The rainy spring weather did not deter the over 50 attendees from making their way to the Washington County Public Library in Hagerstown for the MSGIC Spring Quarterly meeting on April 19, 2017. As always, the agenda was packed. In case you missed it, here are some highlights of the day. Pat Mcloughlin, MSGIC Chair, got the morning started by unveiling the new and improved MSGIC website and placing an open call out to the MSGIC membership for participation in…
The MSGIC-sponsored URISA training sessions entitled ‘NG9-1-1 and the GIS Workflow’ were held on November 29th and 30th in Frederick and Crownsville, respectively. Both sessions were lively and very well attended. The Frederick session was attended by over 35 people and the Crownsville session was a full house. Sandi Martin organized the training sessions, which featured presenters Sandi Stroud (Michael Baker International), Peter Hannah (Baltimore City) and Lynda Warthen (Frederick County). These sessions were attended by a diverse group of…
In some systems we accept faults, but when it comes to safety we expect perfection. In Baltimore last month, officials met to discuss how our emergency 9-1-1 system could be upgraded along side our rapidly growing technology, in the pursuit of that ideal. Part of this includes using GIS to accurately locate a caller in need. Here is an article reporting on Maryland’s round table discussion about Next Generation 9-1-1, which took place in September. ____________________________________________ County Emergency Managers, Public Safety…
Given a map of your area, could you indicate where the historical family plots, churchyards, and cemeteries reside? MSGIC’s very own Ashley Samonisky could, with her comprehensive map of grave-sites in Dorchester County. After over six months of data collection in the field, she presented her findings at the Robbins Heritage Center in Cambridge this week. The project began when she was inspired by her grandmother to research her own family history. Starting with local records, and using a combination of…
Chesapeake Conservancy Honors Esri for Providing GIS Software and Support Benefiting Restoration and Conservation of the Chesapeake Bay Annapolis, Md. – Last night, the Chesapeake Conservancy presented Esri with a Champions of the Chesapeake Award at the second annual Champions of the Chesapeake Awards and dinner celebration. “The Chesapeake Conservancy is pleased to honor our partner Esri; for their innovative GIS software and staff support that helps propel the Conservancy’s work in GIS mapping and precision conservation to the forefront…
(Originally posted on the TUinnovates.com blog) Location. Location. Location. From deciding where to locate a new store to analyzing how well marketing campaigns are working in various markets, maps help business leaders make better decisions. Recently, I taught two classes to Towson University business students, which focused on how businesses can use geospatial technology to enhance decision-making. Introducing GIS to Business Students Associate Professor Tobin Porterfield teaches Project Management and Business Analysis, among other courses, at Towson University in Northeastern Maryland. Professor Porterfield invited…
28th annual conference Last week, multiple MDP staff attended and participated in the Towson University Geospatial Information Sciences (TUgis) conference. Some of us have been going to this conference for over 20 years while others went for the first time. This is the third year for their new one-day format and, with over 600 attendees and 100 different sessions, was an excellent conference. It provided a great opportunity to obtain detailed technical information, enhance our understanding of where the industry is heading,…
I spent yesterday at TUGIS, Maryland’s GIS conference. It is an annual, one-day event, held at Towson University. As such, it is a bit of a sprint, especially when bracketed on either end by a double-beltway commute. The day started with the plenary which included a brief talk by Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, who reaffirmed the new administration’s commitment to the importance of data and metrics in decision-making. Julia Fischer, the current MSGIC Chair, also gave an update…
Digital property maps and parcel information now free For the first time since offering digital maps depicting property maps and parcel data 19 years ago, the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) today launched a free set of digital map data for Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City under the state’s open data initiative. People interested in probing the wealth of MDP’s parcel geographic information systems (GIS) data can now download the files at no cost. To make data sought after…
The Maryland Society of Surveyors (MSS) announced it has retained the firm of John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc. (JMP&A) to provide association management services. “JMP&A’s significant experience in the association management field and expert knowledge of the surveying profession made them an attractive candidate in our search for a management company,” said Tim Quinn, PLS, (Rodgers Consulting, Inc., Germantown, MD), Chair of the MSS Search Committee. JMP&A President John Palatiello said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to…
