Don't throw it into the fire!

I don't know about you, but as I crumple up paper to start a fire, I usually end up scanning the headlines as I go. This one caught my eye just before it went into the furnace- You May Not Like It, But Learn to Network

It's from the Career Couch column by Phillis Korkki and it runs every Sunday in the New York Times. This one is a Q&A on networking and it's a gem. Discussing questions like:

• Aren't you just using people when you network?


• Is it too late to start networking?


• How do you expand your network?


• What about the role of technology?

It may disappoint some of you, but she ends by cautioning people against spending too much time online networking. "It is still the face-to-face networking that tends to seal the deal."

Storm of the Century

Looks like the Storm of the Century ™ (someone has to call it the storm of the century) has knocked Hocking off it's stride yesterday and today. Just as well, as I didn't want students to feel like they needed to risk icy roads this evening to attend class.

A great opportunity for all of you to read a great book or catch up on work and sleep, because you know every instructor in the joint will be cramming the two missed days (a week's worth of classes in many cases) into the remaining quarter. BTW: a shout out to intermediate GIS folks- the class exercise is posted if you want to try it at home! We could probably do the class via blog & class webpage- haha!

Out here in the sticks, two nights ago were spent listening to ice laden trees and branches give up and come down. The power finally gave up about mid-morning, but the AEP crews dug deep and got it re-connected by late evening. The trees are still coated in ice, so if the wind picks up before the ice melts, things are going to get interesting again...

What's wrong with this map?

Politics aside, the choices in this map from Gallop get in the way of easily imparting the information. Any guesses why quantitative/qualitative sportsfans?

GIS Tech Position WV State Historic Preservation

This one probably slipped through the radar because it was posted in the classified section of a West Virginia newspaper.

The West Virginia Department of Culture and History (aka state historic preservation office) is looking for GIS Techs to do digitizing on a contract basis. GIS and GPS experience is helpful but not required. I think that their focus is college students or anyone that wants to work on an 800 hour contract for $13.00 an hour (you can work 40 hours straight or fit it into your existing schedule and work fewer hours per week). The job is based in Charleston, West Virginia, a hop, skip and less than two hours away from Athens, Ohio.

I spoke with Tami Koontz who is the IS and GIS System Administrator. She is happy to take resumes or your questions via email

file management problem solved?

One of the big problems that I notice that students have is having access to data files, map files or any files at home or at school without remembering where the flash drive is or remembering to copy from the workstation hard drive to the flash and so on.

Well, in the paper of record business section this morning comes a review of two online services: Syncplicity and Dropbox.

be forewarned, until you hear otherwise, that you maybe exposing your home computer if you use a NR215 workstation and these services

These are services that syncronize files across computers. Syncplicity will even sync google doc files. So, if you're in the middle of a paper and decide to leave for home, when you arrive home the paper will be available exactly where you left off. They're encrypted, but I'm not sure from the review how well it'd all work if one of your computers is a publically accessible lab workstation. Best part is that the service is free for up to 2Gb (great for GIS files as long as you don't include imagery!!!).

More on this as we test it in labs.

If we were only paying more attention

I was reviewing my notes from my Intro GIS class from the Spring of 2007 and I ran across this map and article.

The map shows subprime mortgages as a percentage of all mortgages in a county(?). The accompanying article talks about a rise in defaults and foreclosures in- get this- March of 2007. By the Spring of 2008, "connected" money managers had pulled out of the stock market, leaving the rest of us to take the bath (one friend had a retirement advisor boast about how they avoided the mess by getting out of the markets by early 2008, not realizing the next question would be "why the hell didn't you give me a call"). Who knows where it's going to go a year from now...

National GIS Proposal

Proposal for a National GIS from Jack Dangermond, ESRI Dear Leader and Anne Hale Miglarese (Booz Allen Hamilton- a major worldwide consulting firm & obtainer of federal monies).

Suspending reality, this could be a really great thing- a national parcel database, solid elevation data, current national imagery. The possibilities would be endless. And the job creation would be big to create it and continue with analysis and maintenance jobs. Why should all the job creation be in construction?

Bringing in reality, though, this could be a huge boondoggle. Every effort to update or modernize federal computer systems goes way over budget and results in silos (see IRS & FBI attempts). TIGER data via the census was questionable for years, and they actually have folks on the ground to field check data. And considering where the proposal is coming from, would the result be like privatizing the military through contracts or would it have a federal agency home? Finally, how would this be maintained once the economy improves and we have to start paying our way again.

update: there is now a website devoted to this idea GIS Nation. I've seen comments ranging from fantastic idea to an ESRI bailout plan.

Highlights of the Proposal from GISuser.com blog...

The Stimulus Plan being developed by Congress and the incoming Obama Administration is an enormous undertaking to revive the American economy. Potentially, it will involve thousands of infrastructure and other projects intended to create jobs and restart economic growth while producing things of lasting value to American taxpayers. The challenge to properly manage and execute this effort will be daunting, requiring unprecedented access to data and information at all levels of government and the private sector.

This is the moment for America to build a national Geographic Information System (GIS), that is, a unified, up-to-date, publicly-accessible national digital map, enriched with data from all available sources, and supported by GIS technology. This system can be built quickly, immediately creating high tech jobs, and will serve as a public resource for project planners to support transportation infrastructure, water resource management, alternative energy research, and project siting. It will also provide a foundation for monitoring the US economic recovery across our communities, allowing activities to get underway as soon as possible and leaving a legacy for the future.

A National GIS, properly designed and effectively implemented, providing public access and using best technologies, will speed economic recovery by producing jobs and putting shovels in the ground more quickly.

GIS Jobs & Careers website

Justin sends in the following link:

GIS Jobs & GIS Careers Western US GIS job links and general GIS job related sites.

It looks like a site with a million possible places to look for a job and failing that a million places that might be hiring at some point. At the very bottom is some search advice (once again, a lot of it comes down to your network- your contacts).

A tail of Cell Phones, GPS & Google mapping

From Worcester, MA Telegram (an F'ing A shoutout), comes this story.

Apparently, Grannie was stealing a granddaughter from one family to deliver to another. Cops were able to track the kid by getting the cell phone company to report the lat. & long. every time her phone was used (not sure if they were getting lat/longs from a GPS equiped cell phone that captures the phone's locations and attaches it to the electronic info that is transmitted along with your voice or whether the lat/long was determined using the three nearest cell towers when the phone pinged the towers- either method exists).
Then, using Google mapping products including street view & sat imagery, the police were able to map the lat/longs and determine what motel Grannie and granddaughter were staying at.

No Numb3rs. No CSI. Just plain old digital mapping tools.

And remember next time you embark on a life of crime, bring plenty of quarters and stick to payphones.

Ohio Adjunct General 3 GIS Positions

Mark emails word of a position at the Ohio Adjunct General's office. Thanks Mark.

Link at Government Jobs the Ohio government job website.

Job Title: GIMS Intern
PN: 20076480, 6481, 6482
Agency: Adjutant General
Opening Date: Wed. 07/23/08
State Salary Range: $0.00 / Hour
Job Type: Seasonal, Temporary, Exempt
Location: Franklin County, Ohio
Promotional Bid: N/A
Pay Range Based on academic level
Hours of Work 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Division Facility Support/Master Planning
Job Location Adjutant General's Department 2825 W. Dublin Granville Road Columbus, OH 43235


Description

Under direction of Geographic Information Management System (GIMS) Administrator, assists with GIS & CADD data generation & analysis; operates GIS & CADD software (ArcGIS, ArcInfo & AutoCAD Map) to produce &/or revise maps & engineering design drawings; conducts site surveys, collects & prepares spatial data for digitization into GIS & CADD; scans engineering drawings & project plans; enters data into geospatial databases.

Operates a government vehicle to travel to sites around Ohio to conduct surveys, site visits & data collection; assists supervisor with special projects &/or reports as needed; performs related office duties (e.g., maintains project files, attends meeting, performs data entry, etc.).

---3 POSITIONS AVAILABLE---
Minimum Qualifications:
Must show proof of current enrollment in a college/university and be in good academic standing. Preferred Majors: GIS, Environmental Science, Geography, Engineering, Surveying, Geodetic Science, or related field with coursework in GIS, environmental studies & policy. Experience with Internet based programs, Microsoft Office, GPS, CADD, and GIS products.
Major Worker Characteristics:
May be exposed to inclement weather, rough terrain, insects & poisonous plants.

Must have valid driver's license
Supplemental Information:
The rate of pay is based on the student's academic level:
Undergraduate Student: $7.00 - $14.72
Graduate Student: $7.00 - $17.91

Wildlife Ringtones

Way cool selection of ringtones from the Center for Biological Diversity. They're called RareEarth Tones . The selection is way broader than the enature.com site. The grizzly and polar bears are sweet.