BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

 By Theresa Quill   Featured Item or Collection: Indiana Historic Maps; Indiana Sanborn Maps   One of the most distinctive landmarks on the Indiana University Bloomington (IU) campus is a small creek, sometimes optimistically referred to as a "river" that flows through the heart of campus. In the spring, students hang hammocks along its bank, classes take samples to study water quality, and the campus maintains a large green space in central campus because periodic floods preclude any new buildings from encroaching on the creek. This creek is currently called The Campus River, though it has had other names throughout IU's 200+ year history.   The Campus River on a snowy day. Photo Credit James Brosher/Indiana University Scanned maps from the Herman B Wells Library's Map Collection help us trace not only the name changes of this campus landmark, but also the environmental impact the creek has had on the town.   ...

By Shirley Li Featured Item or Collection: Indiana Statewide LiDAR: 2016-2020 What is the item? This index map provides download links to LiDAR data in Indiana. The 3DEP data products consist of lidar point clouds (LAS) and digital elevation model (DEM) data. 3DEP acquisition of QL2 Lidar for the State of Indiana began in spring of 2016 and was completed in the spring of 2020, with the final data delivered in December 2020. The data was made available as a web-based distribution method supported by GDSL@Purdue and Institute for Digital Forestry at Purdue University.    What BTAA Library submitted the item? Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies Interesting tidbits You can not only download the point cloud data, but also the derived DSM, DTM, and NDHM. You can preview DEM and NDHM in the browser The Indiana LiDAR data portal is built using open source technology Caption: LiDAR data download for Marion Count...

By Theresa Quill and Jennifer Liss This interview is part of our Data Provider Series, which highlights local governments and institutions that offer open GIS data. In each interview, providers tell us about their missions and data resources. We hope this will be a great way for readers to learn more about local GIS developments and new initiatives. Name: Laura Haley Title: GIS Manager Division/Department: Indiana Geological & Water Survey Website: https://bloomington.in.gov/gis                City of Bloomington Logo Which departments(s) in your city is the steward of your geospatial data? What other activities are you responsible for? The City's Information & Technology Services (ITS) Department is primarily responsible for the City's geospatial data. We also have data stewards in the City Utilities Department for data specific to their operations. We are working more with the Planning and Transportation and Engineering Departme...