Top 10 Features in The New Google Maps - Google has reinforced that Maps are all about exploring and discovering, especially on mobile. The experience will only get better, for the developer and end user. We can all expect to enjoy new features and enhanced navigation experiences from gMaps in the near future. I've had a chance to have an early look (See blog post) and have also provided a quick list of Top 10 new features - enjoy!
GISuser Expert Feature - Low-Tech Field? Think Again - When the public thinks about landscaping, high tech doesn’t immediately come to mind. After all, this is work involving dirt, manual labor and plants. Mechanical engineering is represented in the form of a backhoe loader, for example, but that’s about as “technological” as the industry gets. Right?
Canada Post Suing Over the use of Postal Code - An interesting issue is unfolding in Canada and quite frankly its darned amazing! Imagine this, you have a website and offer some kind of product or service. You also use a map so users can search your product by Postal Code... uhoh, now you get a letter from Canada Post stating that they are suing you!
Location, Location! 10 Map Services Your Business MUST Be Listed in - You have a business... perhaps a bar, a coffee shop, or maybe a consulting firm. Regardless of the business type, if you have a brick and mortar presence then you need to get your business listed in some of the popular online, location-based resources and search tools. Even more important is being found via mobile search.
Avenza Announces Return of Annual Map Awards for 2013 - The competition is open to all mapmakers from around the world who use Avenza products in the creation of their maps which were completed or published during 2012 or 2013. The various category awards recognize achievement in the art and science of cartography and promote the advancements and innovation made in mapping.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Connect With Anglers via Colorado Fishing Atlas - Colorado Parks and Wildlife Connect With Anglers via Colorado Fishing Atlas and Social Media. Some fine civic engagement from the Parks and Wildlife service in Colorado as some new resources designed to connect with Anglers have been released to the public.
AEC Firms Lose an Average 100K a Year - A little financial advice from an industry insider to help in these tough times. June Jewell, a CPA and owner of Acuity Business Solutions consulting, says the architectural, engineering and environmental firms she works for easily lose $100,000 each year through inefficient and ineffective practices
President Obama Issues Executive Order and a new Open Data Policy - Another bold move from the Obama Administration, this time via an executive order and a newly released open data policy. The move aims to arms business and developers with previously hard to find, or even impossible to access data.
Editing OpenStreetMap (OSM) Just Got Easy, Really Easy! I'm sure that many (if not most) of you have often wanted to mess around with OSM and add/edit some features but were a little lazy - I'm guilty! But now we have no excuse thanks to the new OpenStreetMap in-browser map editing tools available from the iD Editor
Creative Cartography Meets Music in The Song Map - Oh yes, I love art. I also love music too, heck, who doesn't right? Well, I know you GeoGeeks and music lovers will really dig this one as we stumble onto yet another amazing cartographic product that quite simply will make you say WOW
Why is Landsat important and the Landsat Missions Timeline - Landsat has the optimal ground resolution and spectral bands to efficiently track land use and to document land change due to climate change, urbanization, drought, wildfire, biomass changes (carbon assessments), and a host of other natural and human-caused changes.
Mobile Market Trends show Apple users most loyal - Results from a recent survey indicate that Mobile Market Trendsreveal Apple users are most loyal, T-Mobile customers most likely to bail - are you still confident that your clients are loyal to your brand?
10 Must Have Gadgets and Technology for the Remote Office - Chances are good that if you happen to work in technology or you're a consultant, that you may be working remotely or from a home-based office at some time soon - or perhaps you already do
This is a section devoted to providing our valued contributors with a corner to do whatever they like with and discuss Geo/Tech topics that are near and dear to them! Be sure to check out ALL of our experts for commentary, editorial, links, and advice! Interested in becoming a contributing expert? Contact us and tell us about yourself
URISA is pleased to announce that 25 GISCorps volunteers have recently been deployed to 9 new missions in 7 countries.
Des Plaines, IL (January 25, 2012) –
Volunteers assisting in data cleansing of health facilities in Libya
At the request of the World Health Organization (WHO), GISCorps volunteers were deployed to a data cleansing project in Libya. The dataset included the locations of health facilities around the country. The information was collected from various resources and by volunteers from two other partner organizations: the Stand By Task Force (SBTF) and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap (HOT). (GISCorps volunteers who worked on this project were: Abdel-Rahman Muhsen from Calgary and Case Robertson from Georgia.) Read more here.
Eleven volunteers deployed to an OSM/HOT project in Indonesia
Eleven GISCorps volunteers were deployed to a project with Humanitarian OpenStreetMap(HOT). This is our second collaborative project with HOT (the first was in Samoa) and this time the work is conducted in Indonesia. Our Project Manager is Randal Hale, GISP who also spearheaded the Samoa HOT project. He will be working with ten other volunteers from ten different countries. GISCorps volunteers will collect building information from satellite imagery mainly around the city of Padang, Indonesia which is still recovering from its most recent earthquake. The goal of the effort between HOT and GISCorps will be to digitize all the building footprints visible in satellite imagery that was purchased for this project. (Volunteers are: Bart Monné from the Netherlands, Clotilde de Montpellier from Belgium, Gabriel Oduori from Kenya, Hayk Yeritsian from Armenia, Liz Fulton from Australia, Melanie Harris from Trinidad and Tobago, Nadeem Fareed from Pakistan, Oliva Martin Sanchez from the UK, Suchern Ong from New Zealand, and Yingqi Tang from the US.)
Volunteers assist in three phases of a disaster simulation in Samoa
The United Nations Platform for Space-Based information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response or UN-Spider held a one day eventin Geneva in November 2011. During the event, running a disaster simulation in Samoa was proposed and December 3rd, 2011 was selected as the simulation date. Several participants including GISCorps expressed interest in participating and making their volunteers available to the exercise. Read more here.
Geo-coding locations of NGOs in Sierra Leone
The Craig Bellamy Foundation requested volunteer assistance for mapping the locations of international and national NGOs in Sierra Leone. The volunteer will geo-code other service related information in the next phase of this project. All of the datasets will become available on a Google Earth based interface. (The recruitment resulted in selection of Michael Knapp, a GIS Specialist from Alaska and he is working on geo-coding the locations of NGO's at this time.)
GISCorps volunteers testing an application for a non profit organization
The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) requested the assistance of GISCorps volunteers for testing an application. GICHD works for the elimination of anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and explosive remnants of war. The Centre contributes to the social and economic well-being of people and communities in affected countries. They also provide advice and capacity building support, undertake applied research, disseminate knowledge and best practices, and develop standards. In close collaboration with the University of Geneva the GICHD has developed an ArcGIS based tool called the Multicriteria Analysis SCOring Tool (MASCOT) for advanced geo-spatial analysis of mine action data. The main objective of the tool is to score hazardous area for clearance based on geo-spatial data analysis, such as population, land use, infrastructure, water sources etc. The volunteers were asked to assist the GICHD in testing the “MASCOT” tool. (Three GIS Specialist volunteers were recruited for this project: Curtis Day from Oregon, Ben Koziol from Michigan, and Robert Cheetham from Pennsylvania.)
Two remote sensing specialists are deployed to a project with UNOSAT
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)’s Satellite Operational Applications Program or UNOSAT requested the assistance of two remote sensing specialists for a pilot project in Somalia. The objective of this project is to implement methods for using free and low resolution imagery to identify the locations of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Volunteers will first be asked to assist in developing the most appropriate methodology for identifying the camps and then manage additional volunteers who will be responsible for reviewing tens of thousands sq km of imagery. (The recruitment resulted in selection of Barry Bitters, a senior research scientist with the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), in Virginia.)
Mission withSouth Luangwa Conservation Society- Zambia The SLCS is a non-profit community based organization committed to the conservation of the local wildlife and natural resources of the National Park and surrounding Game Management Areas. GISCorps volunteer, Lisa Matthies, a GIS and Geography Instructor at Erie Community College in Williamsville, NY has been supporting SLCS’ GIS needs since Spring 2009. Recently, SLCS inquired about the possibility of being trained in GIS, which Lisa will provide. For more details about Lisa's ongoing support for this project, clickhere.
With these efforts, GISCorps has had a total of 88 projects in 42 countries with 272 deployed volunteers.
For more information about GISCorps projects, visitwww.giscorps.org.GISCorps is a program that exists through financial donations and volunteer expertise. Consider a financial contribution to help to support the future activities of GISCorps. Click here for more information about donating.
MORE ARTICLES- Check out all the GISuser articles in the archive, stored by category
Featured Events
HxGN Live - The Hexagon Global Network - Learn about surveying, mapping, laser scanning and geospatial solutions from Leica Geosystems. June 3-6, 2013, Las Vegas, Nevada
Join us at GIS for Government 2013 taking place June 24-26, 2013 in the Washington, DC Metro Area to find out everything you need to know about GIS. Click here for more information
To register for the first GCS Geospatial Big Data webinar, visit the new GCS website at www.YourDataSmarter.com. The one-hour free webinar will be broadcast live at 3 pm EDT Wed, June 12, 2013
Top 10 Features in The New Google Maps
Canada Post Suing Over the use of Postal Code
See more 
This is a section devoted to providing our valued contributors with a corner to do whatever they like with and discuss Geo/Tech topics that are near and dear to them! Be sure to check out ALL of our experts for commentary, editorial, links, and advice! Interested in becoming a contributing expert? 
