Well, here we are December 17, and the term is almost finished. I can't believe how time has flown. Its almost incredible how fast time has passed, but I guess thats how it goes when your busy, and busy I have been. When I first considered returning to school, I knew it would be challenging, but nothing could have prepared me for these last three months. I had heard all the "horror" stories about COGS, but me being me, I just figured "ahh it won't be that hard". Well I can tell you, that the last three months of my life have probably been the most challenging times I have ever faced. Trying to balance a home life with two young children, and a mountain of school work is no easy task, not to mention the challenges of getting back in the groove after being out of school for ten years. Its kind of funny to think back of how I couldn't even get the dual monitor to work my first few days of school, but now I can create an atlas from scratch, and can use a GPS to create a sidewalk survey good enough to be used by municipal council. It hasn't been an easy road, but I have learned a lot. Hopefully my marks will allow me to return in January, and I will be able to start it all over again!

ASTER Imagery

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Ratiometer (ASTER) is a satellite that was launch as part of NASA's Earth Observing System back in December '99. It is the product of the cooperation between NASA, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Tades and Industry, and Japan's Earth Remote Sensing Data Analysis Center, and it is being used to collect detailed maps of the Earth's surface temperature, reflectance and elevation.

This a Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) that was made public on June 29, 2009.

It was created through the process of processing and stereo-correlating 1.3 million optical images from the ASTER archive.

Along with this image, you can go to the NASA website to learn more about this very interesting satellite, as well as see a few other images that were also captured by the ASTER satellite.

GIS Wiki

The folks at ESRI have launched a GIS Wiki where GIS professionals will contribute information on industry related topics. What's a wiki you ask? Well, its a repository of information edited and updated by the people who specialize in the wiki's theme. Bookmark this resource, you may be contributing to it in the future.

Geomatic Canada

Here is a website that I cam across.

http://www.geomaticscanada.com/index.cfm

This website will give you the opportunity to look at Geomatic job posting. You can sign in to a e-mail alert, which mean that, they will send you a e-mail every time there is a new job posting. Jobs are posted across Canada. You can create a resume and submit through the website. You can look at different links from companies, and find out what the company are providing for service, and what kind of jobs they are offering. I do believed this is a great place to get started.

Atlantis Found?

There was much excitement early this year when an aeronautical engineer stated the grid like pattern that appears on Google Earth, just off the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, at 31 15'15.53N 24 15'30.53W looked like an aerial map of a city. The location is one of the main possible areas where Plato's Atlantis existed.

Have a look for yourself:



As it turns out, according to Google the odd grid pattern is the result of the boats as they collected the sonar data in the ocean. Atlantis remains undiscovered, but with the ever expanding geomatic technology it won't be long before we awaken it from its watery slumber.

The Grow Home

"Big houses may someday look as outdated and impractical as big cars, for many of the same reasons." -Witold Rybczynski

In reference to an email that a classmate, and friend, sent to me, it was brought to my attention that Grow Homes, which was an experiment of McGill University, back in 1990, are now becoming more popular. These homes are about 1000 sq. ft. in size, and are about $60,000 once you consider lot costs, etc.

I think these arent only good for pricing, but also this means less area required to clear-cut forests for these small homes.

Here is the link for anyone who is interested.

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/91feb/9102house3.htm

Continental Drift

Well, I'm writing a blog, this isn't something that I've done before but, I'll give it a shot. I'm writing about the theory of continental drift and the person responsible for it. The person responsible for this theory is Alfred Wegener(1880-1930). He was a geophysicist and meteorologist born in Germany, as well a published writer having his book "The Origin of Continents and Oceans" published in 1912. Alfred Wegener also coined the term "Pangaea" in a expanded version of his book "The Origin of Continents and Oceans" published 1915.

Wegener developed his theory of continental drift as he studied maps of the coast lines of South America and Africa looking for a possible land bridge connecting them. After looking at the maps he noted that "The east coast of South America and the West coast of Africa seem to fit together like the piece's of a big puzzle." Wegener tried to support his theory by studying the fossil records. In the fossil record Wegener noted that many of the same plants and animal species were found on different continents. He used this information to support his theory of continental drift.

When Alfred put his findings in a expanded version of his 1912 book "The Origin of Continents and Oceans"(1915) it wasn't well received in the scientific community due to a lack of solid scientific evidence. Point being he couldn't explain how the continents got to their present places, he thought maybe they ploughed through the sea floor but couldn't explain why.

Although Alfred Wegener wasn't able to convince the scientific community of his theory of continental drift in the early 1900's he laid the ground work for what we know today as plate tectonics.

Travel Bugs

This is Joe the Geomatic Travel Bug in Ireland.
A travel bug is a dog tag purchased from the geocache website and any item you wish. Joe's goals are to travel all the continents, visit a high school from each continent and go for a quick dip in all of the oceans. Our job as HERH Geomatics students was to track Joe's progress. A travel bug has a log on the Geocache website and anyone that finds or moves joe writes in his log. After being dropped off at the Halifax International Airport Travel Bug hotel Joe began his journey.
So far Joe has visited:
PEI
London England
Southwest England
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Germany
Italy
Wales
and is currently vacationing in Ireland

Surfs Up....

I know this post may be a little pre-mature with winter just around the corner, but I've been known in the past to be a day dreamer. Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy these hectic days of GIS and technical papers, but I just can't help but think about this upcoming summer. For those of us who are attending school on a student loan, or limited income, the possibiltites for travelling seem pretty slim. Well, as so many of us have been learning in these past couple of months, there is always a solution, or way around every problem. I found this website called CouchSurfing, and thought it would be useful for some of us these next couple of years while our pockets are dry. This is a non-profit organization that provides travellers (surfers) a free place to stay when visiting other countries. There are currently 230 countries that have hosts, (couches), willing to let us lay our heads down in their living rooms, free of charge. So for those of you up for a little adventure this summer, and looking to save a little money at the same time, here's the website for you to check out....http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Just an Analog Guy in a Digital World

It looks like it’s my turn to stand on the soap box. Yes that’s what I think a blog is. Sure some of them might be accurate and full of great information. But for every one of them that is, there are probably twenty more written by ignorant people that think others care about their opinion. Most of them have nothing more intelligible to say then a gnat in a compost bin.


So on that note I’m sure you’re all dying to know what is I’ve decided to write this entry on. As I understand it, this is meant to be a technical blog on geographical related things. Typically that means technical information on new tools, techniques and whatnot relating to that field. I’ve decided to go in a slightly different direction, but I think it still falls loosely into that category.

We have been getting the term digital shoved down our throats for years now. It’s become a marketing tool in its own right. Digital is better is what the mass media force feeds us every day. But is it really true? Everything we are learning here in our course pretty much is digital information. A bunch of 1’s and 0’s stored on a computer. I’m writing about this question; what is this digital information and is it really better? And if it is indeed better, then what is it better than?


First year computer science in university they teach you the difference between a digital circuit and an analog circuit. It’s a relatively simple concept to understand. Digital is simply on or off, where as analog is on or off plus every point in between.




So when I was first told about this concept, my immediate reaction was, why would anyone want to deal in digital? Analog seems entirely more accurate. And it is... sort of. Take a speedometer in your car. There are two kinds; you can have a needle or a digital display. A digital display gives your speed in numeral form, maybe to the nearest tenth of a kilometre per hour. So it might tell you that you’re going 100.2 kilometres per hour on the highway. But you’ll never be able to tell if you’re going 100.23 kilometres per hour or 100.22 kilometres per hour, it will always just be 100.2. And this is the limitation of digital information. Now you might be saying, yeah but there’s no way a needle would be able to tell us that information to that degree of accuracy. But there is a point that the needle will be pointing to that will actually be 100.23 kilometres per hour, no matter how miniscule. It’s just a matter of finding a way discerning where that point is.


Now, pretend that your speedometer is a digital screen in your car with a needle drawn on it, and all the divisions just like your current car has. Maybe your speedometer goes from 0-200kph with divisions ever 5kph. You could probably accurately estimate your speed on this meter to the nearest 1kph. Now pretend you had a zoom button, and you zoomed in on the needle, now the meter represents a range of 20kph (10 kph on either side of the needle) over the entire distance that previous displayed 1-200kph. Then you zoom in again and maybe it’s 5kph over the entire meter, and again maybe 1kph. As long as the actual data remains analog you can zoom in as much as you want to get any degree of accuracy you desire.


We live in a digital age. We have access to more information each day then most people did in their entire lifetime only a mere century ago. We watch digital movies, listen to digital music, write digital blogs and read digital information. Because of digitalization we have so much of these things that we don’t know what to do with them all, literally. When you had to buy a record, take it out, put it away to keep it from getting scratched, you actually appreciated that music. You took the time to get that record out and take care of it because you really liked that music. People these days hit a button and instantly have thousands of songs coming on randomly. Do you really think they take the time to appreciate those songs as much? The more you have, the less you appreciate.


This doesn’t just apply to music. We look at information from Lidar and we have thousands upon thousands of points of data to work with. There was a time when people would have to physically go to a location, and take readings. We hammer through and process our data without even really thinking about it. But the person years ago who actually went to the location, took the readings knows what that place smelled like, what it looked like, what it felt like. That piece of data meant something to him. Of course Lidar is going to be more accurate, but is it really better?


We breath in analog, we love in analog, we live in analog. We take this planet and we try to convert it into a series of 1’s and 0’s to make it simple and turn it into something we can deal with. But ultimately it’s just a digital representation of the real thing. We just don’t have a way of accurately measuring the real thing. I think it’s good for us to examine our roots, to take care and appreciate how things used to be. Go out and take some readings manually, and perhaps even use an analog method. Then when you come back and look at that digital data again you might just have a little bit more appreciation and passion for that data.


Then again, maybe I’m just an analog guy living in a digital world.

'Zero Emission City'

As you may already know, sustainability has become a primary concern within the planning industry. While researching current planning strategies for my technical report, I came across Masdar city, a new 'zero emission' city currently being built in the United Arab Emirates. The goal is to build a city which requires little energy. The energy that is required, however will be derived from renewable resources.

For more information about the city as well as the company that initiated this process, navigate to the following link: http://www.masdaruae.com/en/home/index.aspx.

Maps on Ideas

Ideas on CBC radio this evening is entitled "Unfolding Visions." Tune in to hear ideas on how maps play an important role in our culture and how they reveal things about the world around us. If you miss the broadcast, search the CBC podcasts to listen in.

Using Google Earth to View GIS data / ArcMap

I was surfing through YouTube and found a really cool video on ArcGIS. The video shows how to export ArcMAP data directly into Google Earth. Click on either photo to view this video. I have also included another good site, I found, for tutorials with ArcGIS. You have to pay to have full access, but there is some good free tutorials there as well. To view just click the button below.

Map of the Human Heart

I’m reunited with one of my favorite movies in the whole world, the tale of which I’ll relate because it’s about maps.
Well that’s just partly true. “Map of the Human Heart” is an epic love story. It happens to feature many maps, even a female store-dummy with robotic abilities which is dressed in maps. More conventional maps are a backdrop of this magnificent film. But it’s the love story which made me cry watching it two decades ago. Not just at the end, but through almost the whole thing.
You cannot rent, borrow or buy this movie anywhere. I tried for 20 years, although not full-time. I did other things too. Last week I typed it into a bit torrent search box, as I’d done many times. Boy was I surprised to get a hit. Someone actually had this!
If you enjoyed “Atanarjua - Fast Runner” then you’ll love “Map of the Human Heart.” Themes like the individual struggle of Inuit survival are the same. But “Human Heart” unfolds on a bigger map than Canada's North, and contrasts are stark. The movie manages to link the unforgiving Arctic environment to the Second World War bombing of Dresden Germany. And of course there’s the love story in between.
“Human Heart” is a Miramax film starring Jason Scott Lee, Patrick Bergin and John Cusack. Few have heard of the movie, because it was made before these actors were famous. Bergin plays a cartographer who lands in Canada’s Arctic in the 1930’s, to map the area. Scott-Lee is the adult version of a charismatic Inuit boy whose amazing, heroic life is tragically dismissed as a drunkard’s ramblings. The ending can be interpreted as either very happy or very sad, depending on your perspective and mood.

Oh one more thing, visit my photos.

Exercise Improves Brain Function

Has your brain been a little sluggish lately? It could be because we have been spending most of our time sitting in front of our computers. It's time to get our blood flowing and sharpen our minds. Exercise improves brain function. It's a known fact. Check out this article for more information; http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Exercise-Improves-Brain-Function&id=2295720

The fitness facilities on campus are the cheapest and easiest to utilize since we are often pressed for time. If you looking for a little more, a quick drive or bus trip will get you to 14 Wing Greenwood's Fitness and Sports Centre. They have a pool, indoor running track, weight/cardio room, squash courts and more. After a little exploration mission I was able to acquire a price list. It's $156.00 for an entire year or $26.00 a month and you purchase passes at the community center just before the gate. You can also pay for a single use of some things such as the pool (with waterslide); http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/14w-14e/page-eng.asp?id=284

If the time and resources are not available to you or you just want to keep it simple, walking is one of the easiest ways to get moving.

So... I couldn't pick a favorite...

One of the most interesting things about realizing your blog is due in short order is the gratifying amount of cool geographically related information you can find. Within a few minutes of my initial search, I was sifting through innumerable firefox tabs and their related windows. After several minutes of rigorous elimination, I choose links to Berkley University in California, to what must be the coolest travel blog in existence, and to a Youtube video.

I have to admit that the Youtube video is by far the least relevant, but still really cool.

Now, these are sites that make being a budding geographer so fun. They are a reminder that on the other side of these two years, we will have something. And it's also pretty cool to be doing the same work as cartographers from across the world and hundreds or thousands of years ago. And to know where Finland is and some pertinent side details about it's climate, geographic features, lifestyle etc. And to look at something cool like the 24 flight patterns and to know exactly where in the world all those little planes are going.

What’s better they all led me to more fun sites. Especially the (way more relevant) Youtube videos about Google Earth.

Google's Street View Feature

Last Wednesday, Google released their Street View feature in Canada (released worldwide in 2007). Have a look around by zooming in and activating the street view layer in Google Earth, or simply zoom in all the way to navigate with this feature on the website: http://maps.google.ca/

While navigating around downtown Halifax in Street View, I found the studio where I used to work. The windows of the building are decorated with giant printouts of some of the former employees, myself included. Although the studio shut down a year ago, the photos still colour the streets. When they are eventually taken down, I know my giant face will live on in Street View, at least until the next Google update.

The Rewilding – A Metaphor

In this fifteen minute video, science fiction author and strategic foresight analyst Karl Schreoder discusses his idea of “rewilding”. In brief the idea is that by placing lots of wirelessly networked sensors in a habitat and connecting them to the internet, we can monitor them in real time and have hard data of exactly what benefits they provide. In a more speculative vein, this means ecosystems can be turned into autonomous economic and political actors, because they have a stake in human affairs.

I also had the opportunity to speak with Karl Schreoder in August at the World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, about the connections between his idea and what GIS can do. After further discussion, it does seem that the basic components of the idea are within the realm of the technically feasible. It would make a neat project!

The website Sentient City explores a similar application of this technology in an urban setting, where digital information manifests itself with physical characteristics.

Georeferenced PDFs

In July 2008, the folks at ESRI released a small patch for ArcGIS Desktop. This "Map Export Patch" allows you to take a Shape file and cram most of the functionality into a PDF.
This isn't just a static map; the user can easily look at all the attribute data that is usually hidden behind the identify tool in ArcGIS, all with the basic Adobe Reader program.



There are many more helpful videos over at ESRI's Youtube channel: esritv

ArcGIS Tutorials

Did you know that you can get tutorials on ArcGIS related topics online and from help? If you're curious to learn a bit more about the extensions in ArcGIS, these videos may get you started. YouTube also has lots of GIS resources.

Hungry anyone!

The image below represents the average distance to the closest McDonald's restaurant (over 13,000 franchises and counting). This kind of image can help in a marketing campaign.

I wonder if there is a similar map for Tim's in Canada (hmmm!).

source: media.wheatersealed.com\maps

geography from a different perspective

Take a look at this German cartographer's perspective of the world circa 1488-1552. Looking at this map should help you understand the importance of map projections. Some regions on the map are exaggerated and its orientation is upside down.

This map was provided to the Strange Maps blog courtesy of Martayan Lan.

See more strange maps at Strange Maps blog.