Caribbean GIS

Ocean Bathymetry Training

2012-02-18T01:36:00.003-04:00

The Nippon Foundation of Japan has provided funding for GEBCO to train a new generation of scientists and hydrographers in ocean bathymetry. The 12-month course, leading to a Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry (PCOB), has been held at the University of New Hampshire, USA, since 2004. Applications are now sought for entry onto the course, starting in August 2012. The positions are fully funded and the closing date for applications is 31 March 2012. Thanks GSDI.

LA Geospatial Forum

2012-02-12T11:52:00.000-04:00

The 2nd Annual Latin American Conference & Exhibition on Geospatial Information, Technology & Applications (LAGF 2012) will take place on August 14-17, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, together with the Conference on Geospatial for Defense and Homeland Security Geointelligence Latin America. There's a Call for Papers. Thanks C.N. Aguirre

6th Caribbean GIS Conference

2012-01-20T13:22:00.000-04:00

The 6th URISA Caribbean GIS Conference will take place on 12-16 Nov, 2012 at the Hilton Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The 2012 event is themed "Spatial Technologies - Critical Thinking for Critical Times". The deadline for responding to the Call for Presentations is 2 April, 2012.

Fugro Career Opportunity Visit to Puerto Rico February 8, 2012

2012-01-17T14:37:00.000-04:00

Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, San Juan Campus
Presentations & Interviews February 8th
Contact: Professor Marisol Rodríguez

Come out and meet:
Kevin Spain – Human Resources - Fugro Companies
Vanessa I. Torres-Mendoza, - S.I.T Survey Analyst
John Chance Land Surveys, Inc.
Pedro J. Báez-Rivera - Offshore Survey Technician
Fugro Chance, Inc.

All interviews and presentations will be held in English. This opportunity is open to students, alumni and professionals. Please call 787-622-8000 x 377 for details and reservations.

www.fugro.com

Tsunami Warning

2012-01-16T09:26:00.002-04:00

The MetEd program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)located in Boulder, Colorado has just released the 2nd edition of the onlinetraining module Community Tsunami Preparedness. This module is designed to helpemergency managers prepare their communities for tsunamis. MetEd also provides training modules on Emergency Management, Tropical Meteorology, Numerical Modelling, etc.. All the MetEd courses are free. A great resource. Thanks Bruce.

GEYSED

2012-01-13T11:08:00.000-04:00

The GEYSED (Geoinformatics and Digital Signals) Development Center, from the University of Information Sciences (UCI) in Cuba invites professors, students, specialists and researchers in the field of Geoinformatics to participate in the First Geoinformatics Workshop, inside the VI Scientific Conference UCIENCIA 2012, on Feb 20-22, 2012 in Havana, Cuba. Scope: To congregate institutions and professionals that research in the field related to the application of computers to earth sciences, to socialize, learn, establish cooperation and for multilateral exchange. Topics: Algorithms and techniques for processing geographical information, Applied geoinformatics, Cartography and Spatial Databases, Geoinformatics and Education, Spatial Data Infrastructure, Geographical Information Systems. Thanks Kate.

One for the Little Guy

2012-01-05T11:34:00.000-04:00

Came across this inspiring account of a dedicated individual winning the Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) Best of Show Award for 2010. The CaGIS competition is open only to North American mapmakers but it is still very motivating for all mappers to see that a single professional can produce quality work that ranks alongside that of the well-endowed NGS or US Government agencies. Thanks Bruce.

Carneval de GIS

2011-12-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

The 7th International Conference on Geographical Analysis, Urban Modeling & Spatial Statistics GEOG-AN-MOD 12 will be held on June 18th - 20th, 2012 at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The conference will be conducted in English, and papers are requested on various related themes; for peer-review and publication.The organisers write that "nowadays the wide diffusion of electronic devices containing geo-referenced information generates a great production of spatial data ... creating an overabundance of spatial data, which, in many cases, does not help the efficiency of decision processes. This workshop aims at contributing to the development of new techniques and methods to improve the process of knowledge acquisition". Important dates are:
31 January 2012: Deadline for full paper submission
10 March 2012: Notification of acceptance
5 April 2012: Deadline for Camera Ready Papers
June 18-21, 2012: ICCSA 2012 Conference

Thanks Bruce, Kate.

Let's Go Dutch

2011-12-18T23:48:00.008-04:00

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) has made available a GIS User Manual that guides nature managers step by step through relevant GIS skills whilst using their own data in ArcGIS and Google Earth Pro. The DCNA has now trained 16 persons in GIS from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten. It found that one of the biggest concerns in terms of GIS use is the lack of access to reliable and usable data - which sounds rather familiar. However, they've had their own GIS expert and many other persons have a go at this problem and so now the DCNA also offers a set of GIS data for the six islands. If interested you'd have to contact the DCNA but one can already find their training materials online (in English). I haven't seen either the Manual or data myself, but I like the sound of this initiative. Lekker. Thanks Kate.

NatGeo World Map

2011-12-16T11:42:00.006-04:00

For admirers of National Geographic cartography (everyone :-)), ESRI and NatGeo have teamed up to offer a free base map for your online (and desktop) mapping - the National Geographic World Map. It was designed only as a general reference map for informational and educational purposes. And it's not terribly detailed in this part of the world, but that's not surprising, is it? Thanks Bruce.

GPS Sunburn

2011-12-09T10:04:00.006-04:00

An excellent report by GPS World on the 2011 European Navigation Conference that ended on the 1st Dec 2011 detailed several threats to GPS - or GNSS as it is becoming more known by since Russia's GLONASS system reached full capability in Aug-Oct 2011 and the EU's EGNOS augmentation service was certified in mid-2010. One significant threat seems to be increasing solar activity, which would be disappointing if it does occur, given the nice improvements in service that us near the Equator have been benefiting from (more NavStar GPS satellites up and very dependable fixes with help from WAAS/EGNOS).

Geospatial Challenge

2011-12-01T09:09:00.003-04:00

Enter the ERDAS DigitalGlobe 2012 Geospatial Challenge to get free imagery for your study and a chance to win five (5) WorldView-2 scenes of your choice anywhere across the globe from the DigitalGlobe archive. Proposal due Dec 20, 2011. Need inspiration or even software? Thanks Alan and Renee.

Auditions

2011-11-28T21:40:00.005-04:00

The International Cartographic Association (ICA) invites proposals/ participants for a workshop that 'aims to bring together artists, scholars and students from cartography, geography, the humanities and the arts interested in exploring further the relationships between maps and narratives. The main outcome of this workshop will be the production of a collective movie dedicated to narrative cartography. This movie will be made of the different contributions of the participants of the workshop. Support from students and professors from film studies will be provided in order to help turning academic and artistic work into cinematographic essays (2 to 5 min.)'. Must say this is an unusual emphasis for mapping, compared to the standard topics of conversation amongst mappers/cartographers, so I'm interested in the outcome.

The deadline for submitting proposals is January 15th, 2012. Thanks Bruce/ IRF.

Developing Countries & Geodemographics

2011-11-17T14:59:00.006-04:00

Ojo and Ezepue (Sept 2011) look at the challenges and benefits of spatial analysis for driving evidence-based policy making within developing countries. Is evidence-based policy making one of the big differences between developed and developing countries? Thanks K Lance/ GSDI

Técnicas Mecanizadas en Agrimensura/Workshop: Mechanized Surveying Techniques

2011-09-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

EOI - Caribbean Marine Research

2011-09-09T12:43:00.000-04:00

UK DEFRA has a Call for Expressions of Interest (509KB Zip file) for research proposals focused on understanding the impact and addressing threats to marine ecosystems in the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. Funding will range from £50k to £150k and the closing date is 16:00hrs on 30th September 2011. Replies may be sent by email to DEFRA. The marine research priorities identified by the Governments of the UK Overseas Territories (OTs) in the Caribbean and Bermuda are:

1. Identifying and quantifying the scale and nature of the impact of threats to marine ecosystems, this should include ecological impact, and where practicable associated social and economic impacts.
2. Developing solutions to address these threats and their impacts. Solutions must take into consideration the legislative, policy, administrative, financial and practical context of the OTs.

Thanks C N Aguirre

Field Guide to Humanitarian Mapping 2nd Ed

2011-08-23T09:34:00.005-04:00

The Second Edition of MapAction's Field Guide to Humanitarian Mapping has been published (July 2011) and is now available for free download.

MapAction says, 'The second edition of the Guide contains 35% more content than the first edition. In response to requests from users there is a completely new chapter on data collection with step-by-step instructions on accessing many free map data and satellite imagery sources available for various parts of the world.

The new edition continues the principle of helping aid organisations on limited budgets to find and use free and open-source software. This year’s Guide contains an in-depth manual for the use of the Quantum GIS open source software suite, which in MapAction’s experience is now reliable and well supported. As before, the Guide also contains many tips and techniques for using Google Earth.'

The first edition was published in 2009.

Wider Sargasso Sea

2011-08-12T08:44:00.006-04:00

Aug 11, 2011 update from Erika Young and Jim Gower of Fisheries & Ocean Canada (Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS): 'Floating vegetation slicks, probably of this same Sargassum in rafts at sea, were imaged by MERIS throughout July, 2011. Figure 1 [left] shows long sinuous slicks to the northeast of Barbados on July 14, 25 and 30, 2011. Comparison of the lower two frames of Figure 1, for July 25 and 30, suggests that a heavy mass of Sargassum should arrive on the north-east coast of Barbados by about August 10. The bottom frame also suggests that more Sargassum may be about to arrive on Dominica and Martinique' [and Saint Lucia].

Have a look at the bottom frame from 30 July 2011 in Google Earth - Sargassum slicks can be seen in the Caribbean Sea, particularly near Dominica. A major slick of Sargassum was then approaching in the Atlantic approximately 30km from Barbados and Martinique and about 70km from Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia had already reported heavy slicks on their beaches in mid July 2011, so the MERIS imagery analysed by IOS (i) might not be picking up "smaller" slicks due to its resolution and (ii) it seems that Saint Lucia and the rest of the Lesser Antilles can expect much heavier Sargassum slicks this month.

Wide Sargasso Sea

2011-08-10T23:20:00.005-04:00

The Observatoire du Milieu Marin Martiniquais (OMMM) in Martinique mentions that since May 2011 'huge amounts of pelagic sargassum have been piling up along the coast of Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles'. Research by Fisheries & Oceans Canada in 2008 using ENVISAT MERIS imagery offers a tool for understanding the phenomenon. The full research article is, J. F. R. Gower & S. A. King (2011): Distribution of floating Sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean mapped using MERIS, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 32:7, 1917-1929, and it may be downloaded as a preliminary Nature article. Thanks Bruce Potter, Shyma Pagad et Jean-Philippe Maréchal.

Scholarships for Caribbean Nationals

2011-08-08T09:52:00.005-04:00

Scholarships and Bursaries Call for Caribbean Nationals in Graduate Studies in Climate Change

Study areas related to Climate Change that can be considered for these Scholarships and Bursaries are: Climatology; Environmental Sciences; Coastal Management; Water Resources; Sustainable Tourism; Gender Studies

The CARIBSAVE Partnership, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Waterloo (UW), Canada, announce a joint research project entitled: Partnership for Canada-Caribbean Community Climate Change Adaptation (ParCA)***

Students' scholarships and bursaries will focus on ParCA; a project that will conduct comparative case study research in Tobago, Jamaica and two Atlantic Canadian provinces. The project will use a community-based vulnerability assessment (CBVA) framework in collaboration with coastal communities and local partners to identify vulnerabilities and exposures, and develop strategies for adaptation to climate change. Under this program, funding is available for Caribbean Nationals to study at the University of the West Indies or the University of Waterloo at Masters and PhD levels.

ELIGIBILITY for Scholarships and Bursaries

Must be a Caribbean National
Must have successfully completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at a high level in an area relevant to Climate Change including Climatology, Environmental Sciences, Coastal Management, Water Resources, Sustainable Tourism, Gender Studies. Must have been accepted and registered in a Masters or PhD Programme at UWI or UW. Evidence of professional experience in any of the fields indicated above will be an asset.

Applicants for Scholarships and Bursaries will be assessed by a Selection Committee established by the University of the West Indies, the University of Waterloo and The CARIBSAVE Partnership.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications should be sent via email to The Office of Research, The University of the West Indies: pvcresearch@admin.uwi.tt and must be copied to The CARIBSAVE Partnership: hr@caribsave.org When applying please include `ParCA' as Subject in the email.

The following should be included in your Application: an up to date Curriculum Vitae; a covering letter indicating qualifications; professional experience; preferred study location (UWI Campus or Waterloo); your area of interest for graduate studies and full contact details for three Referees. Closing date for this round of applications is 31 August 2011.

*** Funding for this project and its student scholarships and bursaries is kindly provided by the Canadian IDRC and the Tri Council and disseminated through The CARIBSAVE Partnership, The University of Waterloo and The Unversity of the West Indies.

Source: Secretariat of the National Emergency Management Organisation,Castries, Saint Lucia via C N Aguirre and Kate Lance.

Guyana's First GIS User Group

2011-07-22T17:10:00.003-04:00

I'm happy to announce that a GIS User Group has been formed in Guyana. This group consists of technicians, users and administrators of geo-databases of government agencies and private companies. The University of Guyana is also included among the participants, but unfortunately were unavailable for this first meeting.

The group will be meeting on the second Wednesday of every month to discuss various topics of direct relevance for the advancement of GIS in Guyana. All interested GIS users are free to join. The meeting will take place during lunch hour (12 - 1pm) in an informal setting. To ensure participation, a 15 minute presentation will be made by volunteers within the group at each meeting.

The first meeting consisted of a presentation from GGMC (mining commission) showing the implementation and testing of ArcServer for its mineral property holdings. This was followed by a similar presentation by GeoTechVision Enterprises Limited of work done for the Works Services Group using ArcServer.

This was followed by a healthy discussion to determine which coordinate system should be used when storing GIS data for Guyana. Our basemaps, from which most regional data has been derived, are projected in the PSAD 1956 UTM system. The challenge here is that Guyana straddles 2 zones (Z20 and 21). This can be addressed by storing data in a geographical coordinate system (GCS) and allow for on the fly re-projection, but at the same time have one dataset. But is this advisable, and if so would it make sense to use the WGS 84 GCsystem, since data collected are often from a GPS or GPS-based application.

So the questions are: are we prepared to work with more than one dataset in the current system, or should we use a GCS? If the latter is advisable, which system would be best for storing the data?

CARILEC 2011

2011-07-20T23:04:00.003-04:00

The Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC) 2011 GIS Symposium will be held on Nov 2-4, 2011 in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. The deadline for abstracts is 22 Aug 2011. For further details contact the CARILEC Training Department in Saint Lucia.

DataBasin

2011-07-01T13:30:00.004-04:00

After a mention by the prolific pen behind the Caribbean WISE Facebook Group (and I recommend you consider joining this, by the way), I checked out DataBasin and must say that it's a very well managed data portal. DataBasin allows login with an ESRI Global Account, is well designed and easy to use, and most impressive, has very responsive support. You might or might not find all the data you need here, but it's a great example of a data portal.

CarryMap - Belize Forest Fires

2011-05-05T11:38:00.006-04:00

Here's an example of CarryMap in action - a map, and packaged dataset, of the ongoing forest fires in Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Belize, some 90 odd km southwest of Belize City. The portable viewer in the zip file at the end of the link above needs no software to run! The viewer is packaged with the data and has got the basic features to inquire, pan, zoom, measure distance and switch data layers off and on. It also seems to be able to interface with the user's GPS, which would be interesting, and seems to store (my) placemarks added by the user - so this is a step above just a static map for the user to read-only. The view of the current forest fires in Belize is time-limited up to 11 May 2011 (so have a look before then). Thanks Emil.

CarryMap

2011-04-30T23:02:00.007-04:00

Emil Cherrington alerted me about the CarryMap 3.0 extension for ArcGIS, and the software sounds really useful. Emil enthusiastically says:

You've seriously all gotta check out DataEast's CarryMap 3.0 application. It includes a 30-day trial. I suppose the extension does something like what TerraGo's GeoPDF extension does. Except CarryMap creates portable .exe's as well as files that can be read on phones with Windows Mobile operating systems, and on iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. And a single CarryMap license costs about US $161, compared to TerraGo's $2,754 license.

I'm pretty sure that CarryMap will go far in allowing us to share our data with - and create virtual atlases for - folks who don't have access to expensive GIS software. The portable maps you create allow for querying, checking distances, turning on and off layers, and the usual. And unlike ArcExplorer or ArcReader, the person you give the portable map to doesn't have to install anything or browse for where the data is because the data's contained within the portable map already. It's worth checking out.

CarryMap needs ArcGIS 9.2/9.3.1/10.0. Thanks Emil - awaiting a map sample; and I'll give the app a try as well.

Trinidad Earthquake

2011-04-05T08:58:00.006-04:00

An earthquake is predicted for Trinidad this week! However, this will be just a SIMULATION. The FAHUM 2001 (Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias/ Allied Forces Humanitarian) Exercise organised by the Government of Trinidad & Tobago in collaboration with the United States Government through the US Southern Command will be hosted this month in Trinidad. FA-HUM 2011 will be conducted to enhance Trinidad's response capabilities and interoperability with regional and international military forces and humanitarian assistance agencies; and the simulation scenario will be an earthquake. Regional and international agencies will be participating.

Disaster Relief 2.0

2011-03-29T23:10:00.007-04:00

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) and three partners, with the inputs of 41 experts, have issued a report of the lessons learnt from responding to the Haiti Jan 2010 Earthquake: Disaster Relief 2.0 - The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies. The report looks at how information needs (and the information overload) may be met in future disasters. Thanks Emerson.

WARP Speed 0.5

2011-02-02T13:26:00.003-04:00

The Wide Availability and Response Project (WARP) was launched by URISA GISCorps and MapAction yesterday. These two humanitarian organisations specialized in GIS have come together to help improve operational disaster-preparedness in the Latin American & Caribbean Region by establishing a swiftly available repository of basic GIS data to support rapid response humanitarian missions from within or outside of LAC countries in the event of a disaster.

GIS practitioners in the LAC Region are needed for this volunteer effort. The outcome will provide valuable, practical, disaster-preparedness for countries and your help is needed to make it happen. WARP will address country datasets in an organised manner, and to begin with is looking at collating appropriate data for Bermuda, Belize and Saint Lucia. Other countries will be focused on as the project progresses.

The Minimum Common Operational Dataset of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) will be used as an existing international standard by the project. So, if you have decent GIS skills and can volunteer 30-60 hours, in any combination of hours, at your own desktop doing data mining, collation, heads-up digitizing and metadata creation over a period of about two months, and would like to support this effort for your country or other countries, please join us - see the job description and other info via the first link above. Recruitment for this first phase will close on Sun 13 Feb 2011. Email your resume to warp@giscorps.org.

This initiative arose out of the 5th URISA Caribbean GIS Conference in Trinidad in Dec 2010 where MapAction delivered the Closing Keynote Address on lessons learnt from missions to Haiti and elsewhere.

In the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane or tsunami (i) simple datasets can allow GIS practitioners to assist the national or international response with situation maps, to bring relief to the affected population in a better, more organized manner; (ii) in the midst of the chaos, such datasets may not be easily or quickly available or may have been destroyed. Overall, in the circumstances of a disaster, a speedy but organized emergency response is the best way to save lives and ease human suffering amongst the affected population, and preparation is needed to allow GIS technology to help this to happen.

Fellowships for BZ, CR, GT and HN

2011-01-05T21:22:00.008-04:00

The US State Department is offering LASPAU fellowships for professionals who work on programs related to climate change in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, or Honduras. The programme will provide 4-6 week, U.S. based internships. The closing date is 15 Feb 2011. Thanks Kate Lance.

Atlas of Change

2010-12-21T10:33:00.004-04:00

UNEP has released the Latin America & the Caribbean Atlas of Our Changing Environment documenting deforestation, urbanization, pollution of water bodies and other environmental changes in the Region with satellite imagery. The visual information is striking and easy to understand. This follows the global Atlas of Our Changing Environment (UNEP's most popular publication) and the Africa Atlas of Our Changing Environment.

Success in GIS

2010-12-10T00:34:00.004-04:00

A survey of 18 African countries, published by the RICS in 2009, found that the serious constraints to Making GIS Work in Developing Countries were (i) lack of support for GIS from their senior managers and decision makers, (ii) the lack of awareness from these people of the benefits that GIS could provide and (iii) the lack of personnel with appropriate skills and training. The lack of data was also identified as a serious or very serious hindrance. IMHO this seems to be the case with the Caribbean as well.

Caribbean Marine Atlas

2010-11-29T10:18:00.005-04:00

The Coastal Zone of every Caribbean country from Bermuda to Suriname (an interesting geography question) and most Latin American ones is an important economic area. Many countries are of course particularly concerned about the effect of possible sea level rise due to Climate Change on their economic activity and their very survival.

The Caribbean Marine Atlas (CMA) Pilot Project began as a joint initiative of 9 countries in the Caribbean region including Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands. The purpose of the CMA is to identify, collect and organize available geo-spatial datasets into an atlas of environmental themes for the Caribbean region as a support service to the sustainable development and integrated management of marine and coastal areas in the region. Clearly, this would serve the Caribbean well.

UNESCO's International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) has made available IOC Workshop Report No. 235, containing the reports of the 2010 CMA Review and Planning Workshop and the Saint Lucia Coastal Atlas Stakeholders Event.

The effort began in 2007, and one impression from the report is that it seems to be stumbling into the low wall of data - overlooked by higher decision-makers and those in charge of budgets and policies, but a wall to progress nonetheless - that characterises the Caribbean. A comparison between the Oregon Coastal Atlas and the CMA reveals the distance between the two efforts. Whilst the comparison may seem unfair, I do so to contrast the two data environments and their effect, and to ask the CMA and higher national and regional decision-makers whether the citizens of the Caribbean will ever truly have and benefit from the intended decision support tool?

Lessons from Haiti

2010-11-23T01:01:00.004-04:00

The recent Oct 2010 International Conference on Crisis Mapping (ICCM2010) was devoted to assessing the experiences of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake response. Presentations from this conference are now online as 5-6 minute videos - note that this link is not permanent to these videos.

Belize Savannah Ecosystem Map

2010-11-14T09:31:00.008-04:00

A project by Edinburgh University, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the University of Belize, Belize Botanic Gardens, Programme for Belize and other institutions is completing a Map of Savannah Ecosystems in Belize. The team combined SPOT and ALOS PALSAR data together in a Definiens workflow and also utilised IKONOS and LandSat imagery. Field checking is still ongoing and the final revision is expected out in Mar 2011, but the 1st and 2nd links mentioned above provide details of the work and results. The project is also building up local capacity in GIS in Belize, and a variety of resources should also become available for GI professionals to access in the coming year. This project follows one by the EEO in 2008 estimating carbon sequestration using radar imagery. It bears repeating that these EEO projects and those by CATHALAC on mangroves and forests are going to provide a Belleza body of current, quantitative work on remote sensing in the neotropics. Thanks Neil Stuart.

Radar & Carbon Storage

2010-11-12T08:10:00.005-04:00

Correction Nov 14, 2010: Edinburgh Earth Observatory assessed the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for assessing biomass of savannah woodlands and thereby estimating carbon content of these areas. A report explaining the methodology, which included ground-truthing, and results, is available on the RICS website - in summary, vegetation could be detected and its extent estimated but vegetation height was underestimated using radar imagery. The high plant biodiversity, differences in forest structure, wetness and cloud cover make the application of remote sensing in the tropics a different animal from that applied in higher latitudes, and this project and others in Belize, which have used remote sensing to assess mangroves and forests, are creating valuable knowledge about the application of the technology. Thanks Neil Stuart.

Recovery in Saint Lucia

2010-11-09T16:49:00.003-04:00

It seems that Saint Lucia has set about getting broken infrastructure and other problems caused by Hurricane Tomas fixed. But I'm sure they could still use any assistance that can be offered - so contact the Saint Lucia NEMO and get maps of the situation on the MapAction website.

PhD Scholarship in Marine & Coastal Management

2010-11-05T11:57:00.003-04:00

The Call for Applications for the Erasmus Mundus PhD in Marine and Coastal Management 2011-2014 edition has been announced. The deadline is 01 December 2010. Thanks GSDI.

Last Chance

2010-11-03T11:21:00.004-04:00

Lots of trouble in the neighbourhood at the moment - Tomas has whacked Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Saint Lucia and is potentially taking aim at Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas. However, here's a small reminder that tomorrow is the last day to get a registration discount for the URISA 2010 Caribbean GIS Conference scheduled for Dec 6-10 in Trinidad.

Mr. T?

2010-10-29T13:28:00.005-04:00

Whilst Tropical Storm Shary aims towards Bermuda, at the other end of the Caribbean we're looking in amazement (and with some amount of concern for ourselves and los amigos in Venezuela and Trinidad) at the potential formation of another off the coast of the Guianas.

Mangroves in Belize

2010-10-17T16:53:00.006-04:00

An authoritative remote sensing study of Mangroves in Belize (4.53MB PDF) has published its results. The authors have provided a report and data online. One of the things I like in the report is the unvarnished assessment of previous work and the plain description of the pros, cons and choices made when conducting this remote sensing study, e.g. in terms of choice of imagery and techniques. It provides a realistic account of doing such work and this, in addition to the scientific results and data, make this a highly-recommended read for students, professionals and decision-makers in the Region. Further details below. Thanks E. Cherrington.

October 14, 2010 – Panama City, Panama - CATHALAC study, financed by WWF and facilitated by SERVIR system, provides crucial glimpse into important component of the world’s second largest barrier reef complex

The Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC), recently completed a World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-financed study of the mangrove ecosystems which are a crucial part of the Belize Barrier Reef Complex – the world’s second largest coral reef system – and part of the broader Mesoamerican Reef Ecoregion. The study, “Identification of Threatened and Resilient Mangroves in the Belize Barrier Reef System,” found that Belize’s national mangrove cover had remained at 3.4% over the 30-year period from 1980-2010, even as mangrove cover declined from 76,250 to 74,684 hectares during that period. The assessment made use of the Regional Visualization & Monitoring System (SERVIR, see www.servir.net), which is jointly implemented in Mesoamerica and the Dominican Republic by CATHALAC, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA, and other partners.

Belize’s mangroves have been protected since 1989 under the country’s Forests Act, which requires legal permission for altering areas with mangroves. The clearing of some 1,566 hectares of mangrove from 1980-2010 translated to an average loss of 53.6 hectares per year, or an annual rate of loss of 0.07%. Based on a previously determined baseline, it was also estimated that as of early 2010, Belize’s mangroves covered 96.7% of their original domain. An analysis of the ‘hotspots’ of clearing showed that almost 90% of all mangrove clearings occurred in four zones near major coastal settlements: Belize City, the Placencia peninsula, San Pedro Town, and Dangriga. Destruction of mangroves – largely for the development of urban- and tourism-related infrastructure – was also found to have caused the fragmentation of 2.1% of the country’s mangrove ecosystems.

While the assessment examined all of Belize’s mangroves – i.e. not just the ones which interface with the coral reefs and seagrass which are also a part of the barrier reef complex – it was found that over 90% of mangroves lost over the 30-year period possessed connectivity with coral and seagrass. Those types of mangroves were also estimated to contribute US $3-4 million per year to Belize’s fisheries sector alone and a total of US $174-249 million per year to the national economy, according to a 2009 World Resources Institute assessment.

Belize’s low rate of mangrove clearing nevertheless stands in stark contrast to recently published estimates of global mangrove destruction. The 2010 World Mangrove Atlas, for instance, indicates that a fifth of the world’s mangrove ecosystems have been destroyed since 1980. The findings of a recently released USAID-supported study of deforestation in Belize, implemented by CATHALAC and NASA in collaboration with Belize’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, also contrasts with the WWF-funded mangrove study. Over the last 30 years, Belize’s annual rate of mangrove clearing was merely one-ninth of the country’s annual deforestation rate of 0.6%.

The study utilized Landsat satellite imagery from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, and ASTER imagery from the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and NASA. This work also complements a European Commission-funded regional-level study that CATHALAC is currently undertaking of land cover change across all of Central America, and which will also examine changes in mangrove cover. The results of this study have also been integrated into an index of coastal development which is included in the soon to be released 2010 “Report Card for the Mesoamerican Reef.”

Belize’s only previous effort at specifically mapping the country’s mangroves is a national map of mangroves’ cover in 1990. The present effort thus provides decision-makers with a current panorama of the situation of the country’s mangroves. In terms of follow-up, while it is anticipated that the study’s results are highly accurate due to the image processing approach used, in the next few months WWF and its local partners will conduct intensive field verification activities as well as with comparisons to aerial photography that has recently been taken of Belize’s entire coastline. They will also undertake biological surveys to assess both ecosystem health of and the biodiversity within Belize’s mangroves.

Water World

2010-10-15T15:47:00.004-04:00

The Caribbean is about 90% water, so today on Blog Action Day 2010, I'm pointing attention towards the discussion about Water. It's important. Even in the Land of Many Waters where I live, (that's the translation of the name in English), this issue needs attention.

Up In The Air

2010-10-07T15:04:00.004-04:00

The Cayman Islands Lands & Surveys Department is considering updating aerial imagery for the Cayman Islands. There may be the possibility that if other jurisdictions join the project, all may be able to negotiate better costs than doing such an exercise independently. If this interests any government departments or anyone else in fact, please contact:

Alan Jones
Director, Lands & Survey Department
PO Box 1089, Grand Cayman KY1-1102, Cayman Islands

Tel: (345) 244 3421
Fax: (345) 949 2187
Email: Alan.Jones at gov.ky

Land

2010-09-30T21:37:00.004-04:00

The FAO Working Paper Good Governance and Natural Resources Tenure in the Caribbean (Aug 2010) by Dr. Charisse Griffith-Charles of UWI's Faculty of Engineering discusses this issue which affects all Caribbean nations and citizens. Dr. Griffith points out that 'land governance policy in the Caribbean is currently conflicted between internally led pro-poor programmes such as housing provision and lax land tax and squatting enforcement on the one hand, and externally initiated economic directives from international banks such as advice to divest state held lands and to improve land tax recovery on the other'. Overall it seems that few success stories in good governance practice were found, with the exception of Saint Lucia. Though brief (30 pages) the Paper alerts us to the fact that issues such as crime and violence, corruption and national governance are interlinked with land governance. Can land administration/governance be a barometer of good national governance itself? The author also advocates for family land tenure and that 'communal and participatory mechanisms can be used to distribute the efforts and capacities required for sound management of land' - though pointing out that this may be contrary to modern administration. Thanks Peter Rabley.

X Games

2010-09-23T09:21:00.004-04:00

For this one you don't have to do a double twist with back flip whilst riding something with wheels in a half-pipe. But, it still leads to disaster. Check out X24. The organisers describe it as a two-day international collaborative multidisciplinary exploration of recent low-cost or free humanitarian assistance and disaster relief tools and technologies to support communication, logistics coordination and response. It starts at 10:00hrs Caribbean Time (in most countries) - 7:00hrs PST tomorrow Fri 24 Sept, 2010.

How to find a Hurricane (again)

2010-08-31T01:17:00.005-04:00

A year ago I mentioned the excellent visualisation provided by MSNBC's Hurricane Tracker. Here's another: IbisEye, which seems to have been built by the Sarasota (USA FL) Herald Tribune newspaper. Nice presentation and good use of current GOES imagery. Of course there's also the Weather layer in Google Earth 5.2 which also provides a realistic presentation. These online tools synthesizing current and available data don't take away the role of your normal weather service; but with the first Category 4 hurricane (Earl) of the Atlantic season underway and another storm(s) (Fiona) formed/forming they are quick and informative ways to stay informed. Thanks N. Woof.

Caribbean GIS Conference - Updated Call for Presentations

2010-08-17T12:42:00.003-04:00

The deadline for submission of abstracts for the URISA 5th Caribbean GIS Conference has been extended to Mon 23 August 2010.

Remote Sensing of the Forests of Belize

2010-08-06T01:51:00.005-04:00

CATHALAC and NASA in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of Belize have completed a remote sensing-based assessment of deforestation and forest cover dynamics of Belize (1.26MB PDF). The study has been validated, and covers 1980 through 2010 (it includes mapping of 1980, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2004, and 2010).

The abovementioned technical paper provides pretty detailed instructions on how to go about doing such a study, and the source and the output data as well as the spectral signatures generated and used in this study are also available. Theoretically, if the forests of other parts of the Caribbean reflect light in similar ways to Belize's forests, the self-same spectral signatures can be used for mapping elsewhere in the Caribbean, for instance.

CATHALAC intends to continue collaboration with Belize's Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (specifically specialists at the Land Information Centre and the Forest Department), to catalyze regular, sustained space-based monitoring of Belize's forests. CATHALAC also hopes that the technical paper stimulates the interest of other folks in the Caribbean to pick up something like this - they show that the barriers to conducting such studies are small. Thanks E. Cherrington.

Update: (Thanks K. Lance) Based on this analysis of Landsat satellite imagery for 1980, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2004, and 2010, the validated, national-level assessment indicates that Belize's forest cover has declined from 75.9% in 1980 to 62.7%. Average annual deforestation was estimated at 0.6%, equaling the clearing of some 24,835 acres (9,982 hectares) of forest per year.

Disastrous Questions

2010-07-09T09:21:00.004-04:00

An UNDAC Team member is trying to find out more about the best methodologies for the capture and use of geodata in an emergency scenario. His survey - a single page of 22 multiple-choice type questions - is easy to do and will help UNDAC help others.

Caribbean GIS Conference - Call for Presentations

2010-06-29T15:44:00.004-04:00

The 5th URISA Caribbean GIS Conference Call for Presentations is now available. The deadline for submissions is August 20, 2010. The Conference will take place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad on Dec 6-10, 2010.
Update: Corrected deadline for abstract submission. Thanks Nicholle Frontin.

GIS and Censuses

2010-06-23T16:31:00.004-04:00

Here's an interesting site (blog) on censuses and census cartography - GeoCensos. It is an initiative of Latin American & Caribbean experts in geo information and census cartography created under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. (ECLAC) Members of the blog exchange experiences and information and may be interested in exchanging news or press reports on censuses of their own country and geo information subjects for the 2010 Census round. They have worked together since the completion of the 1st ECLAC workshop on Census Cartography in Dec 2008 in Santiago of Chile. They presently produce news and analysis of the censal reality in the region. Many blog members are bilingual - if you wish to write them - and GeoCensos can be found on the social networks Facebook and Twitter.

Who Are You?

2010-06-18T14:28:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader, The planning for the URISA Caribbean Conference in Dec 2010 is heating up. We're working on refining relevant conference tracks. Out of this I wondered about the level of interest in GIS amongst non-GIS persons per se, e.g. government administrators, disaster management personnel, business owners, health professionals, NGOs, etc.. So, please tell me - there's a poll on the right - Are you a GIS practitioner? Thank you.

Remember December

2010-06-10T11:37:00.004-04:00

The 5th URISA Caribbean GIS Conference will take place at the Cascadia Conference Centre in Port-of Spain, Trinidad on Dec 6-10, 2010. It's highly recommended as the biggest gathering of GIS professionals and interested persons from within and outside of the Caribbean, in the Caribbean. And Trinidad is an excellent destination for food, drink, culture and an enjoyable time. More details and the Call for Papers will be posted as soon as these are available, but I anticipate already that there will be presentations regarding (i) GIS and Electric Utilities and (ii) GIS and Disaster Management on the programme. See notes about previous conferences in this successful series here.

Marine GIS in the Grenadines

2010-06-07T00:50:00.004-04:00

From Mon, June 7 to 11, 2010, primary and secondary school teachers from across the Grenadines [Grenada and St. Vincent & the Grenadines] will receive hands-on training in the use of a cutting-edge technology used to create the Grenadines Marine Resource and Space-use Information System (MarSIS), the first of its kind underwater mapping information system in the Caribbean. The Grenadines MarSIS is a GIS which has been created to integrate a range of existing scientific information together with a variety of local knowledge of the Grenadines marine resources (i.e. reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves) as well as areas important for conservation (i.e. turtle nesting beaches, fish nursery areas) and livelihoods (i.e. fishing, tourism, shipping, recreation) as well as hundred of underwater pictures and videos across the Grenadines. This information system has been collaboratively developed over the past 5 years with a range of community members within each Grenadine Island in order to provide easy access to marine environmental information and allow for more informed decision-making and ultimately promote sustainable marine resource management across the Grenadines.

The first workshop will take place in Carriacou at the Multi-Purpose Centre in Hillsborough on Jun 7; the second will take place on Jun 8 in Union Island at the Sustainable Grenadines Project office; the third workshop at the Canouan Government School on Jun 9; the fourth workshop in Mustique on Jun 10; and the final workshop will be held at the Bequia Community High School on Jun 11. More than 50 teachers are expected to attend this week-long series of workshops.

Thanks to Kimberly Baldwin and Bruce Potter for the information; and kudos to Kimberly and all involved with MarSIS for staying the course for the five years it has taken to get to this stage.

Where Are You?

2010-06-03T22:45:00.005-04:00

The first in a series of new and improved GPS satellites (GPS IIF) has been launched by the U.S. Air Force. It should come into active (healthy) service at the end of Aug 2010. The satellites in the new series will offer improved position accuracy and have a stronger signal for better reception - good news for users in dense tropical rain forests, for example.

Previous reports had pointed to the issue with the ageing GPS (Navstar) fleet. The GPS constellation is now reported to have 30 operational satellites; and with Russia's GLONASS, the European Union's Galileo, China's Beidou-1 and Compass, India's IRNSS and Japan's QZSS at various stages of operation, upgrade or development, that popular question might just become even more prevalent.

Risky Business

2010-06-02T09:02:00.005-04:00

The World Bank and various partners are hosting a conference on 'Understanding Risk - Innovation in Disaster Risk Assessment' today through Sunday 6 Jun 2010. And you can attend this one online. The Atlantic hurricane season officially started yesterday and is projected to be a busy one, so it might be timely and interesting to hear what bright minds have to say at this conference. The conference is 'designed to promote innovative partnerships', and 'Best Practice' notes on conference topics will be produced. Thanks L. Renders.

NOAA GOES to South America

2010-05-28T00:18:00.004-04:00

It's low-resolution (1-4km) imagery from an old sensor with an ageing propulsion system, but nonetheless, according to the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), weather forecasters in South America should now be able to get 'more imagery and data to track dangerous storms – including tropical cyclones – and the storms that can trigger potentially deadly mudslides'. This is because NOAA has shifted the GOES-12 satellite to a geostationary orbit at 60 degrees West longitude - a position over Brasil and a tad south of Guyana - to cover South America. It became operational on May 10, 2010. For those more interested in the other end of the remote sensing spectrum, resolution-wise, see this previous post.

NGOs of the World Unite!

2010-05-13T08:40:00.004-04:00

NGOs, put yourselves on the map. Or at least put yourselves on a map. Have a look at this great idea by the National Geographic Society (NGS) - Global Action Atlas. It's a website showing the locations and profiles of projects managed by nonprofits around the world in the areas of conservation, humanitarian affairs, cultural preservation, climate change, exploration, and energy.

Frank Biasi of the NGS says that it's being built 'to give the nonprofit community a rich platform to promote their work and attract supporters, and to use National Geographic's brand and reach to engage a large audience of inspired individuals to take action'. I also think that because this facility is open and accessible to all, it will serve a useful purpose when one needs to reach able organisations in an emergency such as a natural disaster.

For instance, we can all still remember the confusion and the need to reach organisations through which assistance could be channeled in the days and weeks following the Jan 2010 earthquake and the Sep 2008 flood in Haiti. By the way, only three of the 300 or more projects that I know exist in Haiti are represented, so far. This beta release does seem to choke once in a while as it loads VirtualEarth and other components along with its own data, but come on Caribbean NGOs, get yourself listed.

OS OpenData

2010-04-02T10:54:00.006-04:00

Today, Ordnance Survey opened free access to some of its data. The 1:50,000 and better vector and raster data may be downloaded at your convenience via OS's OpenData portal. This is quite a departure from the OS's well known charge-for-everything approach to one that is more civilian-centered. Will the OS see a drop in revenue from this move? Yes. Will the UK gain invention and better services for society and a more varied and resilient economy when these data are put to use by more brains than the OS or the UK government can afford to pay for? I think, yes! (The way we all benefited when this Brit invented the World Wide Web).

What will the National Mapping Agencies (NMAs) in this Region think of this, I wonder. Many, in the Anglophone parts, follow in the 100-year old footsteps of a UK institution, and are very protective of their data. Will the heads of these agencies or their governments change their policies likewise now? When they do, one benefit will be better disaster-preparedness in that country. I.e. It will be easier to plan and deliver humanitarian assistance to citizens in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Coastal Management Special Issue

2010-03-23T08:45:00.004-04:00

The EU Directorate-General for Environment News Service has put out an interesting Special Issue on Coastal Management (377KB PDF). It summarizes the EU experience with Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) including costing economic benefits, the importance of participatory approaches and strategic planning and the use of GIS. (Thanks J. Townend)

Ocean Bathymetry Training

2010-03-12T08:54:00.008-04:00

GEBCO/Nippon Foundation Training Programme 2010
(Courtesy K. Lance, GSDI)

The Nippon Foundation of Japan has provided funding for the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) to train a new generation of scientists and hydrographers in ocean bathymetry. The 12-month course, leading to a Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry (PCOB), has been held at the University of New Hampshire, USA, since 2004.

GEBCO produces bathymetric charts and digital grids of the world ocean by collating, interpreting and contouring, with the aid of directional fabrics revealed by satellite gravity, single and multibeam soundings collected by surface ships, submarines and other underwater vehicles.

Students for the PCOB will be selected by a competitive application process. Minimum qualifications for acceptance are a four year undergraduate degree in a related science or engineering discipline, and proof of ability to successfully complete graduate level courses conducted in English. The selection process will aim at choosing candidates from a wide geographic distribution of coastal countries.

There's certainly room for more knowledge and understanding about this vast area of the Region. The positions are fully funded and the Caribbean Sea is apparently an area of interest for GEBCO.

The closing date for applications is 22 March 2010.

GIslands 2010

2010-02-08T21:44:00.003-04:00

Calling all Coastal Zones! The University of the Azores has launched the 1st International Summer School on Geotechnologies Applied to Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) - GIslands 2010. The course is a 6-day exercise (7-12 August 2010) in the Azores with resource persons in MSP, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), GIS, Remote Sensing, Environmental Modelling and Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). The course is free but applicants are subject to evaluation and must cover their own costs. Application deadline: 4 April 2010.

Open Source Rolls On Again

2010-02-04T21:37:00.006-04:00

It's probably obvious from previous posts that I think Open Source software provides an interesting avenue for the Region to develop its information systems and that even commercial GIS software companies should consider porting their excellent packages to run on Open Source systems. Today, the owners of Symbian, which powers hundreds of millions of devices around the world (e.g. many Nokia phones) announced that their software is now Open Source. By doing so Symbian is now tapping into creative energy and development talent from around the globe.

Earthquake Real-Time Data

2010-01-20T11:36:00.004-04:00

As many know already, there was a Magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Haiti early this morning. The ESRI GEOSS/GEO Viever and perhaps others can help you visualize this. For those who might want to learn more about this earthquake and quakes in general, the USGS Earthquake Hazards programme provides lots of current information and of interest to GIS-ers, the data are also available for download or via webfeeds.

Haiti GIS Viewer

2010-01-19T13:37:00.005-04:00

With the dire situation in Haiti there's a lot of spatial data including hi-resolution satellite imagery and from-the-ground vector data being generated to support the emergency humanitarian effort. The ESRI GEOSS/ GEO Viewer mentioned in the previous post is doing a great job of updating what it offers and providing an integrated view from the flood of data. It's a little slow, but I understand that it's had to make the leap from demonstration prototype to operational resource in a hurry; so full credit to the people behind it for doing so.

Earthquake in Haiti via GeoRSS feed

2010-01-13T19:38:00.005-04:00

The scale of the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake in Haiti is now beginning to be understood. One source of information is the new GEOSS Viewer. Its use of up-to-date data, via RSS feeds, and its smooth interface makes it an excellent visualisation tool for both GIS Specialists and wider users such as the news media. It is a website that allows for the search of data across multiple data portals and has analytical capabilities, such as population estimations. It is currently focused on the disaster area of Haiti. There is a GeoRSS feed that will show the locations of the earthquakes there – from the USGS Earthquake data. The site is being enhanced with additional data and imagery to support humanitarian response operations.

The site is built using the ArcGIS Server API for Flex Sample Viewer, which is a free API for non-commercial use – which any organization can download and use from here: http://resources.esri.com/arcgisserver/apis/flex/. Additional widgets are available from the code gallery here: http://resources.esri.com/arcgisserver/apis/flex/index.cfm?fa=codeGallery.
Thanks to Carmelle Terborgh for the details.

GIS for Carbon Accounting & Tropical Forest Management

2009-12-17T10:15:00.003-04:00

GIS Technology is going to be used for Carbon Accounting and Tropical Forest Management in Guyana. See the ESRI News Release.

Training in Panama

2009-11-23T20:00:00.004-04:00

CATHALAC, the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Panama, in association with various universities and organisations, offers educational programmes, including a Master's degree in Climate Change, a Capacity Development Programme for professionals, a Study Abroad Programme for undergraduates, a Research Abroad Programme and a Sabbaticals and Doctoral Research Programme. The July 2010 Study Abroad Programme will last eight weeks and focus on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. It will be conducted in English and the closing date is 8th Mar 2010. With CATHALAC being a hub for geospatial data and expertise, I imagine participants will be exposed to the latest in GIS technology.

MSc Scholarships in Geospatial Technologies

2009-11-17T14:03:00.005-04:00

MSc Geospatial Technologies
Application deadline: Jan 15, 2010

Ten full scholarships for non-EU students are available under the Erasmus Mundus programme for an MSc in Geospatial Technologies, taught in English, at Münster University (Germany), University of King Jaume I (Spain) and the New University of Lisbon (Portugal).

Caribbean Youth Poster Competition

2009-11-07T11:50:00.005-04:00

UN-SPIDER and the Space Generation Advisory Council in support of the UN Programme for Space Applications (SGAC), calls for candidates from Caribbean Region countries between the ages of 18–35 to submit a poster on the topic of "Case Study on the use of Space–based information for Disaster Management in the Caribbean". The lucky winner will be invited to the 4th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management from the 7-11 of December, 2009 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Travel costs, daily subsistence allowance and cost of printing poster will be covered The deadline is 15 Nov 2009.

Eyes in the Sky

2009-10-08T15:45:00.005-04:00

With the launch of WorldView-2, the newest high resolution sensor, today Oct 8, 2009, GIS practitioners now have several choices for commercial half-metre imagery. WorldView-2 will acquire 46cm (panchromatic) and 1.84m (multispectral) imagery. The GeoEye-1 sensor, launched on Sep 6, 2008, provides 41cm (panchromatic) and 1.65m (multispectral). And WorldView-1 launched on Sep 18, 2007 provides 50cm imagery. One can actually see/ interpret people on these half-metre images (not faces yet, that's just in Enemy of the State). There's also the "lower" resolution, and more affordable, 1-metre resolution QuickBird and IKONOS imagery suitable for a variety of tasks. Even though the newer sensors can technically provide 41/46cm resolution images, non-US Government orders are limited to 50cm resolution. For customers in the West Indies, the official agents for the satellite companies, GeoEye and DigitalGlobe, are located in Trinidad and Barbados, respectively.

How to find a Hurricane

2009-08-21T10:22:00.004-04:00

Well, there are a few good sources including the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) with decent presentation, useful charts and downloadable GIS data, and the more colourful Weather Underground, but the best visualisation that I've seen recently must be the MSNBC, Bing-powered, Stamen-designed Hurricane Tracker.

Belize NSDI

2009-08-03T08:03:00.009-04:00

Belize National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).
With thanks to Marion Cayetano, Galen University

As reported in the news and on the GSDI LAC and the GEOSS Caribe mailing lists, Belize's effort to build an NSDI aims to "foster national development by promoting national competitiveness and productivity". That unusual statement puts it well - an SDI isn't just an ideal, it's part of any modern country's infrastructure.

Belize has experience with GIS. Its first use of GIS and Remote Sensing was during the late eighties to monitor crop potential and harvesting of Sugar Cane. In the nineties it established a GIS-equipped Land Information Centre (LIC).

This 1st NSDI conference was very well attended. About 25 organizations from the public, private, academic and private sectors attended the conference which was held at the San Ignacio Hotel, San Ignacio Town on the 29th & 30th of July. The objective of the conference was to prepare the participants for the development of an implementation plan for the Belize National Spatial Data Infrastructure. The group now intends to complete a draft implementation plan by the end of Oct 2009 and to present it for discussion at the 2nd NSDI Conference already scheduled for the week of the 16th of Nov 2009.

A project implementation team made up of representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Galen University, NASA, CATHALAC, the Pan American Institute of Geography and History, and Belize Environmental Resource Data System (BERDS) is responsible for compiling the draft plan. Four working groups have been established within this team, focusing on:

Data quality and data standards, including metadata creation,
Infrastructure design and implementation
Data ownership and accessibility
System maintenance and oversight

The draft plan will address the tangible and intangible components of the SDI ... including policies and procedures, data quality and data documentation standards, and portals and data access options. The ultimate objective is to get the NSDI off the ground and operational in the next 21 months. Good hunting Belize!

Caribbean Challenge endorsed by Caribbean Leaders

2009-07-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

From Kate Brown
+++++++++++++

Dear colleagues

CARICOM at its recent conference in Guyana has endorsed the Caribbean Challenge within its declaration on climate change and development as outlined below. The Caribbean Challenge was launched at COP 9 of the CBD in 2008 in Bonn and has the following overall goal: Caribbean governments will protect at least 20 percent of their marine and coastal habitats by 2020.

The Thirtieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was held at the Guyana International Convention Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, Guyana from 2-5 July 2009. The President of Guyana, His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo presided.

ILIENDAAL DECLARATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT
We, the Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community, at our Thirtieth Meeting of the Conference in Liliendaal, Guyana from 2-5 July 2009, affirm our commitment to the principles and objectives of the Caribbean Community as embodied in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy -
1. Recalling the objective, principles and commitments of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol;

2. Gravely concerned that our efforts to promote sustainable development and to achieve the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are under severe threat from the devastating effects of climate change and sea level rise which has led to increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events, damage to bio diversity, coral bleaching, coastal erosion, changing precipitation patterns.

3. Emphasising that dangerous climate change is already occurring in all SIDS (Small Islands and Low-lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS) regions including the Caribbean and that many SIDS will cease to exist without urgent, ambitious and decisive action by the international community to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions significantly and to support SIDS in their efforts to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, including through the provision of increased levels of financial and technical resources.

4. Very concerned that the estimated total annual impact of potential climate change on all CARICOM countries is estimated at US$9.9 billion in the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007 US$ prices or about 11.3% of the total annual GDP of all 20 CARICOM countries (Member States and Associate Member States) according to the World Bank estimates;

We Affirm:
1. Our belief that the global response to climate change should be undertaken on the basis of common but differentiated as well as historical responsibility and that it should not compromise the ability of SIDS to pursue Sustainable Development and the sharing of the cost of addressing climate change should be equitable and should not perpetuate poverty.

2. Our continued commitment to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and call on all Parties to ensure that UNFCCC decisions are guided by that work;

3. Our Endorsement for the Caribbean Challenge in its efforts to protect the Region's Marine Resources and in its work towards fulfilling the UNFCCC ecosystem-based management and adaptation recommendations and implementing the Millennium Development Goals related to reducing biodiversity loss;

4. Support for the co-ordinating role of the CARICOM Task Force for Climate Change and Development established by the Conference of Heads of State and Government and the implementing role of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the roles of the CARICOM Secretariat, the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) chaired by the Government of Grenada and the CARICOM Representatives in the international climate change negotiations; and

5. The importance of a common Regional approach to address the threats and challenges of climate change and of the full and effective participation of the Region in the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark (COP15), the UN Secretary-General's Climate Change Summit in September 2009 and their preparatory processes.

WE Declare:

1. That all Parties to the UNFCCC should work with an increased sense of urgency and purpose towards arriving at an ambitious and comprehensive agreement at the COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009 which provides for: long-term stabilisation of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations at levels which will ensure that global average surface temperature increases will be limited to well below 1.5° C of pre-industrial levels; that global greenhouse gas emissions should peak by 2015; global Co2 reductions of at least 45 percent by 2020 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 95 per cent of 1990 CO2 levels by 2050;

2. Adaptation and capacity building must be prioritised and a formal and well financed framework established within and outside of the Convention, including the multi-window insurance facility, to address the immediate and urgent, as well as long term, adaptation needs of vulnerable countries, particularly the SIDS and the LDCs;

3. The need for financial support to SIDS to enhance their capacities to respond to the challenges brought on by climate change and to access the technologies that will be required to undertake needed mitigation actions and to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change;

4. Our full support for the location of the Headquarters of the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund Board in Barbados;

5. Support for climate change negotiations to be fully cognisant of the requirement for improved land use management;

6. Our recognition of the value and potential of standing forest, including pristine rainforest, and our affirmation of its potential contribution to Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). Forest conservation or avoided deforestation and sustainable management of forests are important mitigation tools against climate change in a post 2012 Agreement. We also support the approach to harmonizing climate change mitigation and economic development as proposed by Guyana in its Low Carbon Development Strategy;

7. Strong determination to overcome technical, economic and policy barriers to facilitate the development, diffusion and deployment of appropriate and affordable low- and zero-emission technologies and renewable energy services; We also recognise the need for energy efficiency and conservation and the need for increased technical and financial support for the development of renewable energy in the Caribbean;

8. Our commitment to providing more effective preparedness for response to natural disasters through the development of better risk assessment and material coordination along with the streamlining of risk reduction initiatives. In pursing this task, we call on the Parties negotiating the new Climate Change Agreement to endorse the Alliance for Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) proposal on risk management and risk reduction strategies, including risk sharing and transfer mechanisms such as insurance;

9. Strong support for the streamlining of all climate change funding mechanisms including the Global Environment Facility to include the vulnerability index in their formulae in order to better facilitate SIDS' access to financial resources; and to explore mechanisms to support the Caribbean Community adaptation programmes;

10. Our commitment to ensuring that the Caribbean Community and its supporting institutions will play their full part in implementing our shared vision, goals and actions, working in strategic partnerships with others;

11. Our resolve to strengthen our educational institutions to provide training , education, research and development programmes in climate change and disaster risk management particularly in renewable and other forms of alternative energy, forestry, agriculture, tourism, health, coastal zone management and water resources management to increase the Region's capacity to build resilience and adapt to climate change; and

12. Our further resolve to institute a comprehensive programme of public awareness and education and hereby invite all, partners, organisations and stakeholders to play a full part in promoting a better understanding of climate change and its impacts and in addressing adaptation and mitigation.

MSc Scholarships for LAC citizens

2009-07-08T14:51:00.005-04:00

MSc Geoinformatics/ Geospatial Technologies Scholarships:
From the GSDI LAC mailing list.

Application deadline: July 31, 2009
With the support of the Nordrhein-Westfälischen Ministerium für Innovation, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie (MIWFT), the University of Muenster offers:

Five (5) scholarships for the MSc program in Geoinformatics (4 semesters, starting October 1, 2009) for nationals of one of the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China (P.R.), Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and Uruguay.
Two (2) partial scholarships for the MSc program in Geospatial Technologies (3 semesters, start September 4, 2009) for nationals of the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China (P.R.), Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uruguay.

The scholarships include: tuition waivers, health insurance support, travel costs support including support for one home flight to/from Europe in between.

Contact: Dr. Christoph Brox
Institute for Geoinformatics (ifgi)
University of Muenster
Weseler Strasse 253
D-48151 Muenster
Phone: +49 (0)251 8334721
Fax: +49 (0)251 8339763

Viel gluck!

USVI 5th Annual GIS Conference

2009-06-30T13:43:00.003-04:00

The US Virgin Islands will be holding its 5th Annual GIS Conference - entitled “Efficient & Effective Spatially Enabled Services: Adapting to the Changing Landscape” - on Nov 18 - 20, 2009, on St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. See previous conferences or contact:

Theresa Anduze-Parris, PhD
Annual GIS Conference Coordinator
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
(340) 773-6459 ext. 3131

Who ya gonna call?

2009-06-25T23:44:00.018-04:00

Another year, another hurricane season. Last month, NOAA, predicted a 50% chance of a "normal" 2009 hurricane season. A normal Atlantic hurricane season, 01 Jun - 30 Nov, has 6-14 named storms, 4-8 hurricanes and 1-3 major hurricanes (Category 3 with 111mph winds). Earlier this month, Colorado State University Department of Atmospheric Science predicted 11 named storms, 5 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes for 2009. In 2008 CSU had correctly predicted an above average season (we had 16 named storms).

One thing about hurricanes - they are pretty big. So even for well-prepared and well-equipped nations, a whack from just one hurricane can often be just too big to handle alone. So, if it does happen, who can we call?

In the early phase of search and rescue lives hinge on swift rescue and the provision of clean water (most humans can't survive more than three days without water), basic food and basic shelter. However for the response to remain effective when thousands of people are affected, information on the needs of the population also needs to be collected and effectively channeled to available assistance. Information is clearly not as important as water and food, but compounded suffering only days later can be avoided if the humanitarian effort also gathers and uses strategic information. This is where GIS can play an important role, so with that consideration in mind, here's a calling list that countries or humanitarian agencies can use:

CDERA - The Regional focal point for disaster response for english-speaking CARICOM Countries based in Barbados. Not known to have GIS capabilities but sometime in the (near?) future will have a WebEOC (Emergency Operations Centre) built by the US military to "facilitate more effective communication and coordination among the CDERA Coordinating Unit, affected countries and supporting agencies through real time sharing of critical information".
SERVIR - A Regional facility based at CATHALAC in Panama with extensive GIS capabilities including a bunch of folks knowlegeable about applying technology. It has a very good bilingual portal and has produced information products in disasters such as maps of the May 2009 earthquake in Honduras. So far, it seems focused mostly on serving the spanish-speaking Central American countries but renders assistance elsewhere too.
Disaster Charter - Based in Vienna (I think; somewhat ironically it doesn't make contact information easily available) and provides maps and/or imagery of disaster areas based on a wide range of satellite sensors, but only when "activated" via a single confidential number. This modus operandi seems needed to protect the resources of the contributing space agencies from being accessed will nilly.
UNOSAT - This UN agency is based in Geneva and it "[acquires and processes] satellite data to produce and deliver information, analysis and observations to be used by our partners and beneficiaries for relief". Has access to and makes use of the Disaster Charter.
OCHA - OCHA has bases in many countries in the Region. It can mobilise a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) into affected areas and provides "information management tools for use by humanitarian response agencies to assist in planning, response and coordination". OCHA has certainly made use of external mapping skills in responses in the Region and is apparently trying to do more of the same itself.
MapAction - A UK-based NGO with sections in Germany, Trinidad and Guyana. It provides a well-trained and equipped rapid mapping cell, on site, helping government and other responders with situation maps. It mobilises in hours and responds to requests by countries, regional disaster focal points or international humanitarian missions; and eventually hands over to in-country skills after a few weeks when the situation stabilises. The most recent mission in the Region was in Haiti at the request of the IFRC where they worked alongside UN OCHA, the Haitian Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) and others in the emergency caused by the 2008 hurricanes.

SDI Cookbooks

2009-06-20T09:03:00.004-04:00

The latest Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Conference (GSDI11) ended yesterday in Rotterdam. This biennial event could be a good marker for time elapsed in the building of a Spatial Data Infrastructure(s). Has there been sufficient progress? Can people in various parts of the world say that there's an infrastructure serving them or some of their needs as yet? Here are a couple of resources for those still trying to get an SDI up and running:

GSDI Cookbook version 2
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Cookbooks - WMA and WFS
Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) GIS Cookbook - Methods in ArcView and ArcGIS from the Univ. of Calif. (SB)
Philippines Housing & Land Use Regulatory Board GIS Cookbook - Written from a User perspective

Tiny SDI

2009-06-04T21:49:00.005-04:00

Does a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) make sense for small countries? After all, an SDI, like any other infrastructure takes financial investment, time and effort to build. And small countries might feel that they don't have the tax dollars to spend on esoteric-sounding "SDI". Karen Richardson and Alan Mills make the case for SDIs in Ascension Island, St. Helena, Rodrigues Island, Montserrat and the Caribbean's smallest country, St. Kitts & Nevis - Small Islands SDI (686KB PDF).

Chile's SDI portal

2009-05-21T22:09:00.005-04:00

Here's another good SDI portal in the Latin American & Caribbean Region - SNIT - the National System of Coordination of Territorial Information of Chile, with an online map viewer and linkages with other sources of Chilean geospatial information. It's in Spanish of course, but still very understandable as an example of what the Region needs more of - spatial data/ information that's easily available to the public. And this one has been around a few years now.

Here's a quick summary in English.

GPS - is the sky falling?

2009-05-20T08:25:00.006-04:00

According to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) , "It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption". As you may know, the USAF maintains and controls the Navstar GPS system. The GAO estimates that the full constellation of 24 satellites may fall below the 95% committed/ expected availability in 2010 through 2014, with the probability of a full constellation falling to 80% for 2012. The report and executive summary are available here. So, will the world as we know it come to its Mayan Calendar end, or will the EU's Galileo, China's COMPASS and Russia's GLONASS GPS systems see here an incentive to expand their operations as a global public service?

Guatemala's Spatial Data Infrastructure Prototype

2009-05-14T13:17:00.003-04:00

Via the GSDI Mailing List: Guatemala has launched a new Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) portal. It's in spanish, and the universal language of spatial data and maps. It was built using Open Source tools and though it has some rough edges, it's a very good start and an excellent development for SDI in the Region.

If you like, just for the information, you can read the Home Page in English.

Geospatial Framework Development - The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

2009-05-07T09:36:00.006-04:00

The Government of Puerto Rico in partnership with NOAA's National Geodetic Survey is currently conducting a Geodetic Reference Framework Project on the island of Puerto Rico. This, in part, involves the improvement of the Vertical and Horizontal framework which form the foundation for Geospatial products and services, Land Surveying, and Geodesy.

The article entitled "Coordenadas en NAD83 y PRVD02 y la Ley" by Dr. Linda L. Vélez Rodríguez, MS, PE, PLS describes the project, legal implications, and the challenges involved. The article can be found at http://cms.ciapr2.org/templates/CIAPR/tecnomundo/Tecnomundo%20mar-abr%2009.pdf

For further information regarding Land Surveying and Geodesy in Puerto Rico visit http://cms.ciapr2.org/

Please note - the article is in spanish

Where is the Map Going?

2009-04-27T17:31:00.006-04:00

Where is the Map Going? Well, pretty interesting places. The power of maps to communicate quickly and well to a very wide audience is a strength of GIS. When distributed (swiftly and conveniently) via the web, this information only increases in value for its timeliness. What's also interesting is the use of online maps to do the reverse as well; i.e. either continually connect to and summarise a variety of sources or allow people in many locations to pool their knowledge (crowd-sourcing) of an issue or event.

Here are a few cases from and spun off of an interesting email from a MapAction colleague:

HealthMap - The global disease alert map, is a free service that "brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health". It's been particularly relevant today with the global alert about swineflu.

WikiCrimes - Allows citizens to "share crime information and keep safe". It's not run by the police but by allowing the citizen to map what they know, it compiles and shares useful crime data for use by society - a sort of Neighbourhood Watch online.

WikiMapAid - Another crowd-sourcing portal, this time with information about "poverty crises hotspots by capturing data about orphanage programs, drought, food, employment, education and training"... to "[map] solutions to poverty-oriented problems".

GIS and Access to Family Planning Services

2009-04-20T13:09:00.003-04:00

Via the GSDI Mailing List: Using GIS to address disparities in access to family planning services and commodities in Latin America and the Caribbean (1.5MB PDF, Dec 2008) This paper demonstrates a methodology that Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) ministries of health can use to geographically identify and target scarce resources to improve access to family planning. Guatemala was chosen as a case study for implementing the methodology, in large part because of the disparities that exist between its different subpopulations. The results highlight the potential for applying this methodology in other countries in the LAC region.

Field Guide to Humanitarian Mapping

2009-03-23T11:30:00.003-04:00

MapAction has published the first edition of its Field Guide to Humanitarian Mapping. The guide, which is downloadable free, will help aid organisations to use geospatial tools and methods in their work in emergencies. There are tutorials for Google Earth and open-source GIS software.

The guide was written to meet the need for practical, step-by-step advice for aid workers who wish to use free and open-source resources to produce maps both at field and headquarters levels. The first edition contains an introduction to the topic of GIS, followed by chapters focused on the use of two recommended free software tools: Google Earth, and MapWindow. However much of the guidance is also relevant for users of other software. In addition there is a chapter on using GPS to collect data during humanitarian emergencies.

GIS Wins the War on Terror!

2009-03-02T17:01:00.002-04:00

Well, as yet, unproven :-). Here's a look at what can be done with GIS(cience): Geographers Find Bin Laden - Theoretically. This sort of far-reaching, surprising and valuable analysis shows why the countries of Latin American and the Caribbean need a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI).

Google Earth 5

2009-02-04T14:42:00.005-04:00

Google Earth (GE) 5 has added a some cool features, including ocean bathymetry, graphic simulation of ocean waves and surface flyunders (turn on the Terrain layer), links to ocean information resources like marine parks and dive spots (turn on the new Ocean Layer), the ability to add GPS waypoints (under the Tools menu), and the ability to view historical as well as current imagery for an area where these exist in GE's archive (under the View menu). So go on, go somewhere you've never gone before - visit the deepest point in the Caribbean Sea.

With its ability to deliver information to masses of people, albeit on the Net, these new features make GE a serious visualisation tool for GISers. With the ability to add GPS waypoints now offered to all users, GE Plus seems suddenly redundant.

Remote Sensing the US Presidential Inauguration

2009-01-21T12:40:00.006-04:00

Images from space are fun as well - see/download a copy of the shot from space of what CNN called "The Moment" - the Inauguration of US President Barack Obama: 0.5m resolution GeoEye-1 imagery (270KB JPEG). A better resolution JPEG is also available. Photo courtesy of GeoEye.

Costa Rica Earthquake Response

2009-01-10T21:42:00.005-04:00

Costa Rica suffered a Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake on Thurs the 8th of Jan at 19:21 GMT. The University of Costa Rica Seismic and Volcano Observatory (OVSICORI-UNA) is appealing for satellite images of the area to help assess damage. Email Rodrigo del Potro with suggestions. Address: OVSICORI-UNA, 2346-3000 Heredia, Costa Rica. Tel: (+506)25624010 Fax: (+506)22610303.

Mapping Gaza

2009-01-07T17:10:00.007-04:00

The people of Gaza face a deteriorating humanitarian situation. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Oxfam have reported on the situation as well. Open Street Map - the Free Wiki World Map - is mapping the country with the aid of volunteers to provide useful maps of the Gaza Strip in the immediate future for use by relief agencies and other people on the ground. And if you are a person who is familiar with Gaza, but not in Gaza presently, and you'd like to participate, go here for guidance. Whilst this may be far from the shores of Latin America and the Caribbean, it's an exemplary demonstration of community-based online mapping and courage.

Maps with a Twist

2008-12-08T02:14:00.003-04:00

Here's an interesting twist on mapping the world: Worldmapper depicts the nations of the world, not by their physical size, but by their demographic importance on a range of subjects. Thanks Victoria Shelley.

ArcMap 9.3 Geospatial PDF output

2008-09-10T11:13:00.003-04:00

Just learnt via the MapAction network that ArcGIS 9.3 will produce PDFs ... and when viewed in Adobe Reader 9, "tools for coordinate readout and find XY will be available". Further ... "If that same PDF is opened in any of the pay-for Acrobat products, an extended geospatial toolset is provided, including coordinate readout, find XY, geodesic measurement, and georeferenced markup". [source: ESRI]. More good details here and here.

Seems like GIS'ers - i.e. ArcGIS 9.3 users - have an improved output option more readily available now. The previous look at GeoPDF by TerraGo was not totally encouraging.

4th Caribbean GIS Conference Update

2008-08-06T15:29:00.003-04:00

Things are warming up for the URISA 4th Caribbean GIS Conference in the Cayman Islands this month. Over 170 persons from 22 countries have already signalled that they will be attending. There will be some 19 companies in the Exhibitors Hall - (spaces are sold out) - so it will be a good chance to speak directly with software representatives, solutions providers, satellite imagery agents, hardware suppliers, surveying associations, etc.. There will be a software training course and three pre-conference workshops for those who have signed up; ~79 conference papers by presenters from around the Caribbean and abroad in the main educational sessions, keynote addresses by two distinguished speakers from ESRI and the UK OS and a panel discussion. See here and here for more details.

4th Caribbean GIS Conference Press Release

2008-05-20T10:24:00.004-04:00

May 20, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) – Registration has opened for URISA’s 4th Caribbean GIS Conference. The conference will take place August 25-29, 2008 at the Ritz Carlton Resort on Grand Cayman and will feature workshops, keynote presentations, dozens of educational sessions, an exhibition, poster session and networking opportunities.

Preconference events begin on Monday, August 25 with an ESRI user group meeting and an ArcGIS training course, and URISA Certified Workshops will be presented on Tuesday, August 26 on these topics:

GIS Program Management
GIS Enterprise Architecture & System Integration
An Overview of Open Source GIS Software

During the opening session on August 27, the “Status of Caribbean GIS” will be explored through on-stage interviews of key GIS professionals in the region, followed by a keynote address from Dr. David Maguire, Chief Scientist at ESRI. For this Fourth Caribbean GIS Conference, URISA is pleased to announce a second keynote address on Thursday morning from Vanessa Lawrence CB, Director General and Chief Executive of the Ordnance Survey.

The Program Committee has organized an educational program based upon abstracts submitted through the Call for Presentations within these topical program tracks:

Disaster Management, Law Enforcement, Public Health and Safety
Standards, Policy and Management
Land, Environment, Planning and Natural Resources
Utilities, Business and Organizational GIS
Hot Topics

Some featured sessions include:

National and Regional Case Studies in Disaster Management
This session will look at examples of Disaster Management Applications using GIS around the region.

The Caribbean GIS Community and its Response to Disasters: Lessons Learnt from MapAction LAC - Vijay Datadin, Caribbean GIS, Georgetown, Guyana
A Case Study: Tropical Storm Noel, The Bahamas - Sharon Griffith, Ministry of Works & Housing, Nassau, Bahamas
Geographic Information Systems and Their Employment In The Management for Risks Reduction of Disasters in Cuba - Silvio Rodríguez Hernández, GEOCUBA Investigation and Consultancy, Playa, Havana, Cuba

Enterprise GIS Systems and Their Profitability
Developing a successful Enterprise GIS is not an easy task and it certainly requires significant investment. This session examines how to put the right systems in place and how to leverage the same in order to generate self-sustaining revenue.

The Issues Involved in the Establishment of a National Clearinghouse for Jamaica -Damian Graham, Spatial Innovision Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica
Towards an Enterprise GIS System for the BVI-Kyron Adams, Town and Country Planning Chief Ministers Office, Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Lisa Kay S. Lewis, GISP, National GIS Coordinator, Office of the Premier, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Making Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Profitable -Karen Edwards and Sharon Patterson, National Land Agency, Kingston, Jamaica

Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)
SDI is being touted as the new “hot thing” in GIS. This session will explore ways in which SDI might work for the Caribbean and provides two examples of SDI projects underway in the region.

In Search of Policies to Support the Implementation of SDIs in the Caribbean - Garfield Giff, Delft University, Delft, The Netherlands
Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Republic of Cuba – IDERC - Tatiana Delgado, SDI in Cuba, Havana, Cuba
Creating a Framework for Data Sharing and Access with the Jamaican National Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDI) - Damian Graham, Spatial Innovision Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica

Conservation Planning: Systems and Methods
In this session, a non-governmental organization and national governments will present innovative systems and methods that are being developed and employed for conservation planning.

Conservation Information System in the Meso America and the Caribbean - Steven Schill, The Nature Conservancy, Orem, Utah, USA
GIS and Conservation in Bermuda: Challenges and Solutions - Mandy Shailer, Bermuda Government, Flatts, Bermuda
Using GIS to Conserve the British Virgin Islands’ Marine Environment - Nancy Woodfield-Pascoe, National Parks Trust, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

The previous three Caribbean GIS Conferences took place in the Bahamas (2006), Barbados (2004) and Jamaica (2001). The Chair of the 2008 Conference Committee is Alan Jones, Director of Lands & Surveys for the Cayman Islands. The committee is comprised of well-respected GIS professionals from across the Caribbean region, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

As in the previous conferences, the conference objectives are:

To inform broad cross-section of Caribbean users about GIS technology and applications
To share experiences regarding GIS implementation and management issues
To establish new relationships with the vendor/consultant community
To provide workshops and sessions that are application driven, and are relevant to the Caribbean community of GIS users
To foster a Caribbean GIS network

Visit http://www.urisa.org/conferences/caribbean/info for detailed conference information.

Caribbean GIS Snapshot - Caribbean GIS professionals are also asked to participate in a survey to include country information in an overview of the 'status of GIS' in the region. The results of the survey will be presented at the URISA Conference on Grand Cayman.

Contact:
Wendy Nelson
Executive Director
URISA
wnelson@urisa.org
www.urisa.org
847-824-6300

Open Source Rolls On

2008-05-16T17:42:00.003-04:00

So, now the NY Stock Exchange runs on Open Source software. Whilst there are quite a few good Free and Open Source GIS packages that run on the Windows Operating System, is it time for the major vendors like ESRI, Intergraph, AutoDesk and Leica-ERDAS to port versions of their popular packages for the Linux Operating System?

FOSS4G2008

2008-05-14T10:29:00.003-04:00

The annual Open Source Geospatial Software conference, Free and Open Source Geospatial 2008 (FOSS4G2008), will be held in Cape Town, South Africa from September 29 - Oct 3 2008. The theme is Open Source Geospatial: An Option for Developing Nations. The Conference Chair writes, via a widely released email:

FOSS4G is renowned for its hands-on Workshops and Labs. 2008 is no exception. The Workshop/labs track has been going well in terms of submissions. We have (as of 9th May 2008) 26 interesting and relevant submissions to choose from, ranging across a wide spectrum of GIS topics. Desktop GIS (with spatial analysis and geovisualization to the fore) is a common theme and there is a strong representation from the broad Internet GIS field (web map servers, rich internet applications/web clients, OGC web services). Themes also making an appearance are geoportals, metadata, spatial ETL and the use of spatial databases. There is also some focus on programming/scripting. The emphasis is heavily on showing what is possible with FOSS4G through practical "how-to's", getting software/services up and running quickly and trying them out. Many of the workshops emphasise the excellent Java-based tools and frameworks.

4th Caribbean GIS Conference Schedule

2008-05-06T18:06:00.005-04:00

The schedule for URISA's 4th Caribbean GIS Conference - Evolution & Next Steps, Aug 25-29 2008 in the Cayman Islands - and other details are now online on the URISA website.

Aside from keynote addresses by Dr. David Maguire, Chief Scientist and a corporate director of ESRI, and Vanessa Lawrence CB, Director General and Chief Executive of the UK Ordnance Survey; and technical presentations related to disaster response, public health, policy, land, environment and utilities, there promises to be vibrant discussion of the future of GIS in the region including the issues of copyright, costs and access to data.

Register by July 1 to get US$50 off the regular rate. Students do the same and get 82% off the full conference registration (US$60)! Presenters must register by July 2. Discounts on accommodation are available only until July 24 2008, and discounts on airfare are available as well. Previously provided information may be found here.

GIS Snapshot

2008-04-16T15:29:00.002-04:00

Here's an effort to develop a simple sense of the "state of play" of GIS in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean - the GIS Snapshot 2008. It's a brief survey anyone can take online.

It's simple and short - 16 questions including your name (optional) - and respondents don't have to be "experts" to answer it. So don't worry about being super accurate; tell me about GIS in your country as best you can. The responses for each country will be combined for the best overall picture.

The survey will be available from today to the end of July 2008. A summary of the results will be emailed back to all respondents and made available in August at the URISA 4th Caribbean GIS Conference in the Cayman Islands.

GeoPDF

2008-03-26T22:06:00.014-04:00

Paper maps are probably the most common form of GIS output. However digital products are obviously important too. Exporting maps from one's GIS as JPEGs is one easy way to provide users with digital copies - these can be posted to websites and/or emailed to your audience who can easily view them on their computers, insert them into reports, etc. . Here's an example set of free maps of Tobago.

GeoPDFs seem to provide a more sophisticated option for the GIS professional to consider. The GeoPDF format is proprietary and it needs a piece of software (Map2PDF from TerraGo Technologies) to produce. GeoPDFs are normal PDF documents, but with interactive maps - map layers can be switched on/off, users can zoom in/out, measure distances, view coordinates and attributes and change projections. They allow a fuller presentation of your GIS dataset to your audience. Acrobat Reader is needed to view the PDF, and in order to view the interactive elements in a GeoPDF, one must first install a free Acrobat Reader plugin (GeoPDF Toolbar). The plugin is 19MB. One needs to provide contact information to get it, which seems fair.

Jean-Nicolas Poussart of the CEP, who first mentioned this product to me, offers a user opinion of Map2PDF:

I tested the free trial to create GeoPDFs and it worked fine. I am not aware of a similar free product to make GeoPDFs, but it wouldn't surprise me if we would see this soon. As Acrobat is so popular, you can imagine how interesting it becomes to use this format (PDF) to distribute interactive maps.

Jean-Nicolas also points out that each GeoPDF is only one (interactive) map. I suppose to make a mapbook, or to include one's GeoPDF in a report that also includes text and pictures, one could collate the GeoPDF(s) with a PDF(s) of the text pages - with Acrobat.

Though it's free to try, Map2PDF has a cost - but neither the company's website nor its sales representative for the LAC region is immediately forthcoming about the amount. When a company doesn't state the cost of a predefined product, a person could feel like the customers are being kept at arms length, especially when the sales department doesn't reply to enquiries. (It's understandable if the cost of a service varies, as this may depend on what the individual customer wants and/or the circumstances). In addition, a GeoPDF on the manufacturer's website - their map of sales districts - seems to have an odd error. If you can download and examine it - with the abovementioned GeoPDF Toolbar installed - you'll notice that the Equator is apparently further south than it should be. It's a small scale map, but last we knew the Equator is just north of the mouth of the Amazon, and in this GeoPDF, when queried, the Equator seems nearer to the Tropic of Capricorn. See the screenshot at left. Again, the sales representative has not responded to a request for advice on this.

So, though I haven't tried it yet myself, and I very much like the concept of distributing GIS outputs as interactive PDF maps, I'm not overly impressed by the company's approach to the outside world. For now I might just stick to my trusty Export ... JPEG.

Informatica 2009

2008-03-11T01:23:00.002-04:00

The Informatica 2009 13th International Convention & Fair will be held in Havana, Cuba on Feb 9-13 2009. The conference will be held in Spanish and English and the deadline for submission of abstracts and papers is Sept 30, 2008. More information can be found on informaticahabana.cu or informaticahabana.com.