USGS Topo maps online

In class today we will be talking about ways to access the free USGS topographic quads for NJ online.

It is amazing to me to think how much the use of these has changed aver the years even though the maps themselves have changed so little. For those that are new to the maps, I am sharing some different scenes from around New Jersey that may be of interest. Just click on each and they'll expand.










A special thanks goes out to Mike Siegel and the Rutgers Cartography Lab.  This is a great resource for students and for pros.  A national resource is the Libre Map Project, but it is a bit harder for first time users.

Good for health, bad for security?

 GPS company Strava publishes something called the Global Heat Map which shows where people are using GPS-enabled fitness devices and engaged in other activities. The NYTimes reports that aside from showing where people work out, it also shows (possibly) where there are secret military bases.

Maps as art

If your GIS assignments are looking a little dull, maybe Topi can help inspire you to achieve something more creative.

Topi Tjukanov is a Helsinki-based GIS/Cartographer who does amazing things with public data. His gallery online includes an elegant map of the optimal route from the geographic center of the US to every county in the US. Another map he created illustrates the differences between driving, biking, and walking to the outer edges in his hometown.

Caught Mapping

PlaNetizen had a great Friday Eye Candy on hand-drawn maps that included this classic film, Caught Mapping. It presents a fairly auto-centric view of mapping, but is a fun step back in time.

 

Municipal Planning Board meetings

All of the students in my Environmental Planning class will be attending a Municipal Planning Board meeting.

The first step is to find a date and place that works for you. One way to do this is to visit the official web site for a city/township/borough in New Jersey and find the official schedule for the planning board meetings.

• New Brunswick has posted a notice of all of the meetings planned for 2018.
• Edison has posted a similar schedule. Make sure you go to the public hearing, not the technical review or work session.
• For some communities, you will need to look through their monthly calendar of all public meetings to find the Planning Board, like on this calendar for Highland Park.

A few others will simply post a notice that they meet one some repeating pattern, like the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Whichever you choose, I encourage you to call before you go, simply to be sure the meeting isn't postponed or cancelled.

Great job opportunity

The 3-d geospatial startup of Envelope is looking for help. They are located in the amazing Woolworth building in NYC. If you don't know them, you should:

Envelope is a software company, spun out of a longtime collaboration between award-winning SHoP Architects, and the Director of MIT’s Civic Data Design Lab. Our 3D urban mapping platform integrates proprietary geospatial datasets, sophisticated algorithms, and iterative scenario analysis. We enable real estate professionals to visualize opportunity and make faster, smarter, and more discreet investment decisions. 

 They are looking for a zoning specialist, 3d engineer and a Senior Product Designer.

Saving the coast, 25,000 acres at a time

Unwilling to leave the land for development, a couple in California donated $165 million to The Nature Conservancy to ensure that a critically important piece of the coastline is preserved. National Geographic has a couple photos and reports that:

The land was once the Bixby Ranch, then later became the Cojo Jalama Ranches, a privately owned piece of coastal property that the LA Times once called "the last perfect place."

 James Fallows offers a lengthy piece in The Atlantic. Knowing the the donors, he got a personal sense of what this meant to them:

Much as the Rockefellers’ example is remembered now—or Carnegie’s with his libraries, or the Mellons’ and Fricks’ with their museums—the Dangermonds hope that in their smaller-scale way they can set an example others can refer to. “We would love to have 100 Dangermond Reserves,” he said. “But I’m not Carnegie. We’re not in the oil business. We can’t do this by ourselves. We’re telling the story to set an example of what others could do.”

Traffic fatalities

Curbed reports on a study that found that the US has unusually high rates of traffic fatalities compared to peer nations.

“The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, yet we have a very poor record of road safety,” says Welle. “The U.S. has nearly triple the fatalities of countries like Sweden or the Netherlands.”

The article points out that some states have already taken steps towards these International standards. By contrast, others seem to promote danger:

“If you go on city streets, especially in the U.S. suburbs, these roads are what people call dangerous by design,” she says. “And often, the level of forgiveness of speeding here, of allowing people to go 10 miles over the limit, can mean the difference between survival and death.”

Remember, these are not accidents, they are fatalities. It is a matter of health and safety, not just convenience.

"Widespread" everywhere

The CDC has weekly updates on the spread of the H3N2 flu. Just like dessert, they save the maps for last so flip down to them.

By itself, this maps is intimidating. But if you go back and see past years, you'll realize how terrifying this really is.

Projects to watch

Curbed has named 10 Megadevelopments to keep an eye on. With one in Boston, one in DC, one in Philly and two in NYC, it will be easy for our students to watch them as they happen.

GIS jobs

Tetra Tech is hiring in Parsippany

The Nature Conservancy is hiring in New York City

Foto Favorites

In lieu of real blog posts, I offer this. I took a lot of photos this year, these are a few favorites. Not the best, just personal favorites.

Permable pavers

The Dutch are trying out these beautiful new permeable pavers. Do you think that the American concern about liability would keep these from getting used in public spaces here? Have we move past worrying about a person using crutches or a cane, a woman with heels, or a toddler with small feet?

GIS Day at Rutgers

GIS Day is almost here.

This Wedensday we will be celebrating that goodness of all things GIS from 7-9pm on the Cook Campus.

GIS Day at Rowan College at Burlington County

Registration is OPEN

GIS Day at Rowan College at Burlington County

(formerly GIS Day at Burlington County College)

900 College Circle, Mount Laurel, NJ

Wednesday, November 15^th , 8:30-4:30

We are pleased to announce that a full-day GIS Day event will once again be held at Rowan College at Burlington County (formerly Burlington County College) on Wednesday, November 15, 2017.   This event will consist of a morning of speaker presentations and an afternoon of GPS and GIS activities.  This year, the afternoon will once again include an opportunity to visit Palmyra Nature Cove’s Mobile Geoscience and Remote Sensing Lab.  There will also be an afternoon symposium hosted by MAGTUG, the Mid-Atlantic Geospatial Transportation Users Group (www.magtug.wordpress.com), which will focus on Geospatial Data Management for Local Agencies.

Morning topics will include how GIS is being used for:

·         Flood preparedness

·         Solar Siting

·         Inventorying historic architecture

·         Prioritizing land preservation

The afternoon will include:

·         Palmyra Nature Cove’s Mobile Geoscience and Remote Sensing Lab

·         MAGTUG symposium on Geospatial Data Management for Local Agencies with presentations covering

o   File/folder naming conventions and protocols/management tips

o   Web GIS & LiDAR as a platform for guide rail assessment

o   & more

·         GPS field activity

·         Self-paced GIS lab exercises

Registration is open at www.co.burlington.nj.us/gisdayatrcbc

We are also still accepting map submissions for the map gallery/contest for GIS Day.  More info is attached and at available at the link above.  

Greening the Hunt

Are "darting safaris" an improvement over traditional safaris? Rick Schroeder will present a fascinating look at the topic on October 27.

UAV/GPS Workshop at Rutgers

 Are you interested in learning how to use your smartphone or tablet as a GPS or GIS data collector while you’re out in the field? Are you curious about Drone Mapping? Join us on Monday, December 11th and Tuesday, December 12th for informative and interactive day long workshops.
To register, please visit http://gps-mapping.com/workshops/.


On December 11th, the workshop will explore the growing trend of using smartphones and tablets in the field as GPS/GIS data collection devices (BYOD – Bring Your Own Device). Carrying a specialized “GPS handheld” is no longer necessary to collect high-accuracy, feature-rich data. How accurate is the GPS chip inside your iPad? How can you get sub- meter or centimeter accuracy using your iPad, iPhone or Android device? Which software should you use on your smartphone/tablet to collect GPS/GIS data?

On December 12th, learn about how you no longer need a traditional FAA Pilot license or a $50,000 drone to start using UAVs for mapping and inspection. The FAA rules changed last summer so it’s much easier to start flying now.  Consumer drones are getting better, faster, less expensive and easier to fly.  The workshop will explore the current FAA rules for flying drones and what it takes to obtain a drone pilot certificate. It will also offer a discussion about different types of drones, costs, and capabilities. By attending you will learn about examples of products and data you can produce with an inexpensive drone.

Registration questions? Call Eric at (541) 829-3443 or ericpg@gps-mapping.com
Click here to see a flyer for more information and for a mail in registration form.

The real cost of invasive plants

New Brunswick Today reports that the City of New Brunswick has been forced to raise its water and sewer rates because of invasive plants growing in its water supply system. The infestation is miles away from New Brunswick, but the cost of invasives is real for Hub City residents.

A deliberately confusing landscape

So many farms in our area have found success with corn mazes that there is a magazine that helps you sort out which one is best for you.

MVV at the NY Times

The NY Times has posted a very short video of Michael Van Valkenburg. It feels like a telling sign of where landscape architecture is today. The highest-profile LAs are increasingly treated with a seriousness that parallels artists and scientists.