EPA GIS Workgroup

While everyone else is off to Where, et cetera - I'm going off to the EPA GIS Workgroup meeting in New York City...

Always great to see what's going on in terms of GIS and remote sensing for visualization, modeling and analysis in the realm of environmental protection - usually most EPA regions and program offices are represented, along with other organizations and agencies... Lots of geo friends in attendance.

Looking forward to it.

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US Streets

This is an interesting view of the United States:

- found on Ben Fry's website, http://benfry.com/allstreets/index.html

The author compiled all local roads, and visual patterns of density and human use rapidly emerge. Here, a mix of physical barriers (such as valleys within the Appalachians) can be seen along with major corridors of development. There are still some blocks within some states which are not fully populated (shown as generally-rectangular, lighter-density areas in some of the midwest states), Fry ascribes this to differences in how roads are characterized and classified.

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Why I Haven't Moved To The Beltway...

Given most of my work is in the DC Beltway, and I have a 4 hour + "commute" one way - some of my friends and colleagues keep asking why I don't move south.

Simple answer... quality of life. I wouldn't be able to afford the great house that I have, I wouldn't have the great natural setting nearby...

I walk just a few houses down to the end of my block, and from there, I'm in a park - I can take a lengthy hike in any number of directions, a different hike for every day of the week... and the scenery?



More "photos of the day" to come...

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Thematic Mapping

After just spending a chunk of time tonight reading article after article on his site, I have to give my kudos to Bjørn Sandvik, and his blog, Thematic Mapping -

There's just a ton of eminently cool and accessible stuff for visualization there...

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The Marcellus Shale Formation and Pennsylvania's Natural Gas Boom

The latest buzz here in Northeastern Pennsylvania here in the last few months revolves around revised estimates of natural gas potential residing in the Marcellus Formation, which is a deep layer of black shale running throughout southern New York State, across Pennsylvania and into Ohio and West Virginia.

Per Wikipedia, the Marcellus Formation is believed to contain as much as 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 10% of which may be recoverable using current technologies.


Notably here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Marcellus Formation is exceptionally thick, with some areas up to 350 feet thick - the map illustrates the extent of the Marcellus formation in grey, with isopach lines denoting layer thickness.

In terms of stratigraphy, the Marcellus Formation is part of the Hamilton Group, lying deep, however far deeper gas deposits are currently being developed elsewhere in the world.

While the economic boom is welcome - with one potential outcome being preservation of farmlands and forestlands in Northeastern Pennsylvania - in an area which has been struggling for some time, and while this deposit becomes a welcome find in an imminent energy crisis, the longer-term pros and cons are yet to be known - specifically, what are the potential environmental impacts, to aquifers, of hydrofracturing, impacts of surface activities - what needs to be done in terms of pipeline infrastructure, and so on...

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Appalachian Electoral Dynamic?

I just came across an interesting blog, which presents a different spin on election dynamics, in the aftermath of the primary we just had here in Pennsylvania -

Here, counties in blue represent larger wins for Hillary Clinton, whereas the green counties represent larger wins for Barack Obama... "Appalachia" is outlined in black.
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Democratic political consultant James Carville described Pennsylvania as "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in between." - Now here's yet another similar analogy... I'm just presenting it as a Pennsylvania voter, reserving my own mix of comments, whether bemused or amused - I'll leave folks to draw their own conclusions...

"The Electoral Map" - http://theelectoralmap.com/

[edit - interestingly, the delineation of "Appalachians" on the map appears to concur more with congressional boundaries which generally touch on the Appalachian range]

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The Onion: County Surveyors

Between spending a lot of time on the road and wearing my fingers to nubs writing proposals, I unfortunately haven't had much time to blog - but I did just come across this humorous bit:

I Won't Ever Let The Position Of County Surveyor Go To My Head

Aye, indeed... we surveyors are full of humility... Even though those who behold us are heard to utter such things as,

"There goes a man whose ability to record and maintain elevation benchmarks once a year rivals that of Atlas himself. That, son, is a man far better than I."

And, if you find yourself drained from your own bitter political battle for your own County Surveyor, think:

"Well, thank God we elected a county surveyor who is free from ego, modest to a fault, and is just generally the Joe DiMaggio of land-parcel mapping and plat checking."

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Happy Earth Day...

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Raytheon Wins GPS Contract

Via Washington Technology:

Raytheon locks onto Air Force GPS deal
Raytheon will help complete development of a new generation of Global
Positioning System receivers for the Air Force.

http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=1087772:163874

(posted via mobile)

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Virtual Earth API Version 6.1

For developers using Virtual Earth, the Virtual Earth API version 6.1 was released a few days ago:

Official SDK Documentation: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb429619.aspx

Other discussion:

• Steve Lombardi's Blog (Microsoft) on 6.1 Enhancements: http://virtualearth.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!2BBC66E99FDCDB98!14129.entry
• Chris Pendleton's Blog (Microsoft) on 6.1 Enhancements: http://blogs.msdn.com/virtualearth/archive/2008/04/11/new-virtual-earth-api-release-virtual-earth-6-1.aspx
• Johannes Kebeck's Blog on 6.1 Enhancements: http://johanneskebeck.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!42E1F70205EC8A96!3858.entry

Overview of changes: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb412561.aspx

Virtual Earth Map Control SDK, version 6.1

What's New in the Map Control?

Welcome to version 6.1 of the Virtual Earth map control. This page explains the new features for version 6.0 and 6.1 on a high level. To see a detailed list of the objects, methods, and properties that have changed, see the Version Changelist.

Version 6.0 and 6.1 of the map control includes improvements in the following areas:

• Enhanced accuracy
• Additional functionality
• Enhanced performance
  

Enhanced Accuracy

The Virtual Earth team is committed to constantly improving the accuracy of the map control. This release of the map control includes improvements in the following areas.

• Enhanced Geocoding. The map control integrates multiple geocoders and datasets to provide the most relevant and accurate results. You can perform these searches using the VEMap.Find Method.



• Rooftop Geocoding. Rooftop locations are the most precise geocoding results available in the United States today. Rooftop geocoding is now available through the map control VEMap.Find Method.



• Consistent Pushpin Accuracy. When switching between aerial and birdseye views, pushpin accuracy is maintained, delivering a more seamless experience. Use the VEMap.SetShapesAccuracy Method to get the accuracy you desire.

Additional Functionality

This release of the map control includes additional functionality in the following areas.

• Printing support. Use the VEMap.SetPrintOptions Method to enable printing support.



• Reverse Geocoding. Reverse geocoding allows the user to find places based on a specific point on the map. Use the VEMap.FindLocations Method to accomplish this.



• Traffic-based Routes. A new option allows the use of available traffic information in route calculations, enabling quicker routes and more accurate route times during heavy traffic periods. Use the VERouteOptions.UseTraffic Property to turn on this feature.



• Birdseye Map Style with Labels. A road label overlay increases the usability of the Birdseye map style. This map style is called BirdseyeHybrid and is a new member of the VEMapStyle Enumeration.



• Walking Directions. Provide users the option to walk to their destination by returning walking directions instead of driving directions. To return walking directions, set the VERouteOptions.RouteMode Property to VERouteMode.Walking.



• Multipoint Routing. A new method takes multiple points for a route instead of just start and end points, allowing for more complex trip planning. Localized directions are also available in this version. Use the VEMap.GetDirections Method to get a multipoint route.



• Bulk Addition of Shapes. A new method to add multiple pushpins in one call while maintaining high performance and avoiding performance slowdowns. Use the VEMap.AddShape Method to add multiple pushpins.



• Improved Shape Control. You can now specify how a shape object appears relative to other shapes or tile objects, providing greater control in viewing data and objects. Use the VEShape Class to create shapes.



• MapCruncher (Beta). MapCruncher Beta for Microsoft Virtual Earth makes it easy to publish maps overlaid in an application using the Virtual Earth map control. See the MapCruncher Web page for further information.



• 3D Altitude Settings. Altitudes for three-dimensional objects can now be specified in meters.



• Updated interactive SDK. A new version of the Virtual Earth Interactive SDK is available, demonstrating the new functionality of the Virtual Earth Map Control. See the Virtual Earth Interactive SDK Web page for further information.

Enhanced Performance

There have been significant speed and accuracy improvements for pushpins and shapes, even in high numbers. Performance enhancements also include faster map panning.

Version Changelist is available here: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb412440.aspx

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