NY State Teacher Evaluation Map and other Education GIS News

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office has created an interactive map onwww.nystudentsfirst.com to illustrate which of the state’s 696 school districts have completed their teacher evaluation plans. Hover your mouse over a county and a box pops up with a list of each school district and whether it has submitted a plan to the New York State Education Department, and whether the state has approved it.

- NY Times

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is empowering its students, teachers and staff to identify maintenance issues such as leaky faucets and broken air conditioning units by sending text messages and photos through their mobile phones. A mobile reporting solution developed by IBM Business Partner CitySourced sends the photos and texts for analysis by IBM software that automatically shows staff where the problem is located using geographic information software from IBM Business Partner Esri.

- press release

TechNewsWorld has a little tutorial on how to use ArcGIS Online with GIS Cloud's Mobile Data Collection app.

- TechNewsWorld

Columbia County, GA Launches CitySourced and other Government GIS News

Columbia County, GA is using CitySourced's Citizen Reporter. After looking at the directions for download for the five different platforms, I wonder if it's time for HTML5, even if it must run on more than one browser.

- ABC 6

In Rancho Cucamongo, CA there's an iOS ony solution (Android coming): RC2GO "features directories of dining and shopping options within the city. Users can determine, for example, how many Thai food restaurants are in the city or the location of the nearest coffee shop." And, you can report potholes and graffitti, too.

The app was a joint project between the city and CyberTech, an information technology company with offices in Redlands. The city wanted to create an app that was useful and one that would make it easier to communicate with City Hall.

[Title]Embracing Google Earth

[Teaser] Five years ago, Google Earth worried government officials. But agencies have since realized that the benefits of high-resolution, up-to-date imagery of our Earth outweigh the risks.

That's how Jessica Mulholland, associate editor of GOVERNING, and associate editor of both Government Technology and Public CIO magazines, describes the use of platform in local and state government. 

- Governing

The New York State Liquor Authority launched its map that shows every current and pending liquor license in the state andany disciplinary actions taken by the agency against the licensee. The data used to require a FOIA request. (APB coverage). Tech: Fountains Spatial, ArcGIS Flex, Bing, Google StreetView. This is an interface I'd have my students explore! Did not work well in Safari.

- Times Union

Oregon is filtering data from Data.gov to its own state portal.

Locating data from the state and Data.gov portals can be cumbersome due to the abundance of data available, [Deputy State CIO Sean] McSpaden said. “What we’ve done initially is establish the connection. Over time, our plan is to work with Socrata on filtering so that only Oregon-specific [federal] data is present or accessible on our site,” he said.

To differentiate between what’s Oregon data and what’s federal data, McSpaden said Socrata is using icons on Data.Oregon.gov to indicate who owns what. 

- GovTech

Hawaii Broadband Speed Test and other Government GIS News

A new website will allow internet users to determine their computer or electronic device’s internet speed and help the state map its broadband coverage as the Abercrombie Administration moves forward with its Hawai’i Broadband Initiative. Participants can take the test at hawaiispeedtest.net. The data collected will assist the state in identifying and closing gaps in service throughout Hawai’i.

I'm not sure why they are behind other states who started such efforts months/years ago.

- press release

The [NY] State Liquor Authority is getting ready to launch a new interactive map, plotting each and every bar licensed in the city as well as all pending applications and violations bars have logged.

The map — which cost $75,000 to create — aims to help residents and community boards keep track of local bars, clubs and lounges in their neighborhoods. The design comes amid growing complaints from residents who believe rowdy bars and noisy drinkers are taking over their block.

The maps will hopefully make the lives of the overworked SLA easier and give residents the information once only available with a formal request.

- DNA Info

Hennepin County, MN offers  the first update to its interactive property map in six years. It's based on new Esri software (old version was six years old) and has new data including links to surveyors’ maps, plat maps and survey certificates. Another big change - maps now fill more of the computer screen. The link takes you to the "old version" which has a link to the "new version." 

- Finance and Commerce

Cass County Data $1000/year and other Government GIS News

Cass County, IN looked to its neighbors when two companies wanted to buy its GIS data. (The data, public records, are avaialble on the county website, but apparently not for download.) The verdict: sell it on an annual basis:

Companies wouldn’t be allowed to repackage and sell the county’s data.

The fee would be $1,000 a year, and that fee would entitle the buyer to any updates in the data for the rest of that calendar year. To obtain updates in subsequent years, [ the county’s information technology director Cj] Gilsinger said, the firm would have to pay another fee.

- Pharos Tribune

It seems the city of Napa is getting an ELA with Esri. Here's how the cost pre- and post deal play out:

Napa has used mapping software from Esri, based in Redlands, for at least 10 years, primarily in the engineering and public works departments, said Scott Nielsen, the city’s information technology services manager. The city has paid about $15,000 annually.

Now the city plans to use the software for all of its operations at a cost of about $55,000 in each of the next three years.

- Napa Valley Register

Here's how London will help pay for a new transit line:

Emirates, which sponsors Arsenal football club, can today be revealed as the backer of Boris Johnson's cable car project, which will link the O2 arena in Greenwich with the Excel exhibition centre at the Royal Docks.

As part of the £36million, 10-year deal for the new Emirates Air Line, the company will see its branding on all future versions of Harry Beck's Tube map design. Two new stations will be added to future versions of the map - Emirates Greenwich Peninsula and Emirates Royal Docks.

This is a first for branding on the Tube map.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine, today, announced $1 million for 9 projects that will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in New York. Specialty crops include fruit, vegetables, maple, honey, horticulture and nursery/landscape. The Specialty Crop Block Grants are funded and approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

New York State GeoSpatial Summit 2011 Coming in June

The NYS GIS Association and the NYS Office of Cyber Security are organizing the 6th annual NYS GeoSpatial Summit. It's June 16, 2011 at the Welch-Allyn Lodge in Skaneateles, New York, with an evening reception at the Lodge on June 15.  And, with some help from USGIF, the registration fee matches that of 2008.

Unlike the early years where topics strayed from geospatial, this year it's all geospatial, all the time:

The roster of speakers for the GeoSpatial Summit is complete, and it includes Adena Schutzberg of Directions Magazine, Keith Masback from US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, Chris Holmes of OpenGeo, Kyle Schmackpfeffer from ITT Geospatial Systems, Nicolas de Monchaux from UC Berkeley, Mike Dobson of TeleMapics LLC, and Learon Dalby from the Arkansas Geographic Information Office.

This event is small, intimate, and in a beautiful setting. I'll see you there.