NSGIC Past-President in a "Hallway Conversation"

Past-president Learon Dalby is the guest on a Directions Magazine Podcast with Adena Schutzberg. The interview -- a "Hallway Conversation" -- was recorded in late October. Ms. Schutzberg has noted in the past that some of the most important conversations that happen at professional conferences are the ones that take place on the side, or out in the hallway. She's started trying to model that aspect of conferences in her podcasts.

This hallway conversation is a review of issues discussed at the 2009 NSGIC Annual Conference. Among the subjects covered are the growing use of social media, crowd-sourcing of data, broadband mapping, parcels on Google Maps, governance of the NSDI, and the NSGIC Advocacy Agenda.

Registration Now Open for 2010 NSGIC Mid-Year (#nsgicmidyear)

Registration for the 2010 NSGIC Mid-Year Conference has opened.

The conference, which will run from March 7 to March 10, 2010, will be held at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, in Annapolis, Maryland.

The conference theme will be "A Collaborative Heading." It will be tracked on various social media platforms with the tag #nsgicmidyear.

Registration Information

• Members -- $335 before Feb. 12, then $385 after Feb 12 or $435 after March 5.
• Non-Members -- $485 before Feb. 12, then $535 after Feb 12 or $585 after March 5.
• Non-Sponsoring Corporate -- $1,500 per person.

Of course, it makes the most sense to simply become a NSGIC member. It is also worth noting that there are plenty of sponsorship opportunities available as well.

A draft agenda is available on the Mid-Year conference web page, as is a PDF copy of the official registration form.

Call for Content - NSGIC Midyear Conference

The Conference Planning Committee has released its only call for content for the 2010 Midyear Conference. The Conference is scheduled for March 7-10, at the Lowes Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, MD.

Because of the reduced format of the Midyear meeting, we have little space for additional content. However, all suggestions for content are welcome. It is really very helpful if you include the names of individuals or groups that can present on the topic you suggest. So, to be fair, we should say that content suggestions with more content are more welcome.

Please submit your ideas/suggestions to Tony Spicci via e-mail. The conference committee will review all suggestions and attempt to accommodate as many as time permits. A separate call for state caucus topics will be made prior to the conference.

The Value Old-Fashioned Social Networking

What follows is a story about a major innovation in water consumption measurement that can be directly traced to a meeting of two strangers at a NSGIC function in 2000. The story is told by Tony Morse, GIS Manager, Idaho Department of Water Resources (retired), to Idaho GIO Gail Ewart (GISP).

Toward the end of 2000, Hal Anderson, Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) chief of Technical Services, attended a NSGIC meeting. At the meeting banquet, he found himself sitting next to Rita Bergman of the Raytheon Company. During the dinner, Rita described to Hal a program called Synergy that Raytheon was managing for NASA. Raytheon had put out a call for proposals to Universities for remote sensing projects using NASA satellite data. The purpose of Synergy was to develop operational programs in states that used remote sensing data.

Hal told Rita that had IDWR known about the Synergy program, IDWR would have submitted a proposal because IDWR has a robust remote sensing capability. He asked whether or not it was too late to apply. Rita replied that the proposals had already been evaluated, and the project was about to get under way. Nevertheless, Rita told Hal that if he could get a proposal to her within three days, she would consider it for the very small amount of uncommitted money.

Hal returned to IDWR and called me into his office Monday morning. He explained the Synergy situation and he and I kicked around a couple of ideas. We settled on exploring whether we could map evapotranspiration from LandSat, with the specific idea of mapping evapotranspiration in the Bear River Basin. The Bear River Basin is split among Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, and any additional irrigation is based on existing levels of evapotranspiration. In 2000, the states had a method of estimating evapotranspiration, but that method was relatively crude, and Hal was looking for a better one.

I called Dr. Rick Allen at the University of Idaho Kimberly Research Station. Rick is an internationally recognized authority on evapotranspiration. As luck would have it, he happened to have a proposal on his desk to use Landsat to map evapotranspiration in California’s Imperial Valley. I told him that if he wanted to trade the Imperial Valley for the Bear Basin, then he was in business. Rick emailed me the proposal, I modified it to specify the Bear Basin and to meet IDWR’s needs, and we sent the proposal to Raytheon.

Rita Bergman and her technical manager, Dr. Satya Killuri, readily accepted the proposal, and we were on our way. In September 2009, IDWR’s Mapping Evapotranspiration program won the 2009 Innovations in American Government Award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, which is part of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Between the NSGIC banquet and the Harvard award was a prolonged period of hard work. None of it, the hard work, the award or, most importantly, the ability to map evapotranspiration, would have happened without the forum of NSGIC.

What Are the Main Issues?

Tuesday at the NSGIC Conference, Bill Burgess presented a provocative overview of where we are in our effort to create the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

He posted a list of thirteen "main issues." People have been asking to review these even after that session, so here they are:

1. Definition of the NSDI
2. No measurement to gauge progress
3. Is the NSDI Federal or National?
4. Ineffective Governance/Management
5. No Congressional Mandate to Build the NSDI
6. No Consequences for Failure
7. No Consequences for Failing to “Play Nice”
8. Micromanagement
9. No Political Champion
10. Cumbersome Standards Process
11. No Effective Strategic or Business Planning
12. Unrealistic View of the Private Sector’s Role
13. Data Sharing v. Data Partnering

The full presentation will be posted to the NSGIC web site after the conference.

A Travel Guide to Cleveland (#nsgic2009)

We're getting close to travel time for the 2009 NSGIC Conference, in Cleveland, Ohio. Craig Niedig, who has some sort of USGS software that lets him read ahead into the near future, sent along a link to a Cleveland Travel Guide in this coming Sunday's NY Times travel section: 36 Hours in Cleveland.

It makes good reading and should be a useful resource for those wise enough to plan to join us along the Cuyahoga River in a city that, after some tough years, is bouncing back:

...instead of abandoning the city, local entrepreneurs and bohemian dreamers alike are sinking roots; opening a wave of funky boutiques, offbeat art galleries and sophisticated restaurants; and injecting fresh life into previously rusted-out spaces.

GIS/Geospatial at SXSW? (Updated)

I've been scanning the long list of potential presentations and panel discussions for next spring's South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, looking for potential content related geospatial data and tools. SXSW is an internationally recognized Music and Media Conference and Festival.

Here is what I have found; please add any I have missed in the comments.

In no particular order....

• GIS for Government: Turn by Turn (Jeremiah Akin, Texas State Comptroller)
• Government 2.0: Towards an Open Geospatial Web (Chris Holmes, OpenGeo)
• Beyond Google Maps: The Open Source Geospatial Web (Sebastian Benthall, OpenGeo)
• Map Your Bands: Map App Itinerizes SXSW (Jae Sung Kim, Purdue University Libraries)
• LBS 101: Geolocation On The "Horizon" (Jason Finkelstein, WaveMarket, Inc.)
• Why Geolocation Matters to All Developers (James Proud, GigLocator)
• Here Are Lions: The Cartography of the Future (Michele Bowman, AndSpace Labs)
• Finding Revenue Under a Rock (Jeremy Irish, Groundspeak)
• Living Maps: New Frontier, Big Brother, or Both? (Christophe Aguiton, Orange Labs)
• Time + Social + Location. What’s Next In Mobile Experiences? (Josh Babetski, MapQuest, Inc.)

SXSW is set for March 12 to March 21, 2010. Organizers have opened up their PanelPicker web site to take votes on content proposals through September 4. Public picks on the PanelPicker will count for 30% of the final selection criteria. SXSW staff also get 30% of the criteria and an advisory panel holds the other 40%.

In the spirit of the collaborative web world from which SXSW arose, panel proposers are encouraged to canvass for votes on-line. I found the site via one such campaign on the blog of Librarian-activist Jessamyn West, who wrote "help me get more library content into SXSW."

Have a look, if you see a proposed panel that might be of use to the geospatial community, why not give it your "thumbs-up?" You do need to register on the PanelPicker site to vote; I thought it was worth it.

Registration is Now Open for the 2009 NSGIC Annual Conference

Now is the time to register for the 2009 NSGIC Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio. You can register on-line or download a printable registration form (PDF).

The conference, set for October 4 through October 8, will include the usual NSGIC mix of meetings, meals, networking, late-night brainstorms, peer-to-peer challenges and inspiration, and that astounding realization we all end up with around the third day: there's just a crazy amount of GIS coordination going on around the nation, and we're all a part of it!

The conference theme -- Fifty States Rockin' Solid -- is an accurate evocation of the intensity of a NSGIC conference.

Folks gathered at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel will hear from state and local leaders, from private sector partners, and from many federal agencies. They will caucus and hold business meetings. They will argue with and teach one another in the hallways. They will sit down together in any nook they can find and plan the sorts of projects that expand the use and sharing of geospatial tools and information by local, state and federal government in service to the people.

There's no good reason why you shouldn't be a part of this.

Registration for NSGIC members is $485 before September 4, or $570 after September 4, and $670 after September 25. For non-members, registration starts at $685 before September 4, rises to $770 after September 4, and to $870 after September 25.

Registration for all non-sponsoring corporate attendees is $1,500. So, why not consider becoming a sponsor?

In any case, registration is now open. So. Go and register.

Second Call for Content for the 2009 NSGIC Annual Conference

The NSGIC Conference Planning Committee has released its second and final call for content for the 2009 Annual NSGIC Conference. The Conference is scheduled for October 4 through 8, at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. This follows a first call, in April.

The NSGIC Annual Conference is an opportunity to explore state-level GIS coordination activities without losing focus on the NSGIC Advocacy Agenda (PDF).

Ideas for conference content should be e-mailed to Tony Spicci. While all suggestions are welcome, it is really very helpful to include names of individuals or groups that can present on the topic suggested.

The conference committee will review all suggestions and try to accommodate as many as time permits. A separate call for topics for the state caucus meetings will be released prior to the conference.

Theme Set for 2009 NSGIC Conference

The theme has been chosen for the 2009 NSGIC Annual Conference, October 4 through 8, in Cleveland, Ohio.

NSGIC 2009: Fifty States Rockin’ Solid

The theme makes obvious reference to the establishment, in Cleveland, of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the (unofficial?) Cleveland theme song, "Cleveland Rocks!"

"This year's theme reflects NSGIC's commitment to all 50 states -- and insular areas -- working together to build the NSDI," explains Conference Committee Chair Tony Spicci, of Missouri. "It also recognizes that we’re going to have some fun doing it."

Conference plans include a social event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Indiana GIS Community Honors Jill Saligoe-Simmel

The first-ever David C. Ford Special Achievement Award was presented by the Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC) to Dr. Jill Saligoe-Simmel at the recent 2009 Indiana GIS Conference.

The Ford Award is presented in honor of Indiana State Senator David C. Ford (1949-2008), a legislative champion of GIS Coordination. It is given:

...to an individual or organization for exemplary service, dedication, and accomplishment in coordinating Indiana GIS through dissemination of data and data products, education and outreach, adoption of standards, building partnerships, and advancing the “Indiana-Map.”

Jill Saligoe-Simmell, a former member of the NSGIC Board of Directors, helped shepherd the IGIC from dream to reality. She is a past winner of the NSGIC Outstanding Service Award (2006).

Another Ford Special Achievement Award was presented to University Information Technology Services (UITS) at Indiana University. They are the first organization to receive this award.

"Found" Crowd-Sourced Geography

The information aesthetics blog has an interesting post today (Mapping the World's Photos: Extensive Flickr Photo Analysis) about an academic paper presented last week at the WWW 2009 Conference.

A group from Cornell University used some 35 million geotagged photos from Flickr to map where and when photographers were snapping pictures.

Their approach used in Mapping the World's Photos [www2009.eprints.org, PDF] combines content analysis based on text tags and image data with structural analysis based on geospatial data.

Based on that analysis, the researchers were able to tease out a large amount of information about the places being photographed.

While individual users of Flickr are simply using the site to store and share photos, their collective activity reveals a striking amount of geographic and visual information about the world.

This is a great example of re-purposing data that is not originally geospatial into geo-enabled information.

Call for Content for 2009 NSGIC Annual Conference

The Conference Planning Committee has released a first call for content for the 2009 Annual NSGIC Conference. The Conference is scheduled for October 4 through 8, at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio.

What do you want this conference to cover? All suggestions for content are welcome. However, it is really very helpful if you include the names of individuals or groups that can present on the topic you suggest. So, to be fair, we should say that content suggestions with more content are more welcome.

Please submit your ideas/suggestions to Tony Spicci via e-mail. The conference committee will review all suggestions and attempt to accommodate as many as time permits. A separate call for state caucus topics will be made prior to the conference.

Remotely Sensing Coastal GeoTools?

I'm sure there are NSGIC folks in Myrtle Beach, SC, attending Coastal GeoTools 2009 this week, but not all of us who have an interest have been able to make it. Some were snowed-in by this weekend's nor'easter and some were left high and dry by the fiscal drought.

But there is good news for the coastally-curious. At least one attendee is live-tweeting the event. Oregon State University professor Dawn Wright has been shooting out notes from sessions at the conference via twitter. Of course, if you follow this link after about March 5, be aware that she'll be tweeting about something relatively else.

There appear to be other twitter-connected people at Coastal GeoTools. A twitter search finds a few people there and a few others looking for someone who is who will post updates. It is interesting to note a small effort to get those who are posting to use a common "hash-tag" to facilitate the conversation; #ncgt is suggested.

This suggests that we should -- as a community and before we get to conferences -- agree on common tags and other such metadata for use in twitter, or whatever new-fangled communications tools come along, to make our social-media use even more useful.

NSGIC Midyear: A Call to Action

NSGIC president Learon Dalby presented an issues briefing -- recast as an “opportunities briefing” -- as part of the Tuesday morning session. He issued a call to action to the whole GIS Community to take a hard look at the projects needed to achieve the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

He noted that the geospatial community is broad and vast. NSGIC is just a part of that community. The federal agencies are just parts of that community. As are the private sector. And academia.

The GIS Community needs to find ways to come together and to speak with one voice to legislators in order to get to the results that we all desire: a sustained National Spatial Data Infrastructure.

NSGIC is in favor of all framework data sets; though we have our priorities, we do support all data sets needed, including proposed elevation data.

And NSGIC has formally supported two of the several geospatially-related stimulus proposals that were floated this winter. But we want to keep our eyes focused on the priorities in our advocacy agenda. And we want to be sure that we reach the end goal.

For example, it is not the case that any funds dedicated to Imagery for the Nation equals “success.” IFTN will be a success when:

• Full funding is appropriated to the initiative for high resolution data. That will mean sustainable and effectively managed funding.
• IFTN provides benefits to all levels of government and the data are in the public domain.

Learon noted that all things evolve. Humans have evolved. The electronic games our kids play with have evolved. The internet has evolved. And GIS coordination has to continue to evolve. He called on the GIS community – as a whole – to evolve its approach to managing national data sets; the ones we call “For the Nation.”

He proposed that the basic framework layers of the national map go through thorough “life cycle” reviews that define where we are, outline what we want and need, and design implementation to achieve that need.

Learon offered a simple thought to put the effort into perspective. It's not his own, and he admits to not recalling here he heard it, but it clearly stuck with him and struck a chord:

If you don't have time to do it right, how are you going to find the time to do it over?

The review can start with Imagery for the Nation, one of the more mature of the “For the Nation” ideas.

Through all of the work that has been done on IFTN, we have put together a well thought out process that will allow local, state and federal agencies to work together on the development of framework data where each level of government gets some benefit.

It is critical that IFTN go forward to show that this model works. By doing this, we should be able to develop support from local government and state government to advocate on behalf of the next initiatives - success breeds success.

NSGIC will need to have help from the larger community to complete this assessment. NSGIC cannot and should not do that assessment on its own. All geospatial partners -- local. federal, private sector, academic, media, retirees, etc. -- will have to play a role.

Learon said, simply: What if we put all our efforts behind one thing and were successful?

NSGIC Midyear Recap: Monday, February 23, 2009

NSGIC Conferences are fast-paced and filled with meetings and discussions and examples. And that's just the down-time. So it is hard to make time to thoroughly blog a NSGIC meeting the way we would like. Instead, I'll take this time before things start-up for Day 2 to try to report on more of Day 1.

After the scene-setting of Learon Dalby's opening session welcome, we jumped right in with a roll-call of the federal agencies that are taking part in the conference. These include The Census Bureau, the US Department of Transportation, the US Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Geographic Data Committee, the USDA Farm Services Agency, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey, the USGS National Geospatial Programs Office, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Guard.

Many of these agencies are on the agenda for detailed discussions. Some are here as partners. But all are committed to continuing the strong state/federal ties that are at the center of organizing the Nation's geospatial data. The NSGIC meetings are a great chance to hash out issues and find solutions.

Much of the first day was given over to tracking progress on the NSGIC Advocacy Agenda. A late morning session looked at Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) and the idea for a National Cadastral data set.

Imagery for the Nation is becoming a mature idea; a good deal of work has been done to flesh-out an approach to create and share data that all can use. The Cadastral planning is nearly as far along. States will be asked to do some self-analysis, based on a model developed by the FGDC Cadastral Subcommittee, to measure how far along each state is toward collecting statewide cadastral data.

At some point, someone said of one or the other of these two proposals:

The homework is done. The plan is written. Let's just do it.

Following lunch, members of the NSGIC Corporate Leadership Council (major sponsors representing key parts of the geospatial industry), took a look at the list of advocacy agenda items and shared their thoughts and advice. On IFTN, for example, the group shared an analysis of industry's readiness to provide a nation's worth of imagery. The bottom line: we have the tools. We have the plans. We can do this.

A group representing the US Department of Transportation and a state DOT took a closer look at some of the issues around Transportation for the Nation. This is an are where there are still "stovepipe" issues, though USDOT GIO Steve Lewis shared a new take on that idea, noting that someone at the recent ESRI Federal User's Conference had renamed "stovepipes" as "Cylinders of Excellence."

Finally, a group of federal agency representatives and NSGIC state leaders presented a framework for measuring how well we do -- both from the state perspective and the federal -- and fostering state/federal coordination and cooperation.

It was another busy day at NSGIC.

Call for Papers: URISA/NENA Addressing Conference

The 2009 URISA/NENA Addressing Conference is scheduled for August 4-6 in Providence, Rhode Island. This is "the only conference where GIS professionals, addressing coordinators, 9-1-1 and emergency response specialists come together for education and networking." The conference has been held in one form or another since 1999. The deadline for abstracts is January 23.

The official Call for Presentations identifies three areas of interest:

1. Addressing Basics, Coordination, and Standards
2. Emergency Response and 9-1-1
3. Case Studies of GIS Integration with Public Safety

NSGIC members probably have the most to contribute to items 1 and 3, but the most to learn from item 2. It's amazing how we two disciplines can work the same geographic territory and have such different ways of describing that world.

NSGIC Conference Report 2

Tuesday (day 3) of the NSGIC Annual Conference began with a presentation by Dr. Steven Corbett, of Loma Linda University, on the Advanced Emergency Geographical Information System (AEGIS). AEGIS is a GIS-enabled emergency management application that brings dependable situational awareness to the managers of emergency operations and to the front-line responders.

NSGIC President Cy Smith (Oregon) gave an overview of the proposed Strategic Framework for the National Spatial data Infrastructure (NSDI). The proposal includes six strategies:

• Fully implement and maintain fifty state-level Spatial Data Inventories (SSDIs).
• Create a functional governance structure.
• Enable more "For the Nation" initiatives such as the Imagery for the Nation Initiatives now gaining traction.
• Implement a national funding strategy.
• Improve advocacy for and communication about the NSDI.develop and implement a tech strategy to achieve SSDI and NSDI
• Develop and implement a technical strategy to enable both state and national spatial data infrastructures.

Following the NSDI discussion, the first of two NSGIC business meetings were held. This one featured annual reports from the several NSGIC committees and presentation of a number of awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award to Ted Koch (Wisconsin).

Following lunch, Will Craig (Minnesota) led a panel discussion of lessons learned from efforts to create statewide address data sets. Panelists shared success, failures, and advice from efforts to create address data for West Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, Indiana, and Virginia. Utah's Bert Granberg, blogging from the front row (on the right), has a nice, detailed write-up of this session.

A panel of NSGIC Corporate Leadership Council members held a discussion about enterprise licensing and data licensing. Many states are now working with software vendors and imagery contractors to take advantage of licensing.

Zsolt Nagy (North Carolina) led a panel discussion on archiving digital data. The panel included representatives from archiving and GIS organizations in North Carolina, Utah, and Kentucky as well as from the Library of Congress.

Ted Koch (Wisconsin) and Vickie Lucas (USGS) gave an update on progress on the Imagery for the Nation initiative. They reviewed actions by IFTN committee and support for the idea recently voiced by the US Secretary of the Interior.

The day ended with a BBQ picnic and bonfire at a nearby stables. There was a heavy rain shower, but it coincided with the eating and chatting portion of the evening, which took place in a tent. After dinner, the rain stopped and the crowd gathered around the fire for a loose, rambling bluegrass concert by Denver's Long Road Home.

So You Are Planning a Trip to Colorado?

National Public Radio this morning ran a story on things to do in Denver. It is aimed at the Democratic National Convention next week but contains some information of use to those of us who will be out there in September to attend the NSGIC Annual Conference in Keystone, Colorado (about 70 miles from downtown Denver, as the rental car drives).

The NPR story also has a few notes on how to avoid altitude sickness. A key concept is to stay hydrated; the area has a very dry climate.

To compensate for the climate, Honigman says most people should drink 24 to 36 ounces more water than normal.

That's the clear liquid found in pitchers evenly spaced-out along the tables in the main plenary conference room.

I have this vision of Rick Memmel standing at the front of the room instructing all of the nation's GIS leaders to take a big drink of water before going out for a break.

Register Now for NSGIC 2008

Registration is now open for NSGIC's 2008 Annual Conference in Keystone, Colorado.

The conference is set to run from September 7 through 11 and will feature a wide-ranging discussion of issues of import to state GIS Coordinators, local and federal agencies, and their private-sector partners.

Among the major subjects tentatively scheduled to be addressed are:

• Progress on Imagery for the Nation
• Improving addressing and transportation data
• State/federal partnerships to manage hydrography data
  
• Factors for better coordination with and among federal agencies
• USGS "National Map" planning

Members of the NSGIC Corporate Leadership Council will offer panel discussions on subjects such as:

• Handling the large volumes of data now available from digital sensors and LiDAR projects
• Approaches to enterprise licensing of data and software
• QBS and Best-Value contracting

NSGIC conferences are traditionally fast-paced and very active, with meetings starting early in the day and running well into the evenings. State and local GIS coordinators mingle with federal agency staff, sponsors and vendors in an open and friendly gathering at which as much is learned in the hallways as in the meeting rooms.

Registration is $450 for NSGIC members and $650 for non-members before August 8. After August 8 it will be $535 for members and $735 for non-members. Late registration (after August 29) will be $635 for members and $835 for non-members.

Those in the geospatial industry who are interested in spending time with some of the top GIS executives in state governments should consider becoming one of the sponsors of the NSGIC conference. NSGIC sponsors are an integral part of the discussion at each NSGIC conference and can have input into the thinking that guides GIS policy among the states.

And, on a more personal note, the NSGIC crowd is open, welcoming and great group to get to know. Effective GIS coordination is a community-based endeavor; NSGIC models the sort of community-building effort that many states are working to achieve.

2008 NSGIC Mid-Year Wrap-Up

The presentation materials and other documents from the 2008 NSGIC Mid-Year Conference have been posted on the NSGIC web site along with a final attendance roster (PDF), the final conference agenda (EXCEL), and the conference program (WORD), as handed out on site.

Materials are available from all of the sessions that we have already posted notes for on this blog:

• Monday Morning Keynote Speaker
• NSGIC Goals and the NSDI
• Imagery for the Nation Update
• Geospatial Preparedness
• Transportation and Addressing
• Tuesday Morning Keynote Speaker
• Airborne Imagery
• National Land Parcel Data
• Emerging Technologies
• GIS in Health Issues
• The National Map Tactical Plan
• The Lightning Round

And there are materials from several workshops and sessions for which we have not already posted notes.

NSGIC Mid-Year Reports: Monday Morning Keynote Speaker

This is the first of what I hope will be a series of reports from the NSGIC Mid-Year Conference, in Annapolis. I'll try to report on as much of this conference as I can, but please understand that this gathering is a marathon and I am a tired old man. (Okay, a tired young man)

The Monday morning Keynote speaker was Maryland CIO Elliot Schlanger. He's new to that post but fulfilled a similar role for Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley when Mr. O'Malley was Mayor of Baltimore.

Mr. Schlanger noted that the issue is not technology invention; it is people and process. And, he said, GIS is one of government's greatest business enablers and decision-making tools.

Mr. Schlanger was an early user of ComStat/CityStat. ComStat was developed by a New York City police officer to allocate officers and resources to where the crime was occurring. It was a success and Baltimore adopted and adapted the idea as CityStat. They used it for crime analysis and expanded the model to other city management needs, such as potholes, infrastructure, and housing rehabilitation.

It served as a real-time performance measurement tool.

Now Mr. O'Malley is Governor and has ramped up CityStat to a "StateStat." Maryland is using it to track crime and service needs and in land-use planning and land preservation.

Among the problems they have identified in trying to bring GIS and traditional IT together are many that most GIS coordinators are familiar with. They have seen some silo-ing and separation of GIS data and users from IT agencies. They also noted a lack of cohesiveness bewteen some state agencies and among levels of government. And there is a disconnect with the customers.

But, e noted, the objectives of both IT and GIS leaders are the same: capability, consolidation, interoperability, and standards.

So Maryland wants to combine traditional IT and traditional GIS to create an enterprise-wide system. There are common challenges and issues:

• Managing state and local data and delivery systems
• Finding ways to resource enterprise GIS.
• Statewide licensing of GIS software applications.
• The need for standards and policies and guidelines that work for all.
• How to sufficiently build the IT infrastructure to work with all of this.
• Deciding what sort of governance will work best.
• And how to pay for all this capability in tough fiscal times.

There were several questions from the audience about the current discussion in Maryland to create a new cabinet-level IT agency. That is now under consideration and Mr. Schlanger is likely to retain the CIO post if hat is accomplished.

Update (3/18/08): Presentation materials from this session are now available on-line.

It is Time to Register for the 2008 NSGIC Midyear Conference

Registration is now open for NSGIC's 2008 Midyear Conference: RIGGING FOR ACTION.

National States Geographic Information Council members will gather at the The Doubletree Annapolis Hotel from March 9 to 12 with partners from the private sector and from federal and local government agencies. They will discuss a wide range of topics including state GIS Coordination efforts and national initiatives to create and maintain a National Spatial Data Infrastructure.

Registration is available on-line or via download of the official registration brochure. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

Mental Note: Review This Before Next PPT Presentation I Make

| View | Upload your own

Lifehacker has posted the slide show above as part of an on-going effort by conscientious presenters everywhere to "Stop Death by PowerPoint."

NSGIC is an organization that shares information, tools and experiences; often at conferences and usually using PowerPoint. We should bear in mind these lessons from presentation consultant Alexei Kapterev.

Another useful resource, on this subject, is LifeHacker's late September post on creating effective presentations.

A Podcast on NSGIC's National Initiatives

Directions Magazine has released a 20-minute podcast interview of TeleAtlas' John Auble on the subject of national-scale data initiatives such as Imagery for the Nation and Transportation for the Nation.

The podcast serves as something of a catch-up on the NSGIC 2007 Annual Conference, which Directions writers were not able to cover in person.

Auble, a member of the NSGIC Corporate Leadership Council, gave an overview, from his perspective, of the advances made in the last several years towards the goals of the 50 state initiative and more robust local/state/federal/private-sector partnerships.

NSGIC Presents 2007 Outstanding Service Awards

Six leaders in the geospatial community were awarded NSGIC Outstanding Service Awards (PDF) for 2007 at the annual NSGIC conference in Madison, Wisconsin, in September. NSGIC also debuted a new and special award at the Madison conference.

NSGIC Past President Stu Davis (Ohio) gave awards to:

• David Brotzman (Vermont)
• Will Craig (Minnesota)
• Kenny Miller (Maryland)
• Miki Schmidt (NOAA)
• Anne Hale Miglarese (Fugro EarthData)
• Fred Stringfellow (NSGIC)

The Outstanding Service Award recognizes long-term service to NSGIC and is presented to those who have advanced the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and promoted NSGIC’s goal of efficient and effective government through prudent implementation of geospatial technologies. It is one of NSGIC’s highest service awards.

The first instance of a new award, the Dedicated Service Award, was presented to the family of the late Carol Brandt (U.S. Department of Transportation), in recognition of her devoted lifetime of service.

Wrapping Up the 2007 NSGIC Conference

I've been meaning to write a wrap-up of the 2007 NSGIC Annual Conference for some time. The problem with NSGIC gatherings is that there is just so much going on, and so much information, that one leaves after a week staggering under a load of information, ideas, and dreams and with a humbling realization of just how much great GIS coordination is being done around the nation. As a result, writing my experiences is a daunting thought.

Luckily, Wisconsin's Ted Koch is a braver man than I (or more dedicated and disciplined, but let us not quibble). Ted was Conference Chair and host for 2007 and he has posted a great round-up of the event on the Wisconsin Mapping Bulletin. He looks at the NSGIC Advocacy Agenda and several of the group's strategic initiatives, and he recounts some of the highlights of the Conference. It's well worth a read.

Ted also points, as I should, to the recently posted collection of conference materials from the 2007 Conference in the NSGIC Archive. This includes an attendance roster, agendas, the program, and almost all of the presentations from the conference.

We owe a debt of "thanks" to Kenny Miller, of Maryland, for gathering all of this material as part of his unheralded but vital work on the Conference Committee.

Updates from the GIS in the Rockies Conference

Joe Francica, of All Points Blog, is reporting this week from the GIS in the Rockies Conference and has posted some interesting notes from the Mile High conference site.

So far, he's reported on Jack Dangermond's Keynote Address, a discuss of Service Oriented Architecture for GIS and a multi-agency federal update that folks planning to attend the NSGIC Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, later this month may want to review.

There's also an announcement out of Colorado state government and NSGIC's own Jon Gottsegen that the state has opened its GIS Portal. Even more exciting is the announcement from Michael Locatis, Colorado's Chief Information Officer, "that Gottsegen's position was being elevated to that of a statewide Geographic Information Officer (GIO) that will report in through the Governor's office."

Well done, Jon!

What's Going on at the URISA Conference?

Adena Schutzberg, of All Points Blog, is providing running commentary and updates from the 2007 URISA Annual Conference of , in Washington DC.

Today, for example, she offers an idea of the themes she sees developing at this event:

1. "...a need to grab onto and hold tight the idea of a geospatial discipline."
2. "...URISA is redefining itself around policy and more management/leadership education."
3. "The topics of the conference are not cutting edge..."

Adena is a keen observer and intelligent reporter. We can't all attend all the conferences and meetings there are in the geospatial world. But when someone is doing a good job blogging them, and Adena does, it pays to read along from afar.

Looking Ahead to Madison

State Street Madison
Originally uploaded by puroticorico.

While most of our focus is, appropriately, on the NSGIC Mid-Year Meeting at Annapolis in just under a month, here's a chance for a brief look ahead to the 2007 NSGIC Annual Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

The FlickrBlog this morning includes an entry on the most active city-focused groups of photographers on the photo-sharing site. Madison's group is right up there near the top of the list.

With a population of just 221,551 (only the 83rd largest city in America), the Madison, Wisconsin Flickr group has 473 members (or one member for every 468 citizens).

So, those thinking about attending the Annual Conference (and you should) can get a preview of the views to be seen around the conference site.

This also raises the question of NSGIC shutterbugs. I'm known as a picture-snapper at conferences, and there are others who help take photos to record our gatherings. We can always use more, though. Are you an amateur photographer as well as a GIS pro? We might need your help.

A Slight Correction on the NSGIC Mid-Year Conference Flier

It has come to our attention (that is, Dave Brotzman noticed) that the gorgeous glossy flier advertising the NSGIC Mid-Year Conference (you will be there, right?) listed an incorrect phone number for the Doubletree Hotel (and that's where we'll be, so this is somewhat important).

The correct number is 888-231-0044. We had put that as an "800" number. That's understandable, we're all more used to "800" numbers.

But you'll want to dial 8-8-8.

Former NSGIC Keynote Speaker Matt Miszewski to Step Down

Wisconsin CIO Matt Miszewski has announced that he will leave his post after February, according to a story on governing.com (Wisconsin CIO Stepping Down).

Mr. Miszewski was a keynote speaker at the 2006 NSGIC Annual Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. He told state GIS Coordinators there to "blow-up, rather than to think outside of, the box." he added that the goal should be a focus on the needs of the citizens.

Matt Miszewski is also a former president of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO). The Governing story includes praise for his work from the Wisconsin secretary of the Department of Administration and a note that Mr. Miszewski is ready for new challenges in the private sector.

Registration Now Open for NSGIC 2007 Mid-Year Conference

It is time to register on-line for the NSGIC 2007 Midyear Conference.

The 2007 Mid-Year Conference will run from Sunday, March 25, through Thursday, March 29, at the Doubletree Hotel Annapolis, in Annapolis, Maryland.

The theme for this conference is "Guiding Lights." The draft agenda (XLS) includes meetings of the NSGIC State Caucus and meetings with a variety of federal agencies involved in the use and sharing of geospatial data. Major topics will include strategic and business planning, state and federal cooperation and coordination, providing nationwide aerial photography and transportation data, and a variety of other NSGIC initiatives.

Registration for the conference is $250 for NSGIC members registering by March 2, $300 when registering by March 23, and $350 after March 23. Registration for non-members is $400 before March 2, $450 after March 2, and $500 after March 23.

It probably would make sense, therefore, to join NSGIC before registering.

Leaders in the geospatial industry are represented as sponsors at NSGIC conferences. They know that, since NSGIC attracts the top geographic information executives in state government, and works closely with those in county and municipal government as well as the federal government, becoming a NSGIC Sponsor is a great way to reach top decision-makers.

Photos from the 2006 NSGIC Conference

A handful of photos from the 2006 NSGIC Conference are posted to flickr in two photo sets.

One is focused entirely on the NSGIC Conference itself. The other is the result of a few short walks around downtown Little Rock, during breaks.

The former includes a few shots of the Peabody Ducks.

2006 NSGIC Conference: Day Five, Thursday, October 5

The fifth (and final) full day of a NSGIC conference is when you start to see who the most dedicated members are. After four long days of presentations and meetings, we are all tired, but we carry on because there are issues to discuss.

The morning started with a discussion of the FEMA Flood Map Modernization program and continued with an issues briefing by representatives of the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS).

After a break, I had the honor of making a scattershot, chaotic presentation on the many avenues of communication opened by blogging software, wikis, tags and other social networking tools. I demonstrated blogging by posting the Day Four report live form the podium. I have created a tag-list of sites I used as resources in putting that presentation together.

We finished the morning with the second part of the NSGIC business meeting. There were Achievement Awards given to Stu Kirkpatrick, of Montana, Milo Robinson, of the FGDC, Jill Saligoe-Simmel, of Indiana, Nathan Bentley, of Idaho, and Shelby Johnson, of Arkansas.

This meeting is also the point at which the outgoing NSGIC President hands-off to the incoming President. Missouri's Tony Spicci handed the ceremonial NSGIC President's Mug to Ohio's Stu Davis.

After lunch, we had a panel discussion on using GIS and spatial data to more effectively manage sales tax programs.

We finished the day, and the conference, with a state-member caucus at which we discussed several major issues that the group will work on for the coming year:

• Next steps in pursuing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure
• The need to have more state representation on the various committees of NSGIC
• The GIS Certification program
• The governance model for the NSDI
• The DHS Data Model
• Ways to effectively share data among different levels of government

It was a long, tough conference, but it has been another very successful conference. Thanks go out to our hosts in Little Rock, to the Conference Committee, and to all the folks from state, local and federal government, and our private sector partners, particularly our sponsors.

Next? Travel home.

2006 NSGIC Conference: Day Four, October 4

This is our report from day 4. To be honest you will find more complete analysis of the sessions on Adena Schutzberg's All Points Blog. She's probably the best note-taker, and certainly the best reporter, in the hall.

The keynote speaker for the fourth day of the 2006 NSGIC Conference was Shane Broadway, a State Senator here in Arkansas. Senator Broadway is a supporter of the use of geospatial data; he knows how useful good geospatial data can be. He urged us, though, to focus on the information our audience needs.

Senator Broadway reminded us that "legislators are visual learners." He suggested that we reach out to our legislators by developing geospatial information for them focused on issues that are important to them.

But he urged us to keep it simple: "Show us a map. Don’t show us how you made the map." I think that's good advice for any audience.

We had a short presentation from the Census Bureau about activities now starting to help get our states ready for the 2010 Census.

During our morning sessions, we discussed approaches to enterprise data sharing and heard examples from Ohio, Arkansas and Kentucky. We also saw a panel discussion on the notion of developing a "Transportation for the Nation" initiative to try for a national, integrated, transportation data collection.

After lunch, we heard detailed presentations from some of our major sponsors, including ESRI, Michael Baker, Jr., NASA, Woolpert, Places2Protect, and Digital Data Technologies.

We also focused on working with our Homeland Security and Public Safety Officials. We know that effective Homeland Safety efforts will depend on accurate and comprehensive geospatial data. To make that possible, GIS coordinators need to learn how to effectively work with these agencies. We discussed this in general and focused on the development of new "fusion centers" that serve as information integration and intelligence centers.

Finally, as is traditional, we had a short session on the importance of metadata.

2006 NSGIC Conference: Day Three, Tuesday, October 3

We started the third day of the NSGIC Conference with a keynote address by the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the state of Wisconsin, Matt Miszewski. Mr. Miszewski is the president of NASCIO --– the National Association of Chief Information Officers.

He spoke about the need to change the way we do things in information technology in government. He called for us to blow-up, rather than to think outside of, the box. Our goal, Mr. Miszewski argued, should be to focus on the needs of the citizens, rather than on the organizational structure, and strictures, of government. Adena Schutzberg also has a report on her All Points blog.

That was followed by a panel discussion focused on how to recruit a GIO -- Geographic Information Officer -- for a state. This focused on what the characteristics of an effective GIO are and included a discussion about where a GIO might best fit in a state government. Adena has a more in-depth report.

The balance of the morning was devoted to part one of the annual NSGIC business meeting. This included reports from the president and several of the standing committees. More reports and issue discussion will take place in the second part of the business meeting, on Thursday.

After lunch, there were sessions on unique state activities including GIS help desks, transportation data and high-resolution elevation data.

To end the day, we focused on the effort to get all fifty states up to a basic level of GIS Coordination: The Fifty States Initiative. All states were invited to take part in a survey looking at the extent to which they met several criteria considered to be key to statewide coordination. As Adena notes, the results of that survey suggest that we have some way to go, but we are making progress.

We also got updates from the federal government on changes to the USGS National Geospatial Programs Office and on the effort to create a federal Line of Business. I'll defer to Adena's take on these issues; she followed this more closely than I.

We finished with a dinner at the Clinton Presidential Library.

2006 NSGIC Conference: Day Two, Monday, October 2

Monday, October 2, was the first full-on day of the 2006 NSGIC Conference.

Never mind that our Sunday activities took all daylight hours, and more; the conference officially started with the Monday morning Keynote address. The speaker was Danny Sullivan, a local Little Rock minister and high school teacher and coach. He spoke, and spoke effectively, on leadership and teamwork.

Following that was the traditional roll call of the states, in which the lead delegates of each of the states presents the state's delegation and gives an overview, very briefly, of the major issues they face.

Don Cook, the founder of GDT (now part of TeleAtlas North America), has been a fixture at NSGIC Conferences for many years. He is a valuable corporate partner, and an active member. He has a habit of sitting right up front and taking a picture of every speaker. Toward the end of the parade of states, it became clear that one of us had to strike back. So I brought my camera up to the microphone with me.

After lunch, we heard a presentation on work at the federal level to create a Geospatial Support Task Force. This is an idea that has grown up in the wake of efforts to bring geospatial data to bear in emergency response efforts such as 9/11, the Challenger disaster, and the hurricanes of 2005.

The idea is to model the GIS task force on the other emergency response task forces that already exist. That is, to have the people needed to get the job done identified and trained, the equipment they need ready, and an approach in hand to handle any logistical problems. So that when a task force is needed, it can quickly get on scene and get to work.

One Task Force is now being built. Eventually there will be at least three, organized regionally.

Monday afternoon was also devoted to speeches by candidates for the NSGIC board of directors. And the whole group gathered on a stairway in the convention center to take a group portrait. There were also small group photos of the present board of directors, past presidents, and others who have been involved in NSGIC since its inception.

After a break, there was an in-depth discussion of work to create a national, and regular, program to collect aerial photography: known as Imagery for the Nation. This was followed by a panel discussion on how to provide quality assurance for large orthophoto and other data projects.

Following dinner, NSGIC leadership gathered with the leaders of some of the group's major sponsors to start a Corporate Leadership Council to help guide joint efforts to improve the use and sharing of geospatial data.

2006 NSGIC Conference: Day One, Sunday, October 1

My '"live-blogging" of the NSGIC conference won't be as immediate and impressive as I had hoped. Little Rock's Capitol Conference Center does not have public wifi. We checked on the availability of for-pay wifi, but no one wants to spend the more than $100 per day that that would cost.

As a result, I will take notes during the day and try to post updates to the NSGIC blog when I can get back to the hotel and its wifi system.

Day one, yesterday, was active. Meetings started at 8:30 a.m.. My first meeting -- on Ramona -- – was in the hotel, so I was able to post a report from that meeting. After that, the NSGIC board met for several hours before lunch.

In the afternoon, the state members of NSGIC met in caucus to discuss issues from the state perspective then joined with staff from USGS for a joint meeting. Partnerships between the states and USGS are key to meeting the objective of creating a National Spatial Data Infrastructure.

After dinner, there was a meeting of states that have received, and states hoping to apply for, a “Fifty States” grant from the federal government to support the development of effective statewide geospatial coordination programs. This meeting was packed; whether states get grants to support their efforts or not, all are interested in discussing the challenges of statewide coordination and sharing ideas and solutions.

That meeting, and Day One of the NSGIC Conference, ended at 9:00 p.m.

2006 NSGIC Conference: Ramona Steering Workgroup

Ramona is an on-line GIS data inventory tool established by NSGIC to provide way for States to take a standardized inventory of the GIS data holdings of state agencies, local governments and other partners.

A Ramona Steering Workgroup is being established as part of the Technical Issues Committee to oversee the operation of Ramona. The idea is to keep the system simple and useful and moving forward. The first meeting of the NSGIC Conference is intended to be a kick-off of the Ramona oversight group.

It will be important to make sure that the needs of federal agencies -- to discover data, and work more closely with state and local governments -- are met. There was a discussion of whether the committee should include a federal representative or if their contact should be through the federal liaison that works for NSGIC.

There was discussion of how to make sure that the system interacts well with state geospatial data clearinghouse systems. There are ways, and will be more in the future, to allow state Ramona administrators to customize parts of the system to meet their own needs.

There was a discussion of the need to increase training among state members to increase usage of the Ramona system. Bill Burgess was asked to create a standard training presentation for Ramona that state coordinators can use locally.

There was a suggestion for a one-page handout on Ramona designed to present Ramona from the perspective of local government, rather than from the state or federal level.

There was discussion of starting to push Ramona through URISA and other organizations that speak to local and county governments.

Zsolt Nagy noted that the Ramona system has helped in North Carolina in identifying local government GIS users to reach out to. Jill Saligoe-Simmel, of Indiana, has found that the Ramona system has been of great value to many private sector people.

Learon Dalby, of Arkansas, will be the chair of the new Ramona Steering Workgroup. Membership will be filled out during the conference.

Getting Ready for the 2006 NSGIC Conference

It's late Saturday night, in the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas. Many NSGIC members are now getting ready for rest, gathering their strength for the start of the Annual NSGIC Conference tomorrow morning.

Well more than 200 are expected: state GIS coordinators, federal staff from USGS, Census and Homeland Security, academics, and private sector folks will spend the week discussing ways to improve the use and sharing of geospatial data.

We're not the only ones gathered at the Peabody this week. The Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) will also start a national meeting tomorrow. There's irony here; both organizations are involved in similar pursuits.

I hope to live-blog the NSGIC Conference. That will depend on wireless access in the State Conference Center, but I will try. I'll also use the week to try to turn this into more of a group-blog.

Do stay tuned.

Program for 2006 NSGIC Conference Now Available

The final on-site program for the 2006 NSGIC Conference (Fifty States for the Nation) is now available in PDF format.

NSGIC member states, federal partners, private sector partners, and others, will gather in Little Rock, Arkansas, from October 1 through 5 to discuss coordinating the use and sharing of spatial data on a national scale.