bibliography, Part 1: Climate Science

/ Matt Artz / 5 Comments

Analyzing Sea Level Potential and Temperature Extremes within a GIS Environment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4GfnC6lK1Y

Shoreline Change History of Louisiana’s Gulf Shoreline: 1800s to 2005
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/environmental1.html

Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Southern Florida
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/environmental3.html

Coastal Change and Glaciological Map of the Larsen Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1940–2005
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/environmental4.html

The Cryosphere World Map
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/environmental9.html

DOI Demonstrates Climate Change with ArcGIS Explorer: Visualizing Environmental Impacts Shows Need for New Strategy
http://www.esri.com/news/releases/09_4qtr/climate-hail.html

Houston Ozone and Ozone Precursor Monitoring Network
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume24/environment8.html

Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map, Including Arctic Research Stations
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume24/environment11.html

Arctic Conservation Area Topographic Map
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume22/conservation6.html

A Long-Term Seamless Daily Precipitation-Temperature Geodatabase for the Continental US (CONUS)
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/abstracts/a1938.html

Global Soil Regions
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume22/sustain_dev4.html

Forest Dynamics in the Southern Lake Tahoe Basin, 1940–2002
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume21/forestry3.html

Shrinking Forests of Kilimanjaro—The Impact of Fire and Climate Change
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume20/conservation2.html

Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume20/conservation3.html

Global Warming: The Bering Glacier Retreat and Sea Level Rise
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/abstracts/a1172.html

Air Pollution Sources in South Coast Air Basin—Impacts of Meteorology, Terrain, and Other Sources
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume20/environment4.html

Predicted Potential Natural Vegetation of New Zealand
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume20/forestry4.html

Spatial Patterns of Climatic Factors Using GIS and PRISM, Korea
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/abstracts/a1482.html

Land Cover of North America
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume19/forestry2.html

Using ArcGIS to Evaluate Weather Warnings
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/abstracts/a1961.html

100+ Years of Land Change for Coastal Louisiana
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume19/mining3.html

Using ArcGIS to Analyze Climate Patterns and Climate Change
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/abstracts/a1168.html

Investigating Temperature Extremes in the United States
http://edcommunity.esri.com/arclessons/lesson.cfm?id=409

The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) GEOportal
http://www.geoportal.org/web/guest/geo_home

NOAA Climate Services Portal: Climate Data and Statistics
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/abstracts/a1882.html

NCAR Publishes Climate Change Models in ESRI GIS Format
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/winter0405articles/ncar.html

Characteristics of Atlantic Tropical Storms from Long-Term Observations
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/abstracts/a1254.html

Amongst the Icebergs, GIS Innovation Aids Antarctic Research
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall04articles/amongst-the-icebergs.html

ClimateWizard: A Web-based GIS Tool for Practical Climate Change Analysis
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/abstracts/a2230.html

Long-Term Environmental Monitoring at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Supported With GIS
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall04articles/long-term-environmental.html

Polar Climate Change: Shrinking Arctic Ice in a Temporal Context
http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/abstracts/a2124.html

Mapping the Ayles Ice Shelf Break
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/spring07articles/mapping-ayles.html

CASI Data Provides Better Picture of Coral Reef Threats
http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0506/casi1of2.html

Bibliographies in this series:

Call for Workshops and Tutorials: GIScience 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland

/ Matt Artz

Zurich, Switzerland, September 14-17, 2010

This year GIScience will host one-day workshops and tutorials on the 14th of September, immediately prior to the conference.

Workshops

Workshops should provide a platform for presenting and discussing ideas in a less-formal and more open way than is possible in a conference setting. Thus, they should provide an exce llent opportunity for young researchers to present work and obtain detailed feedback, and should have ample time allocated for discussion and participation by all attendees. Workshops are welcome in all topics of interest to GIScience attendees, with the proviso that new and emerging areas of research are especially welcome. Workshop organisers are responsible for compilation of PDF workshop proceedings. If these are received, as a single volume, by 21st of July, they will be included in the electronic conference proceedings for distribution to workshop and conference attendees.

Workshop proposals should be less than 1500 words, and must include the following:

  • Title of the workshop
  • Description of topics
  • Scope and novelty of the workshop
  • Workshop organiser(s) and their qualifications
  • Format of workshop (1/2 day, 1 day)
  • Intended Programme Committee if relevant
  • Highlights (e.g. keynotes, panels, other modes of discussion)
  • Expected number of participants
  • Details of any previous related workshops
  • Draft call for papers indicating the relevant topics

Tutorials

Tutorials are an innovation for GIScience. A tutorial should cover a single topic in detail, lasting either a full (two sessions of three hours) or half (one session of three hours) day. A tutorial may cover a particular GIScience topic in depth, or introduce emerging research areas. Tutorial organisers are responsible for compilation of tutorial readers. If these are received by the 21st of July, they will be included in the electronic conference proceedings for distribution to tutorial and conference attendees.

Tutorial proposals should be less than 2000 words, and must address all of the following issues:

  • Title of the tutorial
  • Description of topics and relevance to GIScience community
  • Tutorial organiser(s) and their qualifications
  • Format of tutorial (1/2 day, 1 day)
  • Tutorial outline, indicating overall learning objective s and individual course elements
  • Intended audience (introductory, advanced) and any background knowledge or skills required
  • Required materials (e.g. will you need internet access, lab access, specific software installed?)
  • Expected number of participants

More information

Call for Participation: Space-Time Modeling and Analysis Workshop

/ Matt Artz

Scientists to Gather for Inaugural Redlands GIS Week in February 2010

Scientists working on understanding the integration of space and time will gather in California February 22–23, 2010, to attend the Space-Time Modeling and Analysis Workshop. The workshop will be part of the first Redlands GIS Week—a gathering of thought leaders from academia, government, and industry to advance the science and application of geospatial technologies. The remainder of Redlands GIS Week 2010 will be dedicated to informal networking activities, demonstrations, and technical tours.

The Space-Time Modeling and Analysis Workshop will feature keynote presentations, lightning talks, and small group discussions, as well as opportunities for informal brainstorming with leading geospatial thinkers and implementers.  Researchers are invited to submit 500-word abstracts describing the work that they would present as either a keynote or lightning (focused 10-minute) talk. Preference will be given to abstracts describing concrete results to concrete problems, and software demonstrations are encouraged.

Redlands GIS Week will be held at ESRI’s headquarters as well as nearby sites in Redlands, California. The event is cosponsored by the University of Southern California, ESRI, the Association of American Geographers (AAG), and the University of Redlands. After the workshop, a publication will share the event’s results with a larger audience.

For more information and to view the Call for Participation, visit www.redlandsgisweek.org.

[Source: ESRI news release]

Renewable Energy: GIS and the Science Behind Tapping Wind Power Offer Insight on the Resource’s Feasibility

/ Matt Artz

p28p2…from the Fall 2009 issue of ArcNews…

Highlights:

  • ArcGIS improves the quality and accessibility of data to maximize the efficiency of decision making.
  • Nearly all the wind power facility layouts can be done with GIS.
  • Locating the right site can be done quickly and accurately with publicly available data and GIS technology.

“When Miguel de Cervantes wrote of the impetuous and noble hero Don Quixote 400 years ago, he could not have imagined that one day environmental scientists and energy analysts would “dream the impossible dream” of stocking the electric grid with the power of the wind. Nor could he have envisioned the hulking giants that now line many a horizon, the 400-foot-tall wind turbines each wielding three 130-foot steel blades and weighing 8.5 tons. When he talked of tilting at windmills, the Spanish literary master would not have guessed that public utilities, private companies, and investors would someday look to the wind to “beat the unbeatable foes” of waning fossil fuel supply and deleterious carbon emissions.

“Wind energy now accounts for 1 percent of the United States’ power supply, and forecasts from the U.S. Department of Energy say that figure could reach 20 percent by 2030. While wind farms crop up across the country’s windiest terrain, critics point to the need for new transmission lines and the variability of the wind. Many citizens support the idea as long as it’s “not in my backyard.””

Quote of the Day

/ Matt Artz

“The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.”
–Carl Sagan

Map of the Day: Biodiversity and Perspectives on Oil, Gas, and Mining Exploitation in Guinea-Bissau

/ Matt Artz

…from the ESRI Map Book, Volume 24…

mining5_sm

“This map shows the effects of various activities on biodiversity. The United Nations Environment Programme—World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) partnered with in-country experts from Guinea-Bissau to develop a synthesis map highlighting the potential pressures from oil and gas industry activities on the biodiversity of Guinea-Bissau. Such partnerships are leading to more accurate assessment of environmental pressures. A five-day workshop in Cambridge, United Kingdom, funded by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), resulted in combining UNEP-WCMC data with oil and gas exploration data from IHS Energy and data contributed by the visiting in-country experts. The combination of these data sources plus local knowledge and cartographic expertise at UNEP-WCMC has produced a powerful poster map that enables decision makers to incorporate key biodiversity information into their planning and development processes.

“Copyright United Nations Environment Programme—World Conservation Monitoring Centre; Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Areas; International Union for Conservation of Nature; IHS Energy; and the Office of Coastal Planning, Guinea-Bissau.

“Data sources for this poster map included BISSA-SIG Database (GPC/INEP/UICN/IBAP/Geomer Laboratory CNRS-Brest); IBAP: Managing Biodiversity for Secure Development, 2006; protected areas (WDPA): UNEP-WCMC, January 2007; J. Caldecott and L. Miles, 2005 (gorilla and chimpanzee data); GEBCO Digital Atlas bathymetry data, published by the British Oceanographic Data Centre on behalf of the International Oceanographic Commission (of UNESCO) and the International Hydrographic Organisation, 2003; and Petroleum Exploration & Production data: IHS, copyright 2007.

“Disclaimer: The contents of this map do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP-WCMC or contributory organizations. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP-WCMC or contributory organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.”