Update 3: Local GIS Tidbits
And the voted passed. No more using aerial imagery of any kind to prosecute against residents in violation of town statutes.
- NewsDay
- NPR interview
—update 9/7/10—-
Riverhead abandoned using Google Earth to find illegal pools in the middle of August. Now a proposed restriction on such use is up for a vote:
Councilman George Gabrielsen has prepared a resolution adopting a policy restricting the use of virtual globe map and geographic information programs.
The Town Board is expected to vote on the policy Wednesday at its 2 p.m. Town Board meeting.
“Many residents, together with local and regional community groups, have expressed their objection to and fear of eroding privacy rights by the Town of Riverhead building department’s use of virtual globe map and geographic information programs, commonly referred to as satellite imagery, or coined ‘eye in the sky’, to identify and initiate prosecution against residents in violation of Town Code provisions,” the resolution reads.
The proposed policy prohibits town employees, other than police, from using such aerial services to initiate or commence prosecution of Town Code violations.
- Riverhead News Review via @mappsorg
—- update 8/18/10——
Lots of other news outlets picked up the AP story about Riverhead using Google Earth to find those with unpermitted pools. Government Technology followed up on the backlash from the town regarding privacy. Interesting response:
At the same time, the hostile response has prompted local officials to abandon the Google Earth method and instead use its own GIS tool, although [Chief Building Inspector Leroy] Barnes admitted “it is a little clumsy.”
I wonder why it’s clumsy? No geocoding? Older imagery? And:
But unlike Google Earth, governments have to pay for Bing’s imaging service, Barnes said, and Riverhead just couldn’t afford to do that.
Is that correct?
- GovTech
—- original post 8/2/10——
It’s time for new school system boundaries in Pitt County, NC. The district is redrawing attendance lines for 14 elementary and middle schools this summer for the 2011-12 school year. Two scenarios were used to build the first maps: one in which proximity was used (that was most favored) and a second that tried to give schools more equally balanced reading scores (within 13 percent, it turns out vs. 43% differences for the proximity option). Next up: another scenario, trying to balance the two.
San Mateo got a grant for $30,000 for Crossroads Software which “collects and records collision data so the Department of Public Works can determine where the hot spots are.” The software is to be linked to the GIS, which is weird since the Crossroads’ offering includes ArcView.
See also this post about a grant from the same org for Glenn County Planning and Public Works Department for GIS.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/New-tool-makes-tracking-traffic-incidents-easier-99692239.html”>San Francisco Examiner
Riverhead, on Long Island, is using Google Earth to locate pools installed without permits. So far about $75,000 in fees has been collected from the 250 unpermitted pools found.
- 1010Wins
Madison County, IL is the latest county to offer a GIS-based map of foreclosures aimed to help both those neighborhoods with foreclosures and those looking to invest per the Recorder of Deeds.
The interactive map will provide users with a clear image of the house or other building. It will document information about the foreclosure, the date it was recorded, the property identification number and the address.
The website is https://maps.co.madison.il.us/recorder/foreclosures.html.
I was unable to click through the disclaimer in Safari/Mac. The site is built on ESRI Flex API.
- The Telegraph
The Port of Los Angeles will be presented an Information Technology Award at the American Association of Port Authorities annual conference in Halifax on Sept. 19-23 for its Enterprise Geographic Information Systems Project, which integrates modern and legacy GIS systems in the port.
