Computers & Geosciences, Volume 82, September 2015, Pages 55–62

By Ramón Pellitero, Brice R. Rea, Matteo Spagnolo, Jostein Bakke, Philip Hughes, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Sven Lukas, and Adriano Ribolini

“Highlights:

• We describe Equilibrium Line Altitude calculation methods for palaeoglaciers.
• We examine suitability of each method for different glacier types.
• We present a toolbox for automatic ELA calculation on AAR and AABR methods.
• Toolbox is coded in Python and runs in ArcGIS.
• Toolbox use and operation are described.

“Abstract:

A toolbox for the automated calculation of glacier equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) using the Accumulation Area Ratio, Area-Altitude Balance Ratio, Area-Altitude and Kurowski methods is presented. These are the most commonly-used methods of ELA calculation in palaeo-glacier reconstructions.

“The toolbox has been coded in Python and runs in ArcGIS requiring only the reconstructed surface of the palaeo-glacier (a DEM) as input. Through fast and automatic calculation this toolbox simplifies the process of ELA determination and can successfully work both for a single glacier and for large datasets of multiple glaciers.”

• More information

Designing Better Maps teaches tried and true methods of map design.

Mapmakers should always strive to create maps that look great and get their message across clearly and succinctly. According to Esri president Jack Dangermond, more emphasis today needs to be placed on map design, especially on the web. “We need to spend more time designing maps and not just producing them,” Dangermond said at a recent geodesign conference.

Cartographer Cynthia A. Brewer’s new edition of Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users, published by Esri, will guide mapmakers through the process of designing visually pleasing and easily understandable maps. “This book helps you develop the graphic skills you need for mapmaking,” said Brewer, a professor and head of the geography department at Pennsylvania State University.

In writing the book, Brewer drew on 30 years of experience teaching and working in map design. The book focuses on the basics of cartography, including layout design; working with basemaps, legends, scales, and projections; selecting colors and type; and customizing symbols. In this second edition, Brewer has added a chapter on publishing and sharing maps and devotes a section to her ColorBrewer application, an online color selection tool that any mapmaker can use. ColorBrewer is now part of the new Esri ArcGIS Pro application.

The large selection of color maps included in the book prove to be very instructional, with examples of poor or mediocre maps being compared to well-designed maps. For example, there are two maps of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, located in the United States and Canada. One map is what Brewer calls “excessively decorated,” with a huge scale bar, illegible typeface, and other elements that distract from the map. The second map, meant to showcase vegetation types, is simple and designed to make the most important information stand out.

Brewer has been a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University for 21 years, teaching introductory cartography and other map design courses. She has written four books, including Designed Maps: A Sourcebook for GIS Users, which complemented her 2005 edition of Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users.

Brewer also is an affiliate faculty member at the US Geological Survey (USGS) Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS). She has done consulting work with the National Park Service, the US Census Bureau, the National Cancer Institute, the National Center for Health Statistics, and Esri. She won the Henry Gannett Award for Exceptional Contributions to Topographic Mapping from the USGS in 2013.

A video about the book is available to watch at esriurl.com/designingbettermaps.

Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users is available in print (ISBN: 9781589484405, 250 pages, $59.99), or as an e-book (ISBN: 9781589484375, 250 pages, $49.99). The book is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

URISA is pleased to announce the Exemplary Systems in Government (ESIG) Awards process for 2016. Since 1980, URISA’s ESIG Awards have recognized extraordinary achievements in the use of geospatial information technology that have improved the delivery and quality of government services. The award competition is open to all public agencies at the federal, state/provincial, regional and local levels. Winners will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony at GIS-Pro 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, October 31-November 3, 2016.

Submissions are invited in two categories:

Enterprise Systems: Systems in this category are outstanding and working examples of using information systems technology in a multi-department environment as part of an integrated process. These systems exemplify effective use of technology yielding widespread improvements in the process(es) and/or service(s) involved and/or cost savings to the organization.

Single Process Systems: Systems in this category are outstanding and working examples of applying information system technology to automate a specific SINGLE process or operation involving one department or sub-unit of an agency. The system application results in extended and/or improved government services that are more efficient and/or save money.

Submissions are due June 1, 2016. An application requiring details about the Jurisdiction/Organization, System Design, Implementation, Organizational Impact and System Resources is available online: http://www.urisa.org/awards/exemplary-systems-in-government/

The list of 2015 ESIG Award Recipients follows.

ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS CATEGORY

Exemplary System: Boldly Know: York Region’s Enterprise GIS – Regional Municipality of York, Ontario Canada

Distinguished Systems:

• Transportation Information Mapping System (TIMS) – Ohio Department of Transportation
• NPMap Builder – US National Park Service

SINGLE PROCESS SYSTEM CATEGORY

Exemplary System: Next Generation Permitting System – Pierce County, Tacoma, Washington

Distinguished Systems:

• Calgary Automated Survey Plan Verification and Reporting (CASPER) – City of Calgary , Alberta Canada
• Mobile Voter Line Wait Application – Collin County, Texas

To view last year’s winning submissions, visit: http://www.urisa.org/awards/exemplary-systems-in-government/

[Source: URISA press release]

Computers & Geosciences, Volume 87, February 2016, Pages 67–75

By Lenka Kociánová and Rostislav Melichar

“Highlights:

• Tools for orientation analysis of structural data were developed for ArcGIS 10.2.
• OATools analyze directional data in relation to their spatial information.
• Both angular and spatial characteristics of the data can be explored in ArcGIS.
• The structural conditions of the crystalline complex are described using the OATools.

“This paper describes Orientation Analysis Tools (OATools), a new add-in, which has been developed for ArcGIS software (ESRI) to allow the spatial analysis of structural data. These tools bring a complex approach to structural data analysis that highlights the spatial aspect of oriented data. In this paper we introduce the functionality of this add-in, which allows users to plot selected data in azimuthal projection, calculate and plot fold axes, construct density distribution diagrams and rose histograms, and create maps of spatial averages and fold axes.

(a) Svratkaand Polička crystalline units in the Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic). Metamorphic foliation plotted in azimuthal projections (equal-area) for particular sectors (Geologicalmap1:500,000, Czech Geological Survey(2014)). (b) Field data collected by Melichar (1995): metamorphic foliation (Geological map 1:500,000, Czech Geological Survey (2014)).

“There is a link between projections and maps; therefore, it is possible to select point data in the projection and see their location on the map, and vice versa. Practical use of these tools is demonstrated in a case study of the Svratka and Polička crystalline units (Eastern margin of the Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic), where a large dataset was collected. Using OATools the structural conditions were explored. Major changes in foliation dip directions were detected and the axial surfaces of the folds were determined. We also demonstrate the benefit of applying these tools, together with the potential of GIS with respect to spatial data queries, storage, and visualization.”

 

• More information

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) announces a new OGC Interoperability Program project called the “Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure Standards and Communication Pilot” (Arctic SDI Pilot).

The Arctic SDI Pilot is sponsored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Natural Resources Canada. The goal is to demonstrate to Arctic stakeholders the diversity, richness and value of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) based on Web services and standardized exchange formats in helping address critical issues impacting the Arctic. Stakeholders include national and pan-Arctic science and monitoring organizations and decision makers engaged in Arctic research, social and economic policy, and environmental management. The organizations participating in the ArcticSDI Pilot will document and publicize best practices that can support a rich network of Web-accessible data and service resources for the Arctic.

The pilot has two phases. Phase 1, an OGC Interoperability Program Concept Development study, began in December 2015. In Phase 1, project planners are building an inventory of currently available Arctic geospatial data layers and Web services and defining the Arctic SDI architecture. This work will be supported by partners engaged in industry, research, and numerous jurisdictions A Request for Information will be published in January 2016 to elicit further ideas, experiences, and projects in industry, research institutions and public administration to make maximal use of the ArcticSDI and to develop it further.

The Arctic SDI Pilot Phase 1 will also provide direct input into OGC’s major Testbed 12 Interoperability Program initiative. USGS has indicated that sponsor funding will be made available for Testbed 12 to test and further develop components identified in the Arctic SDI pilot. Through this collaboration, arctic stakeholders and the Arctic SDI will leverage and benefit from the leading edge interoperability research, development and outreach that is ongoing in the OGC’s series of major testbeds.

All findings from Phase 1 will serve as input for Phase 2, which will be an OGC Interoperability Program Pilot Project. OGC pilot projects apply and test OGC Standards in operational applications using Standards Based Commercial Off-The-Shelf (SCOTS) products that implement OGC Standards. Pilot projects provide an operational implementation so that users and technology developers can collaborate and learn how to better address their requirements using standards-based architectures. To articulate the value of interoperability via standards, technology provider participants will implement the recommended Arctic SDI architecture in support of Arctic policy scenarios. A video will be produced to engage policymakers on the benefits of integrating diverse data utilizing Arctic SDI standards and information management best practices.

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The OGC is an international consortium of more than 515 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC Standards support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC Standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org.

[Source: OGC press release]