Surface Matters Issue 25 1 June, 2011
Newsletter of the Arizona Geographic Information Council
Sometimes, though, our daily work
Is not our main concern
User groups and conferences
Present new things to learn
If your skills are falling short
New concepts too opaque
Colleges have many plans
With classes you can take
Sometimes tricky obstacles
Pose questions we must ask
Talking with a survey crew
Gives insights to our tasks
Software can’t do everything
Some jobs are too unique
Custom applications give
New life where things were bleak
When we find we want to know
What other folks have done
Jaunty publications spread
The news to everyone
Spinning on this lovely Earth
Computers at our call
Geospatial inquiries
Give meaning to it all
What shall we discuss today
Would someone like to guess?
Shoes, or ships, or sealing wax
Or statewide GIS?
Subjects geographical
Are chiefly on the slate
Engaging individuals
Across our Western state
Places swamped by flooding rains
Or charred by fires hot
Perfectly present themselves
As regions we should plot
Hydrologic modeling
Is something we could try
Or mapping distant surfaces
Of planets in the sky
Some go up in little planes
Propellers spinning ‘round
Taking orthophotographs
Imaging the ground
When a great emergency
Throws danger in our laps
Personnel with special skills
Respond to make the maps
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2
Regional GIS User Groups
3
Hall of Presidents
4
Growth of AGIC-L Membership
5
Reaching Out With Outreach/ Did You Learn…?
6
Contributors Galore!
What Arizonans are doing with geospatial technology
In Review….
Surface Matters Issue 25 2 June, 2011
Regional GIS User Groups
One of the aims of Surface Matters has been to notify readers of relevant events taking place around the state so that people can participate and make professional connections. With that in mind, here’s a reminder of some of the active user groups in Arizona.
Maricopa Regional GIS Technical Council Serving Maricopa County for about 15 years.
Meetings are typically scheduled once per quarter.
Meeting places rotate among cities in the county. Moderated by Marta Dent and Russell Heisinger We collaborate with local agencies or commercial entities to host and present any topic to share data and/or technology regarding any GIS subject. Marta Dent Russell Heisinger Maricopa County GIO GIS Manager 2801 W, Durango Street Maricopa CO Assessor's Off. Phoenix, AZ 85009 301 W Jefferson St, Ste 330 602 506-4733 Phoenix, AZ 85003 mld@mail.maricopa.gov 602 372-1627 rheisin@mail.maricopa.gov Northern Arizona GIS User Group Serving Northern Arizona. Meeting places vary but usually Prescott or Flagstaff; hosted by various agencies and broadcast via Go-To-Meeting for those who cannot attend in person. Meetings held every 3-5 months. Meetings consist of a half day filled with local user presentations/discussions and at least a presentation from ESRI or another vendor. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/NAGIS_Users/
AGIC Board Contacts
President
Keith Larson
602-280-8831
Keith.Larson@az.usda.gov
Vice President
Brian Brady
928-373-4926
Brian.Brady@ci.yuma.az.us
Newsletter Editor
Jim Riedmann
623-773-7392
agicnews@yahoo.com
Previous issues of Surface Matters
are available at agic.az.gov/newsletter.
Mention of private companies in this newsletter is for information only and does not imply endorsement by AGIC or the State of Arizona.
Surface Matters is the quarterly newsletter of the Arizona Geographic Information Council. It is written for those who want to stay in touch with the vision and activities of AGIC and with the continuing growth of GIS in Arizona.
Your comments about this publication are always welcome. Please send all correspondence to the editor.
Readers are invited to submit articles that they wish to be considered for publication. The author retains all copyrights. Please let the editor know if the article has been published elsewhere.
Arizona Geographic Information Council
1616 West Adams Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: 602-542-4060 agic@land.az.gov
http://agic.az.gov
Tucson GIS Cooperative
Serving the Tucson area.
Meetings are held on the second Friday of each month.
Public Works Building
201 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson
Northwest corner of Stone and Alameda
Basement, Conference Room C
http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/giscoop/gis-cooperative
PHXGeo Group
Serving the greater Phoenix area.
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month, typically in the evening.
Meeting locations will shift around the Valley to attract users from different areas.
PHXGeo was started to attract users at all levels in a relaxed atmosphere away from formal, vendor-dominated events. Meetings are half social, half professional, and are sometimes held at local pubs.
http://phxgeo.org
phx.geo.group@gmail.com
Southwest Area GIS User Group (SWAG)
This group hasn’t been active for the past few years, but that may change soon. A GIS Day user group meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday morning, November 16th at the Yuma County Department of Development Services. This will be a formal program with speakers and presentations. A GIS open house will be held in the afternoon. Users in the region have expressed an interest in having regularly scheduled meetings again, so they will discuss that after the GIS Day events.Surface Matters Issue 25 3 June, 2011
Hall of Presidents
When the President of the United States enters a room, the U. S. Marine Band plays “Hail to
the Chief,” everyone stands up, and the whole world knows about it. When the president of
AGIC enters a room, nobody plays anything and hardly anyone takes notice. It’s a cruel, disheartening state of affairs, yet every year a gallant soul takes up the mantle of leadership and bears it with stalwart resolution. Surface Matters is pleased to salute those who have stepped boldly in leading Arizona into the future.
1990
Lou Schmitt (Committee Moderator)
Arizona Department of Transportation
1990
Ben Froelich (October)
Arizona Department of Administration
1991
Ben Froelich
Arizona Department of Administration
1992
Frank Segundo
Arizona Department of Water Resources
1993
Diana Barnes-Freshwater
Private Sector
1994
Seth Franzman
Arizona Department of Revenue
1995
Chris English
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
1996
Gene Trobia
Southern Arizona GIS Consortium
1997
Don McTaggart
Arizona State University
1998
Sally Lanier
Arizona Game and Fish Department
1999
Craig Wissler
University of Arizona
2000
Tom Elder
Arizona Department of Water Resources
2001
Tim Smothers
Northern Arizona Geographic Information Forum
2002
Jana Fry
Arizona State University
2003
Jami Garrison
Arizona Department of Transportation
2004
Sharon Nicholson
Arizona Department of Public Safety
2005
Tim Smothers
Arizona League of Cities and Towns
2006
Rick Harrington
Southern Arizona GIS Consortium
2007
Tom Sturm
U.S. Geological Survey
2008
Tim Smothers
Arizona League of Cities and Towns
2009
Kevin Blake
Northern Arizona Geographic Information Forum
2010
Jana Hutchins
Arizona State University
2011
Keith Larson
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Surface Matters Issue 25 4 June, 2011
AGIC-L Number of Subscribers291311325385402403406419431451465484488514527349362362200300400500600Nov-05Jan-06Mar-06May-06Jul-06Sep-06Nov-06Jan-07Mar-07May-07Jul-07Sep-07Nov-07Jan-08Mar-08May-08Jul-08Sep-08Nov-08Jan-09Mar-09May-09Jul-09Sep-09Nov-09Jan-10Mar-10May-10Jul-10Sep-10Nov-10Jan-11Mar-11May-11Jul-11
Skyrocketing Growth of AGIC-L Membership
Back in December of 2005, the editor of Surface Matters was seized with an unquenchable curiosity to know how many people subscribed to AGIC-L. He submitted the proper command to the listserv and promptly found out: it was 291. Periodically after that he checked back to see if the populace was latching on to this lively neighborhood of online conversation. It was!
As time went on it became clear that the membership was growing by leaps and bounds. After only three years the number of subscribers had increased by one hundred! Three and a quarter years later it was up by another hundred! This breathtaking pace made it clear that interest in geospatial technology was spreading like crazy. Of course, tempering this growth was the fact that some people subscribed to AGIC-L through more than one email address, but that only accounted for a small percentage of the total. It didn’t do much to allay fears that the server might be overwhelmed, a condition which has thankfully not come to pass. As of June 29, 2011, the number stood at 527. That’s a staggering 3.5 people per month since we started keeping score!
We at Surface Matters have been pleased to distribute the newsletter through AGIC-L, and hope that the listserv continues to serve the people of Arizona for many years to come. ◊
AGIC-L Number SubscribersSurface Matters Issue 25 5 June, 2011
Reaching Out with the Outreach Committee
Little known to the outside world is the fact that each issue of Surface Matters is reviewed by the members of the AGIC Outreach Committee before publication. These stern and resolute censors comb its pages for the occasional misplaced comma or unlikely fragment of confusing phraseology. We salute all who have served on the Outreach Committee and thank them for their attentiveness and devotion.
Shea Lemar Adam Iten
Santiago Garcia Glenn Buettner
Jason Howard Carol Warren
Eva Reid Jean Ann Rodine
Tim Colman Brian Bond
Let’s Not Forget….
A brief note of thanks to the members of the
AGIC Board, whose kind indulgence has allowed this newsletter to exist for a year plus half a decade. We tip our hat in grateful acknowledgement. ◊
Did You Learn…?
As we were putting together the final issue of Surface Matters, we wondered what effect it might have had on the readership across the state. We sent a message through AGIC-L asking the readers if they had leaned anything from the newsletter. The responses we received contained many flattering sentiments about our efforts, as well as a few words about what was learned. We would like to thank our gracious respondents and share with you some of their thoughts.
“I really enjoyed reading about what was happening locally. Arizona has a pretty solid GIS community, and Surface Matters was able to highlight what everyone was doing. It will be missed.”
“It was good to see and hear about what was going on in Arizona.”
“Wow. It's the potential end of an era. Sorry to see you (and Surface Matters) go.”
“Always interesting - unique perspective - off-the-beaten-track, upbeat, quirky.”
“It was a terrific way to learn some of the neat things GIS professionals are doing all over Arizona!”
“I found it very interesting and informative. I enjoyed seeing what GIS resources are in Arizona (or what's happening in Alaska), learning about new advancements such as height modernization, and what's new and exciting such as free LANDSAT imagery. It's a nice summary of GIS happenings in Arizona all in one place, and gives GIS users a chance to investigate interesting articles before the AGIC conference.”
“That’s too bad you’re closing it up but I wanted to let you know I did enjoy reading your newsletters!”
“I liked the newsletter, it helped me and other colleagues here to understand better what is happening around the state. It gave helpful insight of projects, conferences, user groups, etc. to help inform people. If something really caught my eye I could contact the person from the article to better help our needs.”
“The surveying article had tons of great info in it and I learned a lot reading it. And I LOVED the Idiotic Mystery Theater!!
“My favorite article of all time was your article ‘Planning and GIS at the Top of the World.’ I loved learning about the area you went to, I enjoyed seeing how the work we do is the same and I really enjoyed learning how different some little things are (like flying in someone to fix a broken plotter and GPSing in the summer and having to pay for a helicopter to do it).
“I like all of the articles you do because they are interesting, timely and applicable to me. Whether it is about dealing with certification, continued education, employment agencies or informing me who is doing what with GIS throughout the state (and nation) they are all written in a way that connects to me, as the reader.”
We are humbled and gratified that our efforts seem to have had a positive impact. Many thanks to our readers for their long-standing interest in Surface Matters. ◊Surface Matters Issue 25 6 June, 2011
Issue
Contributor
1
Stuart Bishop
1
Jeff Cook
1
Carla McAuliffe, PhD
1
Tim Smothers
2
Nadine Barlow, PhD
2
Carlos Carriaga, PhD, PE
2
Sarah Elwood, PhD
2
Noel Gorelick
2
Ronald Greeley, PhD
2
Phil Guertin, PhD
2
Trent Hare
2
James Klemaszewski
2
Alfred McEwen, PhD
2
Jani Radebaugh, PhD
2
Craig Wissler
3
M. C. Baldwin
3
Mary Cook-Hurley
3
Rob Decker
3
Leland Dexter, PhD
3
David Major
GIS Day
M. C. Baldwin
GIS Day
Diana Branson
GIS Day
Jami Garrison
GIS Day
Brittney Knoblauch
GIS Day
Chris Mack
GIS Day
Scott Moore
GIS Day
Jennifer Psillas
GIS Day
Sara Rusk
GIS Day
Mike Tschudi
GIS Day
Vernon Woods
4
Sonya Glavac, Ph.D.
4
Jana Hutchins
4
Shea Lemar
4
Bill Miller, Ph.D.
4
Marlene Shields
4
Barbara Trapido-Lurie
4
Elizabeth Wentz, Ph.D.
Contributors Galore!
Without those who have contributed their knowledge, expertise, and perspectives, Surface Matters would be a weak, bland, shallow, anemic, insignificant, empty shell of a newsletter. Therefore we gratefully extend an ebullient Thank You! to all those who have been contributors over the past six years. Here, in chronological and alphabetical order, we present their names once more.
Contributors
Kevin Blake, Yavapai County
GIS Coordinator
Candace Bogart, U.S. Forest Service
Regional GIS/Photogrammetry Program Manager
William Flynn, GISP, Yuma County Department of Development Services
GIS Manager
Kelly Hetzler, GISP, San Carlos Apache Tribe
Forester, GIS and Inventory
Jana Hutchins, Arizona State University, Tempe
Manager, GIS Services
Darlene Jenkins, Navajo Division of Transportation
GIS Analyst
Shea Lemar, Arizona State University, Tempe
Senior Project Manager
Michele Mattix, GeoMattix LLC
Owner, Principal Consultant
Gady Pitaru, City of Phoenix
IT Analyst/Programmer
Aaron Seifert, GISP, Guardian Medical Transport
GIS/IT Specialist, EMT
Barbara Trapido-Lurie, Arizona State University, Tempe
Senior Research Professional, Dept. of GeographySurface Matters Issue 25 7 June, 2011
5
Karen Blevins
5
Shea Lemar
5
Marlene Shields
6
David Andes
6
Michael Dennis, PE, MSCE
6
Leo Donahue
6
Reece Hanifin
6
Lee Harbers
6
Doug Hood
6
Jenny Immich
6
Ruth Jensen
6
Priyanka Kashyap
6
Shea Lemar
6
Anthony Maslowicz
6
Christianne Mouette
6
Gady Pitaru
6
Jean Ann Rodine
6
Tyler Savoy
6
Tim Smothers
6
Brian Sovik
6
Karen Thomas
7
Melvina Adolf
7
M. C. Baldwin
7
Gabriel Bey
7
Jami Garrison
7
Diane Jimro
7
Mele Koneya
7
Larry Prentice
7
Paul Scipione
7
Tim Smothers
7
Karen Thomas
7
John Wharton
7
Vernon Woods
8
Brad Christensen
8
Ken Fiebelkorn
8
Lawrence Hansen, PhD, PE
8
Eric Priewe
8
Tim Smothers
8
Brian Sovik, GISP
8
Ralph Weeks, PG
9
Raymond Brunner
9
Carlos Carriaga, PhD, PE
9
Michael Dennis, PE, MSCE
9
Aaron Seifert, GISP
9
Tim Smothers
9
Brian Sovik, GISP
9
Gene Trobia
9
Howard Ward
10
Vivian Gonzales
10
Julie Hoff
10
Carol Levine
10
Nigel Reynolds
10
Tim Smothers
11
Kevin Blake
11
Erinne Blakeman
11
Jeff Boyd
11
Glen Buettner
11
Marcos Coria
11
Tom Elder
11
Santiago Garcia
11
Michael Gatewood
11
Jason Howard
11
Ausrine Kelbauskiene
11
Eric Kent
11
Wesley Kortuem
11
Jamie Marin
11
Raiza Negron
11
Ben Pearson
11
Thomas Peiffer
11
Joseph Plotz
11
Beth Roberts
11
Meagan Rubel
11
Brian Sovik, GISP
11
Timothy Tait
11
Karen Thomas
11
Karen Wigglesworth
11
Johannes Zech
12
Brian Fisher, RLS
12
Michael Magyar, LSIT
12
Connie Mar
12
Mare Schumacher
12
Alana Shacter, MPH
13
Glen Buettner
13
Michele Mattix
13
Barbara Stoddard
13
Bill Timmins
14
Remy Autz
14
Candace Bogart
14
Nicole Brown
14
Ron Couillard
14
Leland R. Dexter, Ph.D., GISP
14
Tim Duncan
14
Jami Garrison, GISP
14
Kelly Hetzler, GISP
14
Don Kapetanovic
14
Priyanka Miller, GISP
14
Gady PitaruSurface Matters Issue 25 8 June, 2011
14
Jean Ann Rodine
14
Aaron Seifert, GISP
14
Travis Smith, CMS
14
Sam Wallace, GISP
15
Ken Fiebelkorn
15
Julie Hoff
15
Pete Marckmann
15
Michele Mattix
15
Nigel Reynolds
15
Tim Smothers
15
Melanie Sturgeon, PhD
16
J. Allison Butler, GISP, AICP
16
Brian Sovik, GISP
16
Geney Terry, GISP
17
J. Allison Butler, GISP, AICP
17
Walter Domann
17
Gary Irish
17
Brian Sovik, GISP
17
Gene Trobia
18
Karen Thomas, GISP
19
Bryn Enright
19
Russ Heisinger
19
Meckenzie Helmandollar
19
Jason Howard
19
Becky MacEwen
19
Iris Patten
19
Don Thorstenson
19
Carol Warren, M.Ed., M.A.
20
Dave Minkel
21
Raymond Brunner
21
Jana Hutchins
21
Dave Minkel
22
Michael Conway, Ph.D.
22
Erika Green, AICP
22
Charmaine Hingada
22
David Logan
22
Jeffrey Utter
23
James Fee
23
Seth Franzman
23
Jami Garrison
23
Helen Ireland
23
Bob Roberts
23
Steve Whitney
24
Mike Magyar, RLS
24
Rudy Stricklan, RLS, GISP
Grad GIS Guide
Robert Balling, PhD, GISP
Grad GIS Guide
Stephanie Deitrick
Grad GIS Guide
Ruihong Huang, PhD
Grad GIS Guide
Alan Lew, PhD, AICP
Grad GIS Guide
Chris Lukinbeal, PhD, GISP
Grad GIS Guide
Mark Manone, MA
Grad GIS Guide
Jane Matter
Grad GIS Guide
Elizabeth Wentz, PhD
Grad GIS Guide
Craig Wissler, MLA
25
Kevin Blake
25
Candace Bogart
25
William Flynn, GISP
25
Kelly Hetzler, GISP
25
Jana Hutchins
25
Darlene Jenkins
25
Shea Lemar
25
Michele Mattix
25
Gady Pitaru
25
Aaron Seifert, GISP
25
Barbara Trapido-Lurie
Continued on page 9.Surface Matters Issue 25 9 June, 2011
For those keeping score, here are the stats on who contributed the most.
Tim Smothers
7
Brian Sovik
6
Jami Garrison
4
Shea Lemar
4
Karen Thomas
4
M. C. Baldwin
3
Jana Hutchins
3
Michele Mattix
3
Aaron Seifert
3
Gady Pitaru
3
Kevin Blake
2
Candace Bogart
2
Raymond Brunner
2
Glen Buettner
2
J. Allison Butler
2
Carlos Carriaga
2
Michael Dennis
2
Leland R. Dexter
2
Ken Fiebelkorn
2
Kelly Hetzler
2
Julie Hoff
2
Jason Howard
2
Michael Magyar
2
Dave Minkel
2
Nigel Reynolds
2
Jean Ann Rodine
2
Marlene Shields
2
Barbara Trapido-Lurie
2
Gene Trobia
2
Elizabeth Wentz
2
Craig Wissler
2
Vernon Woods
2
Everyone else
1
Total contributors
147
Surface Matters Doughnut Award:
You get the same number of doughnuts as the number of times you contributed. ◊
