Chances are good that if you are a Geo Geek then you already know it and likely refer to yourself as one. However, there’s many of you out there that may be on the fence and wondering… “am I a Geo Geek?" Read on for a comprehensive list of signs you might be a GeoGeek followed up by some suggested Geoblog reading.
Given that you’ve landed here and are reading this blog, you already may in fact be one, however, here’s a handy checklist to run through to help confirm if indeed you are a Geo Geek… enjoy!
Your twitter location status is in displayed Lat/Long (BTW doing this will harm you in Grader when people look for popular Tweeters in geographic regions)
You Strive to be a Mayor on foursquare
You Brightkite check-in wherever you go
You get offended when someone asks you if you drink Kool-Aid
You pull out an atlas or place name database when you have to name your new puppy (or baby)
You actually know your latitude & longitude (and list it in your email signature)
You know what UTM zone you live in
You have a map of site visitors on your blog
You actually listen to Geospatial technology pod casts on your iPod or iPhone
You sweat profusely when you go to a conference or are staying at a hotel and there’s no free WiFi
Your 7 year old knows what KML is
You’ve been to at least one event this year that has “Bar” or Camp” or “un” in the event name
Your About page on your website has an embedded Google Map (not a static JPG image screen grab)
You miss the TV Show the District
You have all of your planned trips logged on Dopplr
You maintain a GeeoRSS feed
You have to score atleast one Geocache when you go on vacation
You actually know how to geotag all your media
You look at people’s EXIF metadata on flickr
You actually use Google’s latitude service
You have trouble deciding which T-shirts to pack when you go to a conference
Your profile photo has yourself posing with either Jack Dangermond or Roger Tomlinson
The first thing you do when you go away to a conference is scout out the Tweet-up or Geoblogger meets
Your wife asks you to pass her the “News” and you give her the “ArcUser” Magazine
You search for or have used the Twitter hash tag #GeoGeek or #Geonerd
You read blog posts like this one!
I figure, if you’ve said YES to at between 1-5 of the above then you MAY be a geoGeek… if you said YES to between 6-10 then congrats, you are indeed a Geo Geek! If you said YES to all of the above then you must be Andrew Turner ;0) (no offense Andrew)
A few Twitter followers (GeoGeeks) offered up some ideas on what they felt made you a GeoGeek:
@DaveGeo when you own a shirt that says “Nad83 we’re not in kansas anymore”
@wonderchook when you drink a couple beers and argue map projections?
#youknowyourageogeekwhen Your 7 year old corrects people when they say the Earth is round by stating “no its an ellipsoid”
@Taliesn “You have replaced your wife’s job as navigator on family trips with 4 different techno gadgets that now do the job, and make java”
@Kirrilian “you know your lat/long, all the time
@jasonbirch “… you post on twitter for help identifying fellow geo geeks”
Who do you think is the ultimate GeoGeek or GeoNerd? Nominate a GeoGeek by posting the following on Twitter: I nominate @person as the #ultimateGeoGeek
Suggested GeoGeek Blogs
Ok, so now you’ve determined that you are or may be a GeoGeek (aka. GeoNerd), now you need some daily reading. Looking for some blogs to check out? There’s no shortage these days, that’s for sure, although I have noticed that many of the blog lists, blog rolls etc… are rapidly becoming a little out of date (mine are as well). And so, here’s a list of several fine blogs that any hard working GeoGeek should want to add to the list of required reading and add to the RSS reader:
Geomusings from Bill Dollins (Maryland)
Bill is a long-time blogger, developer, Geo techno geek, programmer etc… His Geomusings touch on a range of topics often focused on GIS app development using ESRI products and Open source tools. He’s into .Net lately along with a range of application development tools (ArcSDE, SQL Server). Bill always has tips to share and also doesn’t hold back… for the programming type his blog is a must on the blog roll and if you’re on Twitter then be sure to follow Bill @geobabbler http://geobabble.wordpress.com/
Jason Birch (Nanaimo, BC, Canada) Random Nodes
Jason is a Geo Geek from BC and offers up a wealth of knowledge on GIS and Geo technologies. Perhaps you’ve seen news or blog posts over the years boasting about the City of Nanaimo and their fine web mapping services. Jason works with the city and has been largely responsible for the amazing success and accolades they’ve received for doing such a great job, in particular by making their data available to users of Google Earth - Nanaimo has been touted as a leader when it comes to local government’s use of Google Earth and making data available to the public via KML. Jason’s blog is heavy on programming issues and GeoGeek speak so its not for the light hearted! If your into KML, Open Source, Safe Software’s FME, and Mapguide Open Source then his blog is a must bookmark! You can follow Jason on Twotter @Jason birch http://www.jasonbirch.com/nodes/
Andrew Turner (Arlington, VA) High Earth Orbit Blog
You’ve likely heard of Andrew (if not then you need to get online!) Andrew is a proud neogeographer and he’s never short on energy or interesting things to share. Andrew is way into the open source movement, and if you’ve heard of Geocommons he’s the CTO - there’s no question that he’s played a large role in building out the GeoWeb! If you want to keep tabs on Open StreetMap, the progress of the GeoWeb, and the the World travels of a neogeographer then follow Andrew’s blog and follow him on twitter as well @ajturner http://highearthorbit.com/
Jon Spinney (Boulder, CO)
If the LBS space is your thing then Jon’s blog is a must read for you. Jon always has interesting things to share, mostly focused on location-aware applications and app development although he can digress somewhat as well about some of the adventures associated with living in Boulder, CO which is always fun! Jon’s a former ESRI staffer, although you’d never know that from his blog and he has a fine outlook on the LBS marketplace - hence his frequent travels and speaking gigs at LBS events around the world. Thinking of getting into mobile? If so then follow Jon on his blog and on Twitter @spinney http://www.jonspinney.com
James Fee (Arizona) Spatially Adjusted
James likely needs no introduction as he’s likely one of the most popular Geo bloggers around - I felt he would noticeably absent if I didn’t ion him here so I’m glad to suggest you follow James on his blog, particularly if your into web mapping, open source, FME, WeoGeo, GDAL, OpenLayers, .Net and many other really geeky geo things that I’m not terribly familiar with! James tells it like it is without holding back and is a loud voice in the Geo social community. Sure you can get some really techno, geeky, geo stuff from his blog, however, you’ll also laugh your butt off occasionally as well when you glance at some of the innovative cartoons and images that complement his posts or kick back and read about some of the fun ideas he has like his recent tirade on a suggested “cash for geo clunkers” program - hilarious! Follow James on Twitter @cajeyjames http://www.spatiallyadjusted.com
Dave Bouwman (Fort Collins, CO)
Dave is another GeoGeek that is a must follow, particularly if your into ArcGIS, Agile, and .Net - if these terms mean nothing to you then move along ;0) Dave works/manages at DTSAgile in Fort Collins and is into loads of GeoGeeky things but something way cool is his involvement in the development of GeoGeekTV! Dave can be found at most of the really geeky Geoevents, whereCamps, unconferences etc… and will frequently blog ab out his experiences or Tweet from them via @davebouwman http://blog.davebouwman.com
Peter Batty (Denver, CO) GeoThought
Peter is an industry heavyweight involved in many things but he’s also a vocal blogger and his Geothought blog is a must visit for sure. Peter is heavy into application development, social location, Open Source and Open Street Map, and many other things. Peter will touch on many topics ranging from neo-geography, geo design, open source, Google, social media etc… typically he’s writing about what many of you are thinking about. Peter is very well connected in the industry (perhaps an under statement) and he’s always happy to share what’s on his mind so following him will give you a heads-up in staying ahead of the curve (and the competition). Finally, Peter is always on the road, speaking at conferences, attending or organizing un-conferences, or planning a WhereCamp or bar camp event etc… Following his GeoThoughts will keep you informed on what’s hot at many of the leading conferences taking place in the Geo arena. Follow Peter on Twitter @pmbatty http://geothought.blogspot.com/
Kate Chapman - Map Loser
Another self-proclaimed Geo Nerd, Kate’s Map Loser blog is heavy on the Geo speak and Geek speak! Kate works with the cool team at GeoCommons and as a result has loads of interesting Geo-Geek things to share with the community. If any of the following topics are of interest to you then add Kate’s blog to your reader: Ruby, GeoCommons, OpenStreetMap, un-conferences, geo art, GPS, foursquare, and mashups. Follow Kate @wonderchook http://www.maploser.com/
Esri devMeetUps - locate a developer meetup taking place in a city near you
ERDAS Webinars - Register for a free, online webinar from ERDAS
ILMF 2012 - International LiDAR Mapping Forum, Denver, Colorado, Jan 23-25, 2012
Esri Dev Summit - The Esri Developer Summit (DevSummit) brings together developers and GIS professionals from all over the globe. March 26-29, 2012, Palm Springs, CA
Where2.0 - where the people working on and using location technologies come together to explore best practices and emerging trends in software development, tools, business strategies, and marketing. April 2-4, 20112, San Francisco, CA
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