Day: October 3, 2012

Esri Story Maps Win International Map Industry Association Conference Awards

/ Matt Artz

Esri logoStorytelling Helps Unlock the Value of Geographic Data

Esri is pleased to announce that Esri Story Maps has won the Gold Medal award for Best Digital Map Product and Best Overall Map Product at the International Map Industry Association (IMIA)—Americas conference. Esri Story Maps’ ability to easily serve maps and accurate demographic information covering a wide range of topics along with its well-crafted cartography were top reasons the application won the awards.

IMIA held the conference September 9–11, 2012, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with attendees involved in all aspects of the mapping industry. A select group of industry leaders attending the conference judged the competition.

“Storytelling is rapidly becoming one of the most important reasons that organizations use web maps,” said Allen Carroll, program manager for ArcGIS Online content and team lead for Esri Story Maps. “The result is that GIS is emerging from the back office and becoming accessible—and useful—to everyone. The need for GIS to analyze, plan, manage, and support decisions remains vital, but organizations now perceive the need to tell the story of their analyses, plans, and decisions.”

USAID’s Development Credit Authority created this story map to show how they are working with local financial institutions to design investment alternatives that unlock financing for entrepreneurs in developing countries.

USAID’s Development Credit Authority created this story map to show how they are working with local financial institutions to design investment alternatives that unlock financing for entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Esri Story Maps combines narration and rich media content in interactive maps to help people discover and understand patterns and relationships that exist in the world. Esri began producing the story maps to support storytelling techniques, tools, and best practices. These story maps have spurred the development of templates and other resources, and now GIS professionals, web developers, graphics specialists, and others, build and publish their own story maps.

One example is US Agency for International Development (USAID), which recently released development data—including guarantees, loans disbursed, and available financing—in a story map. By displaying information in this manner, complex data can be viewed together, providing better insight for the private sector to explore new areas for collaboration with host countries, researchers, development organizations, and the public.

To view or make your own story map, visit Esri Story Maps.

[Source: Esri press release]

Estimating the Potential Impacts of Large Mesopredators on Benthic Resources: Integrative Assessment of Spotted Eagle Ray Foraging Ecology in Bermuda

/ Matt Artz / 2 Comments

PLoS ONEPLoS ONE 7(7): e40227, 2012

Matthew J. Ajemian1, Sean P. Powers, and Thaddeus J. T. Murdoch

“Declines of large sharks and subsequent release of elasmobranch mesopredators (smaller sharks and rays) may pose problems for marine fisheries management as some mesopredators consume exploitable shellfish species. The spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) is the most abundant inshore elasmobranch in subtropical Bermuda, but its predatory role remains unexamined despite suspected abundance increases and its hypothesized specialization for mollusks. We utilized a combination of acoustic telemetry, benthic invertebrate sampling, gut content analysis and manipulative experiments to assess the impact of spotted eagle rays on Bermudian shellfish resources. Residency and distribution of adult spotted eagle rays was monitored over two consecutive summers in Harrington Sound (HS), an enclosed inshore lagoon that has historically supported multiple recreational and commercial shellfish species.

Map of potential benthic habitat use for pressure sensor tags in relation to prey density.

Map of potential benthic habitat use for pressure sensor tags in relation to prey density.

“Telemetered rays exhibited variable fidelity (depending on sex) to HS, though generally selected regions that supported relatively high densities of potential mollusk prey. Gut content analysis from rays collected in HS revealed a diet of mainly bivalves and a few gastropods, with calico clam (Macrocallista maculata) representing the most important prey item. Manipulative field and mesocosm experiments with calico clams suggested that rays selected prey patches based on density, though there was no evidence of rays depleting clam patches to extirpation. Overall, spotted eagle rays had modest impacts on local shellfish populations at current population levels, suggesting a reduced role in transmitting cascading effects from apex predator loss. However, due to the strong degree of coupling between rays and multiple protected mollusks in HS, ecosystem-based management that accounts for ray predation should be adopted.”

New Study: GIS Investments Help Utilities Boost Productivity, Reduce Costs

/ Matt Artz

Esri logoIn a recent Esri study of electric utility professionals, nearly half reported a more than 10 percent increase in productivity due to the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology. The study was designed to assess electric utility geospatial technology in terms of return on investment. Results were analyzed and compiled into a benchmark report, The Business Benefits of GIS for Utilities, now available for download.

“We really wanted to find out about the benefits utilities have experienced with GIS from customer care or supply chain or accounting,” said Bill Meehan, Esri Director of Utility Solutions. “GIS and IT professionals can access the report in order to communicate technology needs to management, assess their utility’s use of GIS, or identify areas for needed GIS expansion.”

Additional major findings of The Business Benefits of GIS for Utilities include:

  • 45 percent reported more than 10 percent productivity gain due to use of mobile GIS
  • 41 percent report savings of 7 percent or greater in plant accounting
  • 65 percent report saving more than 6percent in system and distribution planning
  • 25 percent reduced System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) by 7 percent or more

View the webinar presentation of The Business Benefits of GIS for Utilities, and read the report at esri.com/roisurvey.

[Source: Esri press release]