Flood photos

Here are a few of my Hurricane Irene photos to go with the talk advertised below:

Hurricane Irene: Storm Planning, Impact and Aftermath in New Jersey

The Rutgers University Department of Geography is proud to announce an upcoming symposium entitled “Hurricane Irene: Storm Planning, Impact and Aftermath in New Jersey.”  The symposium will be held on September 16, 2011 at 2 pm in Lecture Hall B117 of Lucy Stone Hall on Livingston Campus in Piscataway, NJ (54 Joyce Kilmer Ave., Piscataway, NJ 08854).  This event has been organized in collaboration with the Rutgers Climate and Society Initiative and the Rutgers Center for Environmental Prediction. Reception to follow.

 State Climatologist David A. Robinson and Natural Hazards Expert, James K. Mitchell, will address a series of challenges leading up to, and left in the wake of, Hurricane Irene. Drs. Robinson and Mitchell (both members of the faculty of the Department of Geography) will discuss Irene in the context of previous major storms in New Jersey.

 In a recent interview with LiveScience, the popular online science magazine, Dr. Robinson explained the pattern of extreme weather events in 2011: “A couple of extreme years could simply be a statistical anomaly....It's when events become persistently volatile over decades that these short-term explanations no longer work.  Ocean patterns can drive multi-decade weather patterns, . . but you also have to look to human impact [on the natural systems].”

 Dr. Mitchell noted after his recent survey of inland areas that were hard-hit by floods generated by Irene: “Although New Jerseyans worry a great deal about the prospect of catastrophic losses from extreme winds and massive inundations in shoreline communities, hurricane Irene demonstrated, once again, a different suite of problems that are typically experienced during the declining phase of hurricanes.”

Speaker Series: Kate John-Alder

 LA Fall Lecture Series presents Kathleen John-Alder

Wednesday, 9/14 at 4:00 pm,

Cook/Douglas Lecture Hall;

3 College Farm Road

New Brunswick, NJ

The Reality in Process / The Permanence in Change

Kathleen L. John –Alder is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University.  A registered landscape architect with over twenty years of professional experience, she holds undergraduate degrees from Oberlin College and Rutgers University, an M.S. from Pennsylvania State University, and an M.E.D. from Yale University. Kathleen is the author of  “The Garden, The Greenhouse, and The Picturesque View, which appears in Kevin Roche: Architecture as Environment. 

Kathleen, reflecting her training in both biology and landscape architecture, situates her research at the nexus of art and science, as seen through the environmental dialogues of the 1960s.  Currently, she is working on a manuscript that critically explores Lawrence’s Halprin’s ecological analysis of The Sea Ranch, excerpts of which will be presented in the lecture The Reality of Process / the Permanence of Change.

Who doesn't like bikes and trails?

Maybe Tom Coburn.

Remembering

Places and Spaces has previously offered photos from the spontaneous memorial at Shanksville and the NPS video of the design for the Flight 93 Memorial there.

Those magic lights

The twin towers of lights don't just happen. This short video details the process of their creation.

Another great speaker series

Our fall speaker series is off to a great start this fall.

Not there you were going to swim in it anyway

But that water in many of the streets in the Northeast is grosser than you thought. Infrastructure matters.

Restoration Project Coordinator

JOB OPPORTUNITY

American Littoral Society www.littoralsociety.org

Location
American Littoral Society
Northeast Chapter Headquarters
Queens, NY

Title
Restoration Project Coordinator

Reports to
Habitat Restoration Program Director in Highlands, NJ

More after the jump...

VGI gone astray

One of the great things about volunteered geographic informatin is how quickly it can be updated to reflect changes.  For instance, Google Maps makes it easy for users to flag a business that has closec and then map users can be spared the agony of a trip there.  But what if the business is really open? Fixing it isn't always as easy.

Again?

The nearby river gages are going up again.

Urban accupuncture?

An interesting piece in the Guardian comparing planners' user of GIS in cities with acupuncture.

MLK Memorial

After years of design and months of construction, the MLK Memorial has opened on the tidal basin in Washington DC and there are plenty of photos available online now.

Some reviews are not so positive with a famous MLK fan worrying that it send the wrong message.  And one cartoonist seemed to have a different critique of the committee's approach to decision-making.

September is clearly more popular than October

As proven by Google Trends, showing September in blue and October in red:

Bike Trails in NJ

While a drive up the Turnpike may focus your attention on the less pleasant aspects of our state's industrial heritage, one of the nicer aspects of that heritage is turning the industrial features into something new.  One example is turning old railroad tracks into bike trails, as is often done by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.  If you look at their list of bike trails in NJ you'll see that several use old train corridors that wouldn't be accessible otherwise.

Sussex County alone has several.  The train trestle becomes a great stop on the trail and the right-of-way is the perfect size for a trail and a buffer on each side. 

Special Projects GIS Internship

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Internship Program

Special Projects GIS Internship

The special projects group of the State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) supports and assists the Commissioner with special projects.

The group uses maps and geographic analysis on a variety of projects throughout New Jersey. The unit is developing its GIS capabilities at this time. As an intern, you will actively contribute to this project, gaining useful experience of GIS in a range of planning, research and data management work.

A good understanding of ArcGIS 10 software is required. Demonstrated competence with cartographic work is also appreciated. Potential interns with skills or interest in contributing in any of the following areas are especially encouraged to apply: ArcObjects, metadata, data management, raster catalogs, excel and attribute joins and Arch GIS mapping.

Internships are part-time. For example, a typical internship could last for the fall semester, working one or two days per week at our Trenton Office. Internships are unpaid, but offer great opportunity for experience, networking and practical training.

To apply, please send your resume, cover letter and a map you prepared using ArcGIS as well as any additional supporting materials to rtessier@dca.state.nj.us. Please make the subject of your email your full name and the position for which you are applying. We kindly request no phone calls regarding this position.

GIS Intern w/ Growing Engineering & Planning Firm

GIS Intern w/ Growing Engineering & Planning Firm

Stonefield Engineering & Design, a full-service Professional Engineering and Consulting Firm based in Rutherford, NJ, is recruiting a GIS Intern to provide technical expertise to drive our growing GIS service.  A core firm objective is to employ technology to provide better, faster, and more easily comprehensible information to meet the needs of our clients.

The position would be unpaid for a period of 60-90 days, at which time we would evaluate candidates for a paid position.  A position with Stonefield would provide both an opportunity to apply your GIS expertise on a wide range of projects and to provide significant input on the direction of our GIS services.

The right candidate will bring a strong technical background, intellectual curiosity, and a desire for continued growth and learning.  The GIS Specialist will work within a team to determine big-picture goals, but will spend significant time working and solving problems independently, so self-motivation is critical.

The GIS Specialist will lead in the design, development, maintenance and enhancement of geographic information systems and geodatabases.  Candidate will utilize ArcGIS to digitize, edit, and maintain spatial data layers, validate data for accuracy and completeness, and produce maps and figures.  Among other activities, candidate will link asset maps or orthophotos with asset attributes, transportation data, and other related information.

Candidates will be required to exhibit significant GIS experience and proficiency using ArcGIS products including ArcMap and ArcCatalog.   Excellent communication and organizational skills and the ability to work within a team environment are also important for a successful candidate.  GIS Certification and experience with AutoCAD are preferred, but not required.

Proficiency with the following is desired: MS Windows, ESRI ArcGIS 10, ArcView Desktop, ArcCatalog, creating/editing geodatabases, Feature Classes and shapefiles, GeoProcessing, importing/exporting shapefiles, and converting CADD data-sets to shapefiles.

Our core office is located in the transit-oriented village of Rutherford, NJ with easy access to the Rutherford NJ Transit train station.  New York Penn Station is a 30-minute train ride.  We also have an office in the Soho area of New York City.  Interested candidates should submit a short cover letter, resume, and PDF of work product(s) to: cleary@stonefieldeng.com.  Please reference “GIS Intern” in subject line.

Bike Map of Middlesex County

While we aren't there yet, it is getting to the point that a county without a bike map is a clear laggard.  Here is Middlesex County's.  No laggards are we!

3-way street redux

For those that missed it earlier this summer, this video highlights the different conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles in an intersection in NY.

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.

(It is best if you watch it full size on Vimeo)

GIS: Designing our future

A good starting place for talking about Geodesign is Jack Dangermond's article describing Carl Steinitz's design approach.