GIS Algorithm Cup and other GIS Competition News

With the goal of encouraging innovation in a fun way, ACM SIGSPATIAL is hosting an algorithm contest with winners to be announced at the ACM SIGSPATIAL GIS conference in November 2012. Contest participants will submit original computer programs to be evaluated by the contest organizers on a common dataset. The first place team will receive US$ 500 plus one NVIDIA Quadro 6000 (or similar) graphics card. Second place will receive US$ 400 plus one NVIDIA TEGRA tablet device. Third place will receive US$ 300 and one NVIDIA TEGRA tablet.

The 2012 contest will be about map matching, which is the problem of correctly matching a sequence of location measurements to roads. 

- contest page via @michael_d_gould

How about a game based learning contest? Ideas for teaching spatial literacy and/or geography would be valid!

In an effort to circulate innovative ideas about integrating electronic gaming in the classroom, the NEA Foundation, in a partnership with Microsoft U.S. Partners in Learning, is hosting a competition for the best ideas on "how interactive technology and game-based learning can improve teaching and learning," according to the Foundation's website. Game-based learning can mean anything from understanding physics through the popular Angry Birds app to delving into the structure of society in the computer game Minecraft.

The Challenge to Innovate (C2i) competition is open to educators, students, parents, or anyone who has an idea and has registered for free as a member of the U.S. Department of Education's Open Innovation Portal, which acts as a public forum for improving education. Participants post their gaming idea to the portal, and other registered members—most of whom are educators and parents—award points to the ideas they think are most innovative and helpful.

- US News

Aim: The main aim of the OneGeology Best Application competition is to demonstrate the wide range of potential applied uses and applications that the OneGeology Portal, and geological data/services that it provides, can offer for easy discoverability, access and use.

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The registration of the applications developed for this competition will be accepted until the end of May 2012.

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The winner of the competition will receive a free registration for the 34th International Geological Congress, Brisbane, Australia (August 2012) and will also have the opportunity to present the new innovative application during the Geoinformation Symposium/ OneGeology Session at the conference.

You must be under 35 to enter.

- website via @jeffharrison

GeoTech Center Funding Ends in Aug 2012

Yesterday David DiBiase, in his role as as a "project advisor" with the GeoTech Center, shared the news on Facebook that National Science Foundation declined to provide the center with a second round of funding. The four years of funding ran 2008-2012 under award 0801893. (My colleague Joe Francica is also an advisor on the project.)

The GeoTech Center review meeting began this morning with the disappointing news that NSF declined to renew the Center’s funding for an additional four years. PI Philip Davis received the Program Officer’s email late last night. 

It's certainly a setback for community colleges and for the entire GIS education community. GeoTech is the closest thing we’ve had to an organization comparable in scale to NCGIA but wholly dedicated to geospatial education and training. Still, whether the GeoTech Center rebounds or not, some of its initiatives are too important to forsake. First and foremost, the GTCM needs to be updated, curated, and promoted—with or without NSF support. Now the task facing me and other project advisers is to help the team regroup, re-prioritize, and rethink next steps.

This is an unfortunate loss of funding; there is still much work to be done.

Westport, CT’s new TaxMap App and other Government GIS News

Westport, CT has a new Esri-based map viewer. The city is offering several 90 and 150 minute classes on using it. Good thing  - since I oculd not get the help to work. The old intro page says you must use IE not AOL or another browser. Safari worked fine.

- CT

The Franklin County, AL Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Consortium officially lauched its “virtual Franklin County,” also known as its public facing GIS. It's built on ArcGIS Viewer for Flex 2.

- Franklin County Times

The city of Southfield [MI] recently launched Destination Southfield, a collection of Geographic Information System -based sites that provide up-to-date interactive maps and information about city services, parks and polling locations. The information can be found at http://maps.cityofsouthfield.com/destinationsouthfield.

With Destination Southfield, the city has become one of the first communities in the country to take advantage of Environmental Systems Research Institute's local government common information model. ArcGIS for Local Government includes a series of maps and apps that are designed to work together across various city departments.

Silverlight. Interesting "hide and seek" menus.

- Hometown Life

ERMA (at one time demo for Geoportal.gov) Basis for Arctic Response GIS

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today they are partnering to enhance the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) for the Arctic region by summer 2012. ERMA® is the same interactive online mapping tool used by federal responders during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This effort will help address numerous challenges in the Arctic where increasing ship traffic and proposed energy development are increasing the risk of oil spills and chemical releases.

That's all good, but isn't the ultimate goal for these sorts of efforts to use Geoplatform.gov? Maybe since that technology is still in beta, these groups went with a tested solution.

- NOAA press release

Linux Yuma and other Mobile GPS Data Capture News

...the latest news appears to be the Trimble Yuma, a rugged tablet from SDG Systems that now runs Ubuntu Linux.

Targeting military and industrial applications requiring data collection, inspection, and reporting from the field, the Linux-powered Yuma can be used with geospatial software including GRASS GIS and Quantum GIS as well as other standard or custom Linux-based applications. The device is available starting at $3695 on SDG's website.

- PC World

The Trimble Juno series provides a complete, integrated package of positioning, imaging and communications for flexibility. Two versions are available. The Juno 3B has an integrated GPS, a 5 MP autofocus camera and Windows Mobile software. The Juno 3D includes all of the features of the Juno 3B plus 3G wireless technology, which allows users to transfer data faster and stay connected to the office with an integrated mobile phone.

- press release

TomTom has made a landmark move into the insurance market by providing the technology behind a new insurance product, which bases premiums on driving behaviour.

TomTom has teamed up with insurance broker Motaquote for the launch of Fair Pay Insurance – a product that rewards 'good' drivers with lower premiums.

- press release