Day: November 13, 2009

Map of the Day: Lake Davis Pike Eradication Project, California

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment

…from the ESRI Map Book, Volume 24…

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“Global Positioning System tracks on Lake Davis represent how the California Department of Fish and Game applied the chemical rotenone to rid the reservoir of the predatory and invasive northern pike (Esox lucius). Pike have adversely affected the Lake Davis trout fishery and the associated local economy. If pike escape or are moved from the reservoir, they could endanger fish populations in other waters where they become established. For example, pike have the potential to cause irreversible damage in portions of California’s Feather, Sacramento, and San Joaquin river systems; the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; as well as many other waters of the state and region.

“Courtesy of California Department of Fish and Game.”

Mapping the ‘Buzz’

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment

buzz…from the New York Times…

“Elizabeth Currid, an assistant professor in the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and Sarah Williams, the director of the Spatial Information Design Lab at Columbia University‘s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, mined thousands of photographs from Getty Images that chronicled flashy parties and smaller affairs on both coasts for a year, beginning in March 2006. The maps show the density of different types of cultural events in New York and Los Angeles.”

ESRI President Jack Dangermond Interviewed on C-SPAN’s The Communicators

/ Matt Artz

JackDangermondESRI160Update: You can now watch the video online, information is here.

ESRI president Jack Dangermond was interviewed at the Gov 2.0 Summit by Pedro Echevarria, host of The Communicators on C-SPAN. The interview will appear as follows:

  • Saturday, 6:30 p.m. EST / 3:30 p.m. PST on C-SPAN
  • Monday, 8:00 a.m. EST / 5:00 a.m. PST on C-SPAN 2
  • Monday, 8:00 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. PST on C-SPAN 2

The video will also be available after it airs on The Communicators web site as well as on YouTube.

Capt. Charles Moore to Speak on the Environmental Health of our Oceans at ESRI

/ Matt Artz

moore5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Monday, 23 November 2009

ESRI Auditorium, 380 New York Street , Redlands, California 92373 USA

Please join ESRI and the University of Redlands to hear Captain Charles Moore, founder and chief research coordinator of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, speak about his personal experiences documenting the scope and effect of plastic pollutants on Earth’s oceans.

Moore’s research focuses on the North Pacific Gyre, a 3.5-million-ton concentration of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean. He has also helped develop monitoring protocols used worldwide and by the United Nations Environmental Programme in Europe to track beach and marine micro-plastics.

The presentation will be followed by a hosted reception where attendees can meet and talk with Captain Moore.

This presentation is free and open to the public.  Advance reservations are required.

Unable to attend, but still interested in what Captain Moore has to say?  Watch his Ted Talk:

moore

Research Botanist Position at NatureServe in Arlington, Virginia

/ Matt Artz

natureserveThis is an exciting opportunity with the possibility of advancement for a botanically-inclined conservation biologist to join an international environmental organization and make a positive impact on pressing environmental issues. Initially this will be a part-time position with the possibility of becoming full-time in the fall of 2010. The position is based in our office in Arlington, VA, within a convenient walk of the Rosslyn Metro Station.

The research botanist develops, reviews, and revises information relating to the conservation status of native plant species, primarily rare species, throughout the United States and Canada. Much of the work centers on compiling data on geographical distribution, abundance, threats, trends, habitat requirements, natural history, and management needs, followed by application of NatureServe criteria to synthesize this information into a standardized estimate of conservation status. The position requires extensive communication with state, federal, academic, and independent botanists, as well as searching and synthesis of published scientific literature. The position is project oriented, with some projects directed to meeting specific data needs of U.S. federal land-management agencies and other work, including data review and taxonomic reconciliation, supporting the information needs of state natural heritage programs/conservation data centers or other clients. The research botanist also provides botanical expertise for the development of NatureServe methodology and assists in using NatureServe botanical data to address conservation problems such as alterations in land use patterns and climate change. S/he often works on a tight schedule to meet deadlines, and helps write proposals and supervises interns.

Preferred Skills include a working knowledge of GIS, including basic spatial analysis skills.

Nobel Prize Winner Elinor Ostrom Presents on Mapping Technologies for GIS Day

/ Matt Artz / 3 Comments

ostromElinor Ostrom, the winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, will give a keynote presentation as a part of Indiana University’s GIS Day celebration on November 18.

Ostrom’s presentation, titled Using GIS and Remote Sensing to Study the Effects of Diverse Institutions, will explore the broader implications of mapping and geographic technologies. The distinguished professor will make her presentation at 5 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

An IU faculty member since 1965, Ostrom is currently the Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also co-founder and senior research director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at IU.

Ostrom is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Economics, established in 1968. She shares the award with Oliver Williamson, Edgar F. Kaiser Professor Emeritus of Business, Economics and Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Her award recognizes her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons.

The GIS Day event leading up to the keynote presentation will take place in the lobby of the Herman B Wells Library in Bloomington from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a host of informational booths and activities to show off the exciting work that Indiana researchers, staff, government agencies, and businesses are doing with Geographic Information Systems.

This is the 11th anniversary of GIS Day, the worldwide, annual event celebrating GIS technology and its applications. Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, connects people with the geo-intelligence they need to work more efficiently and make better decisions. GIS supports a geographic approach to problem solving. From Google Maps technology to systems that monitor the spread of disease, GIS technologies are tools that help people do a better job and make a difference.

To learn more, see: http://gisday.indiana.edu.

[Source: Indiana University news release]

You’re Being Followed: Scientists Track Movement of Living Things

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment

…from KansasCity.com…

“Almost 24 centuries after the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote his book, “On the Movement of Animals,” modern scientists are still struggling to understand how, why, when and where living creatures move.

“Whether an organism drifts in the sea, swims, wriggles, crawls, walks, runs, jumps, flies or casts its seeds upon the wind, movement is essential to life, they say. No matter how big or little it is, it’s got to get away from its birthplace to find food, escape predators and reproduce.”

Tom Poiker talks about the Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment

Tom Poiker is interviewed by Nick Chrisman for his 2006 ESRI Press book “Charting the Unknown: How Computer Mapping at Harvard Became GIS.”

Tom Poiker (formerly Peucker) was visiting scholar at the Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis in 1968 and from 1973 to 1974 while he was professor of geography at Simon Fraser University.  He is now professor emeritus at Simon Fraser University.