Day: August 16, 2011

Esri Expands Technical Certification Program

/ Matt Artz

Esri logoExams Now Available for Desktop Development and Enterprise System Design

Two new technical certification examinations are now available from Esri. ArcGIS Desktop Developer Associate and Enterprise System Design Associate join the growing list of certifications that validate technical expertise in Esri’s desktop, developer, and enterprise software.

The Esri Technical Certification Program recognizes individuals proficient in Esri technology. Certifications are awarded in different areas of expertise at both the Associate and Professional levels. The program, available worldwide, provides the following benefits:

  • It enables organizations to maximize investment in Esri products by employing a workforce certified in ArcGIS best practices.
  • It creates professional development opportunities for ArcGIS users.
  • It helps companies, government agencies, and other organizations assess current or potential employee skill sets in the use of ArcGIS technology.
  • It gives Esri software users the opportunity to distinguish themselves and their organizations with certified qualifications.

Seven certification exams are currently available. They include ArcGIS Desktop Associate, ArcGIS Desktop Professional, ArcGIS Desktop Developer Associate, Web Application Developer Associate, Enterprise Geodatabase Management Associate, Enterprise System Design Associate, and Enterprise Administration Associate.

“Our intent is to establish an industry-recognized benchmark for Esri product expertise,” says Jamie Rosa, certification manager at Esri. “The certification program has been very well received during its first six months, and we expect even greater success as we continue to roll out the complete set of 13 examinations.”

Examinations take about two hours to complete and include 90–95 multiple-choice questions. They are offered worldwide by Pearson VUE, Esri’s global testing partner.

Visit www.pearsonvue.com/esri to find a test location.

To learn more or register for a certification examination, visit esri.com/certification.

[Source: Esri press release]

The Impact of DEM Data Source on Prediction of Flooding and Erosion Risk due to Sea-level Rise

/ Matt Artz

International Journal of Geographical Information ScienceInternational Journal of Geographical Information Science, Volume 25, Issue 7, 2011

Seamus Coveney and A. Stewart Fotheringham

“Digital elevation model (DEM) elevation accuracy and spatial resolution are typically considered before a given DEM is used for the assessment of coastal flooding, sea-level rise or erosion risk. However, limitations of DEMs arising from their original data source can often be overlooked during DEM selection. Global elevation error statistics provided by DEM data suppliers can provide a useful indicator of actual DEM error, but these statistics can understate elevation errors occurring outside of idealised ground reference areas. The characteristic limitations of a range of DEM sources that may be used for the assessment of coastal inundation and erosion risk are tested using high-resolution photogrammetric, low- and medium-resolution global positioning system (GPS)-derived and very high-resolution terrestrial laser scanning point data sets.

(a) SLR sensitivity band 1, (b) band 2, (c) band 3 and (d) band 4 as defined by low-resolution GPS-derived DEM.

“Errors detected in a high-resolution photogrammetric DEM are found to be substantially beyond quoted error, demonstrating the degree to which quoted DEM accuracy can understate local DEM error and highlighting the extent to which spatial resolution can fail to provide a reliable indicator of DEM accuracy. Superior accuracies and inundation prediction results are achieved based on much lower-resolution GPS points confirming conclusions drawn in the case of the photogrammetric DEM data. This suggests a scope for the use of GPS-derived DEMs in preference to the photogrammetric DEM data in large-scale risk-mapping studies. DEM accuracies and superior representation of micro-topography achieved using high-resolution terrestrial laser scan data confirm its advantages for the prediction of subtle inundation and erosion risk. However, the requirement for data fusion of GPS to remove ground-vegetation error highlighted limitations for the use of side-scan laser scan data in densely vegetated areas.”

Spatial Video Data Collection in a Post-disaster Landscape: The Tuscaloosa Tornado of April 28th 2011

/ Matt Artz

Applied Geography, Volume 32, Issue 2, March 2012, Pages 393-400

Andrew Curtis, Jacqueline W. Mills

“Highlights

  • Spatial video data can be collected quickly and cheaply to create a fine-scale GIS of a post-disaster landscape.
  • Damage assessment can be used to assess wind strength along a tornado path.
  • The fine scale data collected using a spatial video provides a benchmark for subsequent recovery monitoring.

“Fine scale disaster response and recovery data suitable for spatial analysis are still relatively rare. This is unfortunate as insight into spatial patterns of recovery could be invaluable in predicting the reestablishment of homes, streets and neighborhoods. The purpose of this paper is to show how fine scale geographic data can be collected in near real-time for the intermediate phase between response and recovery. These data will initially be used to assess the degree of damage (with relation to the Enhanced F scale) while also establishing a baseline for subsequent recovery monitoring. A spatial video system is used to collect data from the post-disaster landscape of Tuscaloosa which was hit by a large tornado in April 2011. This video, once processed, can be viewed within a Geographic Information System which combines street-level images with exact location. These data can be used to support ongoing recovery efforts, while also archiving a dataset suitable for the spatial analysis of the changing post-disaster landscape.”