I have been with Towson now for over 13 years. A couple things have changed since I started here:
1) Towson University was actually named Towson State University and
2) I originally worked for the Regional Economic Studies Institute. After many years and name and position changes, I find myself now working for Information Systems Solutions (or ISS), which is part of DECO (Division of Economic and Community Outreach).
DECO is made up of many different groups, and until recently, I never had the opportunity to work with any of them directly. We all go to the same office events and our offices are across the hall, but I wasn’t really sure of all their job duties, and they may not have been sure about mine. Recently I learned more about what the Center for GIS (CGIS) does by participating in a project with them, and it was a great experience.
Let me start out by saying I was a bit nervous. These are people I say “hi” to in the hall or “excuse me” to when I need to get to the fridge in our little kitchen, but actually working on a project with them, now that made me a bit edgy. I wasn’t sure how I would fit in and according to my husband I can’t read a map well and can even get lost using our Garmin. So working with people who are experts in this field was overwhelming to me (though comical to my husband).
The project we worked on dealt with GPS, see Garmin comment above, and it was with Mark Helmken and Michael Bentivegna (Director and Associate Director of CGIS. . .yikes bosses!). Both of these professionals were great and made me feel like a part of the team, not an outsider by any means. I was able to learn not only about GPS but also a little bit about how CGIS operates. Though we are all part of DECO, we are all our own entity, so the great thing for me was learning how we can work together and how each group really does compliment the others. If one is lacking expertise, chances are another DECO member has it. This also parlays into being part of a university. DECO as a whole has such a unique ability to tap into resources and get the answers because of who we are and where we are located.
I am pretty confident that my trip to the other side of the hall was not only educational for me but also educational for them as well. They got to work with someone new and learn a little more about what ISS does and all of this dovetails nicely with being at a university; learning is what it is all about.
Usually when I watch television I channel surf during commercials. I feel like advertisements constantly compete for my attention, so when I have the power to avoid them altogether I make sure to take advantage. However, over the past year Verizon and AT&T successfully caught my attention with commercials that feature maps comparing the providers’ 3G networks. What was so interesting about these commercials is that the maps being compared in the commercials never seemed to be the same. I was left wondering: Are the providers using different data collection units (e.g. counties vs. census tracts), different variables (e.g. download speed vs. availability), or a combination of different techniques to create the different maps? These questions underscore the need for a single map showing the coverage areas of each service provider in a given area.
Not long after these commercials began airing, Towson University’s Center for GIS (CGIS) partnered with the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, Salisbury University, and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development to map the service coverage areas and market performance of Maryland Broadband service providers. Since November of 2009, the partners listed above have primarily focused on collecting service coverage data from broadband service providers and performing outreach to generate data on the performance of internet connections throughout Maryland via the Maryland Broadband Speed Test (see Steve Fabijanski’s blog post for more information on the Maryland Broadband Speed Test).
For much of the summer, interns associated with CGIS and Salisbury University’s Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative (ESRGC) have been validating data from mobile wireless broadband providers by testing upload / download speeds at 1,472 locations across the state. Upload / download speeds are tested using four cell phones, each equipped with the Android operating system, and associated with the different mobile broadband providers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon). The locations were identified by creating a 4km2 grid of the state, and creating points at the intersection of the grid squares. The routes the interns follow for a given day are created using ESRI’s ArcLogistics program, which designs a route tailored to the length of the workday, the time spent at each location, and the number of unverified points remaining.
As the data is being collected and verified, the CGIS development team has been busy creating the on-line mapping application that will make the broadband data available to the public. Users will be able to indicate an address and the application will return a list of the broadband providers and service technologies available. Users will also be able to report non-served areas and map errors, and take the speed test. The mapping application is scheduled to launch in early September.
Visit http://www.mdbroadbandmap.org/ for more information regarding the Maryland Broadband Mapping Initiative and to test your connection speed.
The Center for GIS has been awash in new map application launches over the past month, with three new launches–all with strong ties to the sea.
In a previous blog, I introduced a new web map application for the Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (LOF), highlighting coral reef habitat in the Seychelles Islands group. Our first launch this past month is a companion application to that first viewer. The new application highlights coral habitats in St. John and St. Thomas, two of the US Virgin Islands. It was built on the same framework as the Seychelles viewer and contains many of the same tools and functions. One addition is a series of underwater video examples for the coral reef habitat types.
The two newest web map applications focus much closer to home. Both represent integral parts of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ new Coastal Atlas. The first, the Ocean viewer, launched on June 8th, to celebrate World Oceans Day. The application gives citizens access to ocean data off of Maryland’s coast, including information on shipping routes, recreational areas, fishing locations, and offshore renewable energy potential.
Our second Coastal Atlas launch this month is the Estuarine viewer, launched June 30th. This viewer allows users to explore critical tidal and near-shore habitats for targeted conservation, protection, and restoration activities. Both the Ocean and Estuarine viewers are built on a new web map application template CGIS has been developing in-house to speed our delivery of web map applications built on Maryland’s MD iMap map service infrastructure.
A third viewer, built by Maryland Environmental Service (MES), rounds out the current DNR Coastal Atlas web map application offerings. The MES Shorelines viewer also leverages the MD iMap infrastructure.
These applications provide new ways to experience and learn about the relationships and ties each of us have to the sea. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to explore them.
There are many reasons I enjoy attending professional conferences, including learning about what others in the GIS world are working on, catching up with colleagues I have not seen in a while, and getting a break from cubicle-life for a couple days. I had the chance to accomplish all these feats while attending Towson University’s annual GIS conference (TUgis) earlier this week. The conference quickly flew by and now I’m back in my cubicle left to reflect on TUgis 2010. The following are specific and general observations regarding the conference.
TUgis 2010’s theme, “GIS in Budget Constrained Times: Doing More with Less” seemed especially pertinent considering the real budget difficulties facing individuals, businesses, and governments in today’s fitful economy. The number of conference attendees and exhibitors were noticeably down due to the difficult economic times, but the quality of the presentations remained high.
Most of the presentations I attended tied into the conference’s theme well. Jennifer Pfister’s (BioHabitats, Inc) presentation focused on the use of “freeware” in order to prioritize where non-native invasive species removal resources should be used in Fairfax County, Virginia. Sharing data, services, and infrastructure was the cost-saving theme reiterated throughout the MDiMap mini-workshop.
The education application presentations on the conference’s second day stressed the importance of volunteerism and giving back to the community where one lives and works. This was especially true in Jessica Wright and Lacy Baker’s (California University of PA) presentation, which focused on a service learning project that involved the development and maintenance of a GIS that provides local volunteer firefighters with information regarding hazards they may encounter at a destination. The discussion that followed regarding the student’s training of the volunteer firefighters in the system’s use as well as a more general discussion of volunteerism was very interesting.
While I enjoyed all the sessions I attended, I believe the underlying message delivered by the presentations in the education application session stuck with me the most. During today’s difficult times it is understandable that individuals and businesses are increasingly concerned about pinching every penny and making sure employees are “billable”. However, it is especially important today not to lose sight of the importance of volunteerism. Volunteer work may not help with the volunteer’s budgetary concerns, but they along with the community served will reap real benefits from the volunteer work completed.
Mark Helmken, the new CGIS director, brings more than 20 years of experience and an extensive technical background in systems engineering, systems integration, GIS, and GPS and remote sensing technologies. Since he’s the new guy on the block I figured I’d give him some time to settle into his new digs, but recently I had the opportunity to catch Mark during a free moment. In just a couple of minutes I was able to learn a little more about his background, the future direction of CGIS and also what he does for fun outside of work.
The 23rd annual Towson University Geographic Information Sciences (TUgis 2010) conference will be held on Monday, May 24th and Tuesday, May 25th at the University Union on Towson University’s campus. Each day starts off with a plenary presentation, which is followed by three concurrent sessions throughout the day with lunch and several breaks mixed in. During the concurrent sessions, conference attendees may choose from several 15-minute presentations and several 45-minute mini-workshops, ranging on topics from environmental applications to GIS career development.
One of the mini-workshops taking place at TUgis 2010 will focus on the MDiMap initiative. It will take place in the Chesapeake I room of the University Union on Tuesday, May 25th from 3:30 – 5:00pm. Watch the interview below where Ashley Buzzeo of Towson University’s Center for GIS and one of the MDiMap mini-workshop presenters describes MDiMap in general and the MDiMap mini-workshop specifically.
Spring is an excellent time to think about adding some green to your yard or neighborhood, and trees are a great way to do it. Aside from making our yards look better, trees provide myriad additional benefits, including:
improving air quality by removing pollutants and capturing carbon dioxide
improving water quality by capturing storm water runoff and excess nutrients
decreasing summer energy bills for homes by providing shade
buffering noise from adjacent street traffic
and increasing property values.
Friday, April 30th is National Arbor Day, an annual event inspired by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor and plant trees. To mark this year’s celebration I thought I’d point out some regional efforts to increase tree planting in our region.
The Marylanders Plant Trees Program, under the Governor’s Smart, Green & Growing initiative, has challenged citizens to plant and register 50,000 trees each year and committed to planting 1 million trees by 2011. The program website has a wealth of information to help you choose the right tree for your space and care for the tree properly. To encourage public support, they even offer a $25 coupon to help towards the purchase of a new tree at local nurseries. An interactive map on the site helps viewers see in which counties new trees have been planted and registered. The map application is hosted by the Center for GIS (CGIS) on the MdImap infrastructure.
Baltimore County is contributing through their Growing Home Campaign. As part of the effort, the county is offering a $10 coupon towards the purchase of a tree and is partnering with Maryland Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) Tree-Mendous Maryland Program, to provide free delivery of 10 or more trees purchased from DNR.
The Gunpowder Valley Conservancy is one of many local non-profit agencies focused on land preservation and restoration projects which include tree planting. Two of my colleagues, Kierran Sutherland and fellow blogger Jeremy Monn, will be volunteering as crew chiefs for the conservancy on tree planting projects this year. They will both be active in the Loch Raven Reservoir area on May 8th planting trees.
In the past two years, I’ve planted a red bud, a witch-hazel, an eastern hemlock, a black gum, and a red buckeye in my own yard. As part of this year’s National Arbor Day, please consider planting one or more trees in your own yard or neighborhood.
The annual Towson University Geographic Information Sciences (TUgis) has been an important part of my GIS career throughout the last seven years. My career at Towson University began at TUgis 2003, when Dr. Jay Morgan interviewed me for a graduate assistantship. I would not be a Towson University alumni or a current Towson University employee were it not for that interview. TUgis 2005 was the venue I chose to present the results of my graduate school research, which helped me obtain my graduate degree. Subsequent TUgis conferences have been venues for presenting projects I have worked on since becoming a full-time CGIS employee in August of 2005.
This year’s TUgis will take place on May 24th and May 25th. For those readers who will be attending TUgis for the first time this year, below are a few things to check out.
Job Mart – Conference attendees interested in finding or advertising a GIS job are encouraged to participate in TUgis’ Job Mart. Prospective employers can also set up interview slots during the conference by contacting Dr. Shang Kou Lou of Towson University’s Department of Geography and Environmental Planning.
Map Gallery – Conference attendees are encouraged to vote on the best maps submitted for the TUgis 2010 Map Design Competition. Conference attendees interested in competing must submit their map to Towson University’s Department of Geography and Environmental Planning by 3:00 pm on Friday, May 14th.
Student Presentations – Every TUgis conference I have attended has dedicated one or more sessions to student presentations. Support the student presenters by attending one or more of the presentations.
Workshops – TUgis conferences also make workshops available, which typically cover an entire 90-minute session. If you are interested in learning more about the MDiMap initiative, make sure to check your conference program for the MDiMap Workshop.
Ice Breaker Social – Enjoy food, drink, and company at the end of the conference’s first day (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm) at the Ice Breaker Social. Who knows, maybe you’ll win a door prize?
While the Internet is estimated to be roughly 30 years old, it’s only in the last decade that Internet connectivity has become part of everyday American life—at least for some. Despite a growing reliance on the Internet for activities like online bill pay, shopping, license renewing, dating, mapping, direction finding, and communication, some citizens find themselves either without Internet service or with service that does not meet today’s bandwidth demands. Whether these individuals are not provided service in their area, or cannot afford reliable service, they are missing out on high speed Internet connections, commonly referred to as broadband. Today’s access to broadband has been compared to the adoption of electricity at the turn of the 20th century. Whether you find broadband service essential to everyday life, it’s pretty clear its role is expanding and now touches most American lives.
The State Broadband Data Development Grant Program, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), was developed to ultimately improve broadband access to all Americans. Winners of the Broadband Data and Development grants must develop and maintain a publicly accessible, interactive broadband inventory map showing the geographic extent that broadband service capability is deployed and available from a commercial or public provider throughout each state. Maryland was awarded one of these grants in November of last year.
Coordination with broadband providers and other research has been taking place for some time. However, in the last two weeks, over a million emails have been sent out requesting citizen assistance, and two new websites were launched to help in the effort to bring broadband to all Maryland residents and businesses. At http://broadband.maryland.gov, readers are provided information regarding broadband coverage in the state and a set of historical maps with broadband coverage, average speeds by county and broadband adoption for 2009. At http://www.mdbroadbandmap.org, citizens can find additional information regarding the effort to bring broadband to all Marylanders and are asked to take a speed test to determine how fast their current Internet connection is. After taking the speed test, residents and businesses are also asked to take part in a short survey regarding broadband access and usage, and to report any areas of the state which are currently un-served. The tests and surveys will be used to create an inventory of current broadband availability and help to determine un-served areas. By mid-summer both websites will provide information on the test and survey results and have an interactive map helping them locate broadband providers and services in their areas.
If you are a Maryland resident or business, I encourage you to get involved in the process. Help us determine what the Maryland broadband landscape looks like. Tell us if you have or do not have broadband service, and how fast it is. You can also let us know how important broadband access is to you by contacting us at mapinfo@mdbc.us.
With the promise of spring around the corner, we at Towson University have been feeling more energized to continue strengthening our relationships with the outside business community. One way we will do this is by hosting a free event entitled the 2010 Showcase: “Partnerships 2.0”. This annual event will feature over 15 exhibitors that are interested in partnering with you to provide solutions for your department, agency, or business.
Here are the seven W’s to help introduce you to the Showcase:
Who: Towson University’s cutting-edge and community driven researchers and faculty
Where: Minnegan Room at Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson University
When: April 14, 2010 from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm
Why: The Showcase brings together Towson University faculty and researchers to spotlight projects in collaboration with businesses and government agencies that benefit the citizens of this region.
This year, we will also have relevant speakers to provide additional interesting content.
Dr. Val Emery, Army Research Laboratory, will discuss federal funding opportunities for innovation and collaboration associated with BRAC
Who should attend: Business Leaders, Economic Developers, Government/Nonprofit Managers, reporters and/or columnists interested in the areas of Human Services, GIS, Workforce Development, Applied Economics, IT Solutions, and more!
Posted by Dawn Bott 
Guest Blogger
Bobbie O'Connell
Sharyn Kuczka
Jeremy Monn
Raquel Huezo
Clay Hickson
Susan Scher
Thomas Rumeau
Jimmy Bayne
Steven Fabijanski
Dawn Bott
Lisa Walker
Lindsey Meyer
Allie Pyzik
Daraius Irani