The Spring 2009 Beth Maloan Outstanding UT Martin Student Employee Award was presented to Carrington Wright, a University of Tennessee Martin Department of Geology, Geography and Physics employee. Wright is a geoscience major who has worked for the university for three years.
Wright, of Clarksville, assists with rearrangement of material and laboratories, repairs equipment, sets up experiments and supports office tasks. One of the tasks that caught my eye: he “almost single-handedly reorganizing the department’s extensive map library.” This award should get this fellow’s resume to the top of a hiring manager’s list once he graduates!
- The Leaf Chronicle
Florida International University was one of fourteen university to received grants from the National Science Foundation through its Cluster Exploratory (CluE) program to participate in the IBM/Google Cloud Computing University Initiative. Grants total $5 million.
“Florida International University (FIU) researchers are leveraging cloud computing to analyze aerial images and objects to help support disaster mitigation and environmental protection. Specifically, the CluE effort at FIU relates to its TerraFly project, which is a web-service of 40 terabytes of aerial imagery, geospatial queries and local data. Students and researchers will now be able to precisely code these images in real-time.”
- press release
Two teachers from Westborough, MA were among the six recipients of a Google contest for school curricula based on Google Earth’s new 3D map of Rome. The interesting part of the story to me: the project, which involved having students write a newspaper about the rise and fall of Rome, initially didn’t include using Google Earth. But, after seeing the contest, the teachers added it in. I suspect that for a while integrating technology and geography into school projects may happen this way - as an afterthought. Still, in time, I hope their inclusion will become organic.
- MetroWest Daily News
by Adena Schutzberg on 04/27 at 06:40 AM |
Comments |
The 2010 Senate and House maps, found on the Commission’s web site (www.fec.gov), provide an overview of campaign activity for 2010 congressional candidates. Similar to the 2008 congressional and presidential maps, the updated versions summarize campaign data by showing receipt, disbursement, debt and cash on hand totals by candidate, as well as detailed contributor and disbursement information.
Of note to those who love data:
Additional new features will be added within the next month that will allow users to export selective data in several common formats such as XML, JSON, and CSV, and to utilize a new zoom tool, making it easier to view and select smaller regions of the map.
via ResourceShelf
by Adena Schutzberg on 04/27 at 06:27 AM |
Comments |
Intergraph and KEMA are both investigating Smart Grid opportunities that are expected to result from economic stimulus funds. Intergraph, a global provider of engineering and geospatial software, and KEMA, a business and technical consultancy for the energy industry, both view the optimization of the operations control center as key to Smart Grid success. In a report released by KEMA, the company believes that of the stimulus money going towards infrastructure that at least 10% will be dedicated to advanced IT programs of which operation control centers will be a major portion. From the report (download; registration required):
KEMA’s projection anticipates that a potential disbursement of $16 billion in Smart Grid incentives would act as a catalyst in driving associated Smart Grid projects that are worth $64 billion. The impact of these projects would result in the direct creation of approximately 280,000 new positions across various categories, of which more than 150,000 will be created by the end of 2009. Furthermore, KEMA estimates that nearly 140,000 new direct jobs would persist beyond the Smart Grid deployment as permanent, on-going high-value positions.
Tony DiMarco of Intergraph believes that his company is well positioned to support the growing demand for infrastructure improvements, specifically surrounding Smart Grid, outage management, mobile resource management and field force automation. Intergraph is also hosting a webinar with Stellar Grants to educate utilities on how to obtain Smart Grid stimulus money. In the area of critical infrastructure, Intergraph can also assess the vulnerability of utility networks. DiMarco emphasized that Intergraph is very focused on improving location-based situational awareness for utilities.
by Joe Francica on 04/27 at 06:09 AM |
Comments |
You might remember the name from Google’s geospatial team a few years back. Now word from PaidContent that he’s headed toward venture capitalism. His Stage5 Ventures will specializing in early-stage bets. Details of the amount of funds to be raised and the specific industry focus were not disclosed.
by Adena Schutzberg on 04/27 at 06:00 AM |
Comments |
The app walks a driver who’s been in an accident through the steps required to file a claim. In addition to the details of the other person’s insurance, it uses the device’s GPS to create a map of scene and uses the camera to take photos (which the carrier is not obligated to use). The app is available to those who have insurance with other carriers, but Nationwide customers get a direct filing and the opportunity to call local authorities and get a tow.
Again, location just part of the app. I continue to think that many, many successful apps will use location as a secondary feature.
- Wired
by Adena Schutzberg on 04/27 at 06:00 AM |
Comments |
