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In a report called “FEMA: In or Out” the DHS Inspector General’s office argues that the new administration leave the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Homeland Security Department (DHS). DHS combined 22 agencies back in 2003, including FEMA. FEMA’s response during Katrina was widely criticized but that’s no reason to set the the agency adrift.
The Times-Union (Albany) describes the “war room” currently in use to plan the state’s attack on Washington’s money. Here’s the mapping story:
The “war room” for the moment is pretty low-tech — paper maps hang on the walls with post-it notes with numbers stuck on them to indicate the number of projects in a particular region. A printout of all the programs in the federal stimulus is taped to the wall as well.
Gilchrist said that staffers are, at this very moment, reviewing each of the proposals as they come from municipalities, entering them into a database, and mapping the proposed projects using GIS software to ensure that projects are spread throughout the state.
Too bad that as things get going GIS state coordinators will be heading to Annapolis for the NSGIC midyear.
What if you rig up mobile billboards to grab the id of Bluetooth devices as (phones say) as they go by. Then you measure how many of those devices actually show up at the location advertised (say a mall). That, says Petros Kondos co-founder and CEO of Wireless Customer Interactive Technologies allows you to know where the mobile ads were most effective.
The results were quite astounding; our client iMedia could now determine which sites were most effective in attracting customers to the mall. The unique Bluetooth identifier of each Bluetooth device that passed the vehicle was noted (the Bluetooth identifier does not contain any personal information and cannot be used for any other purpose than Bluetooth communication on an opt-in basis).
Can you make that causal connection from this data
- Biz Community (South Africa)
Northrop Grumman donated the first of three unmanned remote control helicopters to New Mexico State University. It’s an “oldie” - a $200,000 Yamaha RMAX used for crop dusting after 1987. Students in engineering and geography are looking forward to getting it airborne but have some challenges: (1) Northrop Grumman in not providing the (proprietary) software to run the craft; students will need to write their own and (2) they’ll need to gain FAA flight worthiness approval and permission to fly. Geography senior Natalie Brooks, wants to work in GIS. She’s quoted: GIS is “everything from analyzing aerial photographs to creating maps—3D terrain maps, or when they were talking about GPS, sending the signal, that’s the kind of thing that I’ve learned. [Unmanned aircraft] is turning into a big thing, because you don’t want to send someone over in a plane and have them get killed.”
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona are expected to receive similar craft.
- Las Cruces Sun-News
- press release
The University of Jammu in India has launched a new Masters degree course in Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System. It is the only university in northern India to have a Master’s level program.
