BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

By Cecilia Smith Featured Item: Aerial Imagery: Cook County, Illinois, 2003 What is the item? This is black and white aerial imagery captured in 2003 for Cook County, Illinois at 6 inch pixel resolution. The imagery was taken with panchromatic film, which is film sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light and capable of high spatial resolution. The Cook County imagery dating from 1998 is discoverable in the geoportal. Cook County Government makes the data available through the Cook Central Open Data Portal as a web service and as a downloadable data set. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Chicago Full extent of the 2003 Cook County imagery Interesting tidbits: The 2000s in Chicago saw investments in green and public spaces and changes to zoning and land uses that are apparent when comparing the 2003 imagery to later years. A series of public spaces opened in Chicago beginning in 2004. The 2003 imagery shows the construction of Millennium Park , a highly celebra...

By Caroline Kayko Featured item: A chart showing the favorite resort of the sperm and right whale by M.F. Maury L.L.D. Lieut. U.S. Navy; constructed from Maury's whale chart of the world by Robt. H. Wyman Lieut. U.S.N. What is the item? This item is a world map from 1853 created by M.F. Maury. It is centered around the prime meridian, showing where sperm whales and right whales can be found. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Michigan About the author Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) was a naval officer, hydrographer, and one of the creators of the discipline of oceanography. A leg injury left him unable to serve which led him to the study of meteorology and oceanography. His book “ The Physical Geography of the Sea  and its Meteorology ” is considered the first modern textbook on the topic. A 1923 painting of Matthew Fontaine Maury shows the officer standing behind a globe. credit: Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Interesti...

By Joshua Sadvari and Daniel Dotson 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: Aaron Schill Title: Director of Data & Mapping Division/Department: Data & Mapping, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) Website: www.morpc.org/data 1) Can you describe MORPC's mission and talk a little bit about how the geospatial data you create support that mission? MORPC is Central Ohio’s regional council for nearly 75 members comprised of counties, cities, villages, townships, and regional organizations in the 15-county region. We take pride in bringing communities of all sizes and interests together to collaborate on best practices and plan for the future of our growing region. We do this through a variety...

Check out the latest blog post about the BTAA Geoportal  on Spatial Reserves - A Guide to Public Domain Spatial Data. The Spatial Reserves blog is maintained by Joseph Kerski & Jill Clark and contains a wealth of information about open geospatial data and issues around access. Mr. Kerski was an invited speaker at our recent  BTAA GIS Conference.      The Spatial Reserves blog is based upon       the themes from the       The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data .

By Jae Sung Kim 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: Maurie Kelly Title: Director Division/Department: Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) Website: www.pasda.psu.edu About Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) Using PASDA, users can easily find geospatial data with various functions including preview and download. Maurie Kelly noted that: “The data made available through PASDA is provided by our data partners to encourage the widespread sharing of geospatial data, eliminate the creation of redundant data sets, and to further build an inventory (through the development and hosting of metadata) of available data relevant to the Commonwealth. PASDA serves as a resource for locating data throughout th...

By Jaime Martindale Featured Item: Wisconsin Statewide Tax Parcels 2014-2020 Wisconsin Act 20, the biennial state budget for 2013-2015, created statutory directives for state and local governments to coordinate on the development of a statewide digital parcel map. The Statewide Parcel Map Initiative is an effort to create a digital parcel map for Wisconsin by aggregating local parcel datasets utilizing geographic information systems (GIS). The Parcel Initiative is a multi-faceted, multi-year collaborative effort of the Department of Administration, State Cartographer's Office, and local governments. The predecessor to the Statewide Parcel Initiative was the LinkWISCONSIN Address Point and Parcel Mapping Project , which ran from July 2013 through September 2014. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) launched a statewide broadband initiative with goals to map broadband service within the state, develop a vision for broadband in Wisconsin, and work to extend broadband acc...

By Kathleen Weessies & Karen Majewicz Featured Item: Johns Hopkins University Covid-19 Dashboard Early on in the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, Johns Hopkins University took the lead in creating a portal of frequently updated data feeds. It pulls together up to 600 datasets including medical cases, hospitalizations, deaths, recoveries, stay at home orders, essential vs. nonessential business designations, and travel and quarantine orders. This Dashboard is one of the most commonly cited public sources of aggregated Covid-19 data, as it delivers public health statistics using easy-to-understand maps and charts. Users do not need to load the GIS data in external applications to analyze it. Screenshot of the Johns Hopkins University Covid-19 Dashboard on November 2, 2020 COVID-19 Cases Worldwide : Data points indicate location of available case numbers (not total cases) However, if users would like to go deeper and make maps or charts of their own, many of the geospatial datasets in...

Registration now is open for Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) GIS Conference! Date: November 13, 2020 Location: Virtual (Zoom) This is a one-day conference that brings geographic information users across disciplines from different Big Ten institutions. It will be entirely online. Registration is free and open to all. We recommend to use your school or work email for registration if possible. The Map Gallery is still open for submission until October 31st! Please submit your map proposal here . More information on the conference including the schedule is available here. For questions about the program, please contact Nicole Kong (Associate Professor, GIS Specialist, Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies) at kongn@purdue.edu .

By Melinda Kernik and Laura McElfresh 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: Zeb Thomas Title: GIS Data Systems Coordinator Division/Department: MNIT Services Partnering with the MN Department of Natural Resources Website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ 1. What is the mission of your agency? The DNR has three primary missions: 1) to conserve and manage natural resources; 2) to provide outdoor recreation opportunities; and 3) to support commercial uses of natural resources. These missions are sometimes in conflict, but all relate to promoting a high quality of sustainable life & good management of our environment…the better the data you have, the better you can conserve and manage resources. 2. How is your...

Geospatial Data Project - Tutorials This month, the BTAA Geospatial Data Project is unveiling a series of tutorials to showcase the practicality of the BTAA Geoportal for teaching and learning about maps, geospatial data, and GIS techniques. These tutorials cover a wide range of activities designed to meet the needs of instructors and students in different fields and levels of competency in data retrieval, use, and analysis. The inaugural collection contains the following six tutorials as slides that can be incorporated into in-person, hybrid, or fully online instructional contexts: Find a Map Image for Simple Use Find a Map Image for Simple Use, by Danny Dotson at Ohio State University, is designed to help students locate a map for a given topic and use it in a document. This tutorial reviews the steps required to locate a relevant map, using the BTAA Geoportal, how to download or copy the scanned map, how to insert the map into a given document, and provides an overview of basic fair...

By Kathleen Weessies and Daniel Dotson Map showing the distribution of the native tribes of Alaska and adjoining territory Held at: Pennsylvania State University Libraries Alaskan Native Communities in 1875 Alaska formally transferred from Russia to the United States as a territory 153 years ago on October 18, 1867. Take a look back in time at this U.S. government-issued map of the Alaskan Territory made in 1875. It was made to consolidate the government’s understanding of the distribution of Alaska’s indigenous people. The map uses different names and spelling than what is used today. The entire Territory barely had a population of around 30,000 at the time. An inflow of people from the Lower 48 states didn’t happen until gold was discovered 25 years after the making of this map. Detail: The future site of Juneau, Alaska in 1875

By Adonna Fleming & Margaret Mering Featured Item: Nebraska Public Fishing Spots What is the item? This data layer shows public fishing areas in Nebraska. It includes Nebraska Game and Parks Commission-owned or leased state recreation areas, wildlife management areas, as well as waters owned by the federal government, Corp of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Power and Irrigation companies, cities, and private entities. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Nebraska-Lincoln Interesting tidbits: For a landlocked state, Nebraska has a lot of fishing spots. 559! Nebraska is home to over 100 species of fish, 78 of which are presumed to be native. This map is one of the most popular sites viewed on http://www.nebraskamap.gov/ . Where can I find out more? More information about the top fishing spots and permits is available at Outdoor Nebraska .                        ...

By Kathleen Weessies An interview with Ann Burns, Manager of Geospatial Technology for SEMCOG Name: Ann Burns Title: Manager of Geospatial Technology The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) Website: www.semcog.org What does SEMCOG do? The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) supports local planning through its technical, data, and intergovernmental resources. The work SEMCOG does improves the quality of the region's water, makes the transportation system safer and more efficient, revitalizes communities, and spurs economic development. SEMCOG promotes informed decision-making by improving Southeast Michigan and its local governments through insightful data analysis and direct assistance to members; SEMCOG promote the efficient use of tax dollars for infrastructure investment and governmental effectiveness; SEMCOG develops regional solutions that go beyond the boundaries of individual local governments; and SEMCOG is an advocate on behalf of Southeast Mi...