Texas Fire Risk App and other Government GIS News

The Texas Forest Service and Texas A&M University have unveiled a new Web application that will forewarn residents when conditions are ripe for wildfire. The free application — dubbed TxWRAP — is designed to help homeowners and communities determine wildfire risk so they can act before a wildfire strikes. IT's Esri, Bing and DTS Agile based. The public viewer uses the term map themes along with map layers. Does the public know what a map theme is?

- Longview New-Journal

There was a good bit of buzz (at least on this blog) about Michigan signing on with Microsoft for aerial imagery in 2009. Now one county that submitted an intent to participate in year 3 (this year) is getting in on the deal.

Ogemaw County’s Geographic Information System (GIS) aerial photographs will be getting upgraded this year, but some townships’ aerial photos may not be revised.

The Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of aerial photography from Bing Maps during its April 26 meeting. The photography will be up to date, as the last aerial photos were taken 15 years ago, said Equalization Director John Awrey. Awrey added the new photography, scheduled for this spring, will have a much higher resolution.

Awrey said purchasing the upgraded files for the county’s GIS system costs $16,100, with eight townships providing a combined $4,600 for the files and the county paying the rest of the bill. 

- Ogemaw County Herald

Pinellas County (Florida) Commissioners unanimously approved a six-year $2.46 million contract April 24 with Esri. The county will consolidate and standardize on Esri products since the current system includes a mix of products, some of which are outdated and unsupported. There is bad news for resellers and other vendors per a report from Property Appraiser Pam Dubov, BTS Director Paul Alexander and Purchasing Manager Joe Lauro, all members of the EGIS committee.

Since the county invested heavily in this software product, it was prudent to leverage the established close working relationship with ESRI [sic] to negotiate directly on a non-competitive basis and bypass potential resellers of the product line.

From what I understand it's a four year deal where the county get "all you can eat." In the fourth year the county must inventory its licenses for use in determining how much it will pay for perpetual licensing.

- Tampa Bay Newspapers

Mapping Drug Dealers and other Crowdsourcing GIS News

Residents [of Reynosa, on the Mexico side of the Texas/Mexico border] are now using social media and Google Maps to report drug dealers in their neighborhoods.

An anonymous group of Twitter users launched the project a few months ago but it's now surging in popularity.

In an email interviews with Action 4 News, the creators of the map said they are asking people to report drug dealers using the #reynosafollow channel of Twitter.

Officials have their own reporting channel.

- Valley Central

The McCreary County  [Kentucky] Tourist Commission is looking for local mappers. The goal?

to “map” trails for tourists who may share their particular interest — such as hiking, off-roading, crafting, coal history, photography, etc. The resulting maps can then be developed into itineraries available on the county’s tourism website for self-guided tours.

“We need information for all kinds of trails,” County Tourism Director Ginger McCartt-West told The Record. “It doesn’t have to be an outdoor experience.”

A grant enables the effort and volunteers can use helmet cameras to make first person videos for the county website.

- McCreary Record

A class at UC Berkeley is mapping doggie amenities vs number of babies in San Francisco's Mmission District. Have any input?

- Map via Mission Local

Using GIS to Identify Volunteer Fire Fighters and other Government GIS News

I've noted the federally funded study to determine the best way to find volunteer firefighters before (APB coverage). Here's how one county involved in the GIS study is doing.

The study is designed to help departments reach that goal [having enough paid and volunteer firefighters]. Of the 20 departments taking part, 10 participated in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Segmentation study, and the other 10 are in a control group engaging in a traditional recruitment campaign, according to a news release.

 

The Martinsville [VA] department was part of the GIS study, which was based on the premise that studying demographic data about current firefighters will help the department target its recruitment efforts, Shrader said.

 

“They looked at all demographic data for current employees and volunteers to see what we were made of ... that way they provide us with a plan of targeted areas to explore for volunteers,” he said.

 

The VFCA enlisted two firms, Esri and Intterra, to perform the detailed analysis, the release said. Shrader said the analysis looked at everything from where firefighters like eat to what they enjoy doing in their free time.

 

The idea was to identify the types of people who would be the best candidates for volunteer fire service, where they can be found and how best to communicate with them, the release said.

 

With the GIS study complete, Shrader is planning several recruitment events at local venues that potential volunteers likely visit. An example might be a restaurant the firefighters consider a favorite or a store where many of them shop, he said.

Texas Wildfire Mapping - Interactive and Not So Interactive

If you live around Houston here's how the local paper told you of a lifted evacuation order:

UPDATE: The mandatory evacuation for Montgomery County residents who live just east of FM 1486 in Key Map grids 181 M-R-V-Z has been lifted.

This area includes Shady Oaks Blvd, Shady Oaks, Shady Lane, Country Oaks, Weeren Road, N. Hall Drive, S. Hall Drive, Doma, and Sandy Hill Roads.

Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management has posted an interactive GIS map for the wildfires in Montgomery County.

Go to left side of screen on www.mctxoem.org and click on "interactive GIS Map" or go to Emergency Information under News and Information.

That first bit sounds like goobledook to me up here  in Boston, but locally, I'm sure it has meaning. FM1486 seems to be a street. I'm pleased street names were also included. What's most disappointing is the map does not have a dedicated URL. Why not? Why add an extra step to accessing the information?

- Your Houston News

The Texas Forest Service is continuing to battle the flames and you can check their progress at any time by viewing an interactive map that you can find by clicking here.

- CBS 7

Esri, well actually Meltwater Press (Meltwater Press is a web-based media contact database and distribution tool that identifies journalists/beats and builds relevant media lists.) sent this out to its list:

This Esri Wildfires Map shows fire related information in and around the central Texas region. It is free to use and can be easily customized for news coverage. To change the center of the map simply zoom or pan to an area of interest. Turn layers on or off to adjust the display. Use the social button and the gear icon to change the search for social tags and date ranges. Upon completion of changes use the Share button to create a unique URL to your custom map or use the accompanying code to embed the map on your site. The map shows data from multiple sources, including the USGS NHSS and MODIS Global Fires. See more maps. If you have questions or need assistance please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

I wonder how many publications make their own maps vs. link to the local authorities maps?

- via Meltwater Press

In Bastrop, where two deaths are due to the fire, there's a list of damaged structures and a map in PDF.

- KUT

Waller County has a PDF of its evacuation area.

- Houston Chronicle

TxDOT’s Permitting Website and other State and Local GIS News

The Texas Permitting and Routing Optimization System (TRPOS) provides real-time, GIS-based mapping for routes and road restrictions. TRPOS, which took four years to build, allows Texas motor carriers to apply for routine permits online anytime, speeding things up for those needing and those creating the permits. So far more than half the users have needed no help in getting their permits. Texas issues 500,000 permits a year, more than any other state.

- Austin Biz Journal

Government Technology announced its top state, county and city websites on Sept 1. They are Arkansas, Stearns County, Minn., and Seattle and each one shows significant use of geospatial/mapping/filter of content by geography. Worth reading as guide to what your jurisdiction might do next!

- GovTech

Among those interviewed on Irene and its impact on Vermont is UVM's Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, geospatial analyst, Spacial Analysis Laboratory.

- UVM News