BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

By Wenjie Wang 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: Mark Yacucci Title: Head-Geoscience Information Division/Department: Illinois State Geological Survey Website: https://isgs.illinois.edu/ Please briefly describe your role and what is the mission of your agency? The Prairie Research Institute benefits the people, economy, and environment of Illinois, delivering impact to every corner of the state. Our staff apply scientific knowledge and data in geology, ecology and biodiversity, archaeology, water, weather and climate, pollution prevention, hazardous waste management, and sustainable energy. PRI comprises five state scientific surveys: the Illinois Natural History Survey , Illinois State Archaeologi...

By Laura McElfresh Perspectivische vorstellung des berühmten Blocken What is the item? This hand-colored view shows Brocken Mountain, the highest mountain in northern Germany, viewed from the northeast. The map covers the area that can be seen from the top of the mountain. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Michigan map detail: “Bructerus Herciniae montes supereminet omnes” -- Brocken towers above all mountains Interesting tidbits: According to popular legend, Brocken Mountain is the site of the Walpurgis Night Witches’ Sabbath. Accordingly, the map shows witches flying in the sky above the mountain on brooms, pitchforks, and goats, and has two people dancing on top of the mountain. The (mythical?) bird holding the middle of the decorative cartouche is not quite an owl, flanked by two not-quite-peacocks on the ends. The “Brocken” scene from Goethe’s opera Faust is set on Brocken Mountain. June 23rd is Saint John’s Eve, the night that inspired Modest Mussorgsky’s Night ...

By Jay Bowen 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 : Casey James Kohrt Title: Geospatial Administrator Division/Department: Iowa Department of Natural Resources, GIS Department Website: https://geodata.iowa.gov How long has the Iowa DNR created or maintained geospatial data? The Iowa DNR has been creating geospatial data dating to the late 1980s. It was created out of the Groundwater Protection Act, where they were to develop a map of groundwater vulnerabilities. Many datasets came out of that project, including PLSS, soils, and geology, mostly from digitizing paper maps on a digitizing table. Many projects continued, and we had a nice ‘library’ of data. We called it the NRGIS Library. In the Flood of 19...

By Melinda Kernik A scan of the 6 x 6 foot hand-drawn Composite Intrinsic Suitability map and derived GIS data. View Featured Item: Shapefile of the 1968 Ecological Study for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area: Composite Intrinsic Suitability What is the item? In 1968, Ian McHarg created a series of maps showing the climate, geology, and environment of the Twin Cities in Minnesota . These maps were commissioned by the Metropolitan Council, a first-of-its-kind regional governing body concerned about the impact of poorly managed urban development on natural spaces. The maps and report sought to determine the most suitable land uses for the region using an "ecology-first" lens. A 6 x 6 foot, hand-drawn copy of McHarg’s Composite Intrinsic Suitability map is currently kept at the Borchert Map Library . Excitingly, it is now available as digitized vector data as well! This new format makes it easier for researchers to examine land use change and the impacts of regional planning....

By Milan Budhathoki 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: Julia Fischer Title: Director, Data Services and the Maryland Geographic Information Officer (GIO) Division/Department: Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) Website: https://imap.maryland.gov Please briefly describe your role and what is the mission of your agency? Julia: As the Maryland Geographic Information Officer (GIO) and the Director, Data Services within the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT), I am responsible for leading, advancing and promoting the data services program. This program consists of three main technologies: Business Intelligence (BI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Open Data (OD)...

By Caroline Kayko What is the item? This item is a geospatial dataset depicting the Border-To-Border (B2B) Trail in Washtenaw County, MI in both shapefile and geodatabase file form. The B2B Trail is a non-motorized trail that stretches across Washtenaw County and connects cities, parks, and other destinations. It is currently still under construction, which is reflected in the dataset. Image of B2B Trail Dataset via Washtenaw County Park Finder What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Michigan Interesting tidbits: The trail length will total 70 miles upon completion It spans 35 miles along the Huron River Greenway, connecting Ann Arbor, Dexter, and Ypsilanti Conservation of the Huron River corridor is one of the project goals The trail is intentionally routed away from roads to create an ‘urban wilderness Snapshot of B2B Trail Segments in Ypsilanti Map from Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission (via City of Ypsilanti) Where can I find out more? Border-To-Border T...

By Cecilia Smith 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.            “Cookie County” a cookie cutter made by the      Cook County GIS Department staff for GIS Day 2019. Interviewee Name: Todd Schuble Title: GIS Manager Division/Department: Cook County Bureau of Technology, GIS Department Website: https://www.cookcountyil.gov/agency/geographic-information-systems-gis-0 Can you describe how GIS is deployed organizationally by Cook County Government? Which units are involved and what is your mission? The Cook County Bureau of Technology’s GIS Department (BOT/GIS) falls under the jurisdiction of the Cook County President’s Office. All other bureaus and departments that report...

By Kathleen Weessies The BTAA Geoportal brings together datasets from different sources. This can be helpful when you’re looking for data gathered by multiple government units. Trails are a perfect example: The state government and a local government will be paying attention to the trails under its own care. The joggler or unicyclist, however, only wants maintained surfaces away from motor vehicles. This map shows the trail dataset available from the State of Michigan (gray dashed line) and the trail dataset from Allegan County (orange dashed line). We can readily see that each entity has features that the other doesn’t. The attribute information can also vary, depending on what the unit of government prioritized in the data gathering process. In this case, Allegan County tagged each trail by its corridor type. This allows us to separate out and highlight trails that were built on abandoned railroads (green dashed lines). The State of Michigan dataset doesn’t provide this detail. This ...

By Caroline Kayko and Nicole Scholtz posted: Mar 10, 2021Interviewers: Caroline Kayko and Nicole Scholtz 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. The Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) is one organization with two locations at the University of Michigan. The locations feature gardens, trails, exhibits, a conservatory and more. MBGNA also creates many geospatial datasets that map their resources. The datasets are published on an ArcGIS Hub site here . Featured Story Maps on MBGNA ArcGIS Hub Conservatory Paths at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Interviewee Name: Maricela Avalos Title: Data & GIS Specialist Division/Department: Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum, University ...

By Laura McElfresh Featured Item: Booklovers' map of the British Isles What is the item? This map, created by Paul M. Paine in 1927, shows literary landmarks throughout the British Isles, with magnified inset maps of London and Edinburgh. It includes places where significant events -- both real and fictional -- happened, plus birthplaces and homes of prominent authors. Some places on the map are shown as little pictures, like Sherwood Forest and the Globe Theatre. What BTAA Library submitted the item? Pennsylvania State University “ How small the map of Britain is on paper and yet how packed with fancies .” Ideas to explore: This map is from 1927. If you were updating it today, who and what else would you include? What other geographic places might make interesting maps for readers? Where can I find out more? More maps of literary landmarks are available online from the Library of Congress . The Penn State Libraries (and many other libraries) also have maps like these available on...

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...