tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77106083263979688682024-03-19T04:48:04.603-04:00Open Source GIS BlogA blog devoted to Open Source GIS, Data, Analysis, Web Publishing, and Image Processing...Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-80459386860591077762020-04-16T18:48:00.000-04:002020-04-16T18:48:29.689-04:00Healthcare Worker Deaths from Coronavirus (COVID-19): Update - 71 deaths, CDC StudyAs of 4/15, 71 healthcare workers have died of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the US. Updated numbers at: <a href="https://jontheepi.shinyapps.io/hcwcoronavirus/">https://jontheepi.shinyapps.io/hcwcoronavirus/</a>.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Roughly half of deaths occurred among Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants</li>
<li>Median age = 56 years old, range 20 - 75 years old</li>
<li>Most have occurred in Hospitals. Of note, VA hospitals have had 8 COVID-related deaths</li>
<li>New York State (13), Michigan (8), New Jersey (8), and Florida (7) are the states with most healthcare worker fatalities</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rDtOMOLiME/Xpjcz5jOY9I/AAAAAAAAFuI/hP0CyTZYan8O07ncO2gfXLuptfXOd3FuwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1589" height="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rDtOMOLiME/Xpjcz5jOY9I/AAAAAAAAFuI/hP0CyTZYan8O07ncO2gfXLuptfXOd3FuwCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The code and data for this project are available on GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/jontheepi/hcwcoronavirus">https://github.com/jontheepi/hcwcoronavirus</a><br />
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The CDC has published a study and found only 27-related deaths, highlighting shortcomings in recording deaths and occupation, and recording the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers:<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6915e6.htm?s_cid=mm6915e6_x">https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6915e6.htm?s_cid=mm6915e6_x</a>.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-52534378361900816522020-03-28T20:33:00.004-04:002020-03-28T20:34:29.741-04:00Healthcare worker deaths in the US from novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Created a quick app based on news reports:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9);"> </span><a href="https://jontheepi.shinyapps.io/hcwcoronavirus/">https://jontheepi.shinyapps.io/hcwcoronavirus/</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9);">.</span></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eight-related deaths so far. I hope not to have to update this. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Healthcare workers will make up a disproportionate percent of cases and possibly also fatalities. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The app was created using R, rshiny(package), and shinyapps.io for hosting</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Map will be updated daily.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">China only reported 5 deaths in healthcare workers. Healthcare personnel made up 4% of cases. Fifteen percent of healthcare workers that got ill were classified as severe cases. (<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762130">https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762130</a><a data-attribute-index="5" href="http://lnkd.in/dC5uhp3)" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #665ed0; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;">)</a></span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2VTbzdfLx0/Xn_sebHONsI/AAAAAAAAFs8/jehBEzV7sygvs4eqbyKP6KOQu5f5C8_3QCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoAeHfyDqrNTcx4jmNsqZVgR74DJHbvhFKtO9iROIqw4dKUZ5hUfwit6NyU2BlPUbbbggv_U2cAe3KxXANnKVOd9z_tG78_5jGrNTJrUNXs9lDvI7XoyHR7_TlNTqJrU28mdkdHtMmXa2FtGcpCYmTr4yGT3pFhw2lBTSD7bz2zafQHvppb-5xztCLRmCGgMAg3IeAhTwfDxmtIqG0SEbkerVimqtMyLDVO-Vwy93mIguUuR_nB2AomQxZg85eMHciL28mWUtSqgdaZ6ubH5Mco__gTvOgwIWBRN0YH8njkeAkIs2BvWkIcHsfK5ixYw-7NV2LYnfbQzSoAP5EsIqgVbGW9GBvJthziozQrgxaTTVcZgcbpZujQChvsNPh6X2wChI46fgWOfn7b2pNQGIqSsX-jhS7AD3ier4n1kZZwmqEH2aCon3VXM04_gDXqJ7gV4j0vjDuDKhtzU8CjsfqOB7k8OC0iaccuAA3hFVsalP1v9pTefh1PBGbJS_qkDjbChom39aktkYrpPqN_G_VnTz6BN0xyH2yghy4edgGqTeCQIShRGjOkDiFjChrMD3IMsQjyy_HIc1pFmUxC8srJ5aazhQzkXCcUwvd7_8wU/s1600/Screenshot%2BHCW.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2VTbzdfLx0/Xn_sebHONsI/AAAAAAAAFs8/jehBEzV7sygvs4eqbyKP6KOQu5f5C8_3QCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoAeHfyDqrNTcx4jmNsqZVgR74DJHbvhFKtO9iROIqw4dKUZ5hUfwit6NyU2BlPUbbbggv_U2cAe3KxXANnKVOd9z_tG78_5jGrNTJrUNXs9lDvI7XoyHR7_TlNTqJrU28mdkdHtMmXa2FtGcpCYmTr4yGT3pFhw2lBTSD7bz2zafQHvppb-5xztCLRmCGgMAg3IeAhTwfDxmtIqG0SEbkerVimqtMyLDVO-Vwy93mIguUuR_nB2AomQxZg85eMHciL28mWUtSqgdaZ6ubH5Mco__gTvOgwIWBRN0YH8njkeAkIs2BvWkIcHsfK5ixYw-7NV2LYnfbQzSoAP5EsIqgVbGW9GBvJthziozQrgxaTTVcZgcbpZujQChvsNPh6X2wChI46fgWOfn7b2pNQGIqSsX-jhS7AD3ier4n1kZZwmqEH2aCon3VXM04_gDXqJ7gV4j0vjDuDKhtzU8CjsfqOB7k8OC0iaccuAA3hFVsalP1v9pTefh1PBGbJS_qkDjbChom39aktkYrpPqN_G_VnTz6BN0xyH2yghy4edgGqTeCQIShRGjOkDiFjChrMD3IMsQjyy_HIc1pFmUxC8srJ5aazhQzkXCcUwvd7_8wU/s400/Screenshot%2BHCW.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-59497619671957243122016-04-14T18:46:00.002-04:002016-04-14T18:46:20.669-04:00The Last Post...After some soul searching, I've decided to stop writing regular blog posts. It has been my pleasure to help out people interested in doing spatial things...and for free! The GIS world is large, diverse, friendly, and super smart! I've enjoyed getting to know what other people are working on around the world and how to approach very complex problems! I've learned a lot in the process, and I hope you have too!<br />
<br />
Why stop? Well, projects were getting more complex and time consuming, including a post on <a href="http://geoserver.org/">GeoServer</a>, which didn't get finished, and more maps using <a href="http://leafletjs.com/">Leaflet</a>. Believe it or not, I have more than 100 ideas for posts--which never got done! I also spent extra time creating a few <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYBdq5iYLbouPmbe59WeX1w">YouTube videos</a>. -The process is just too time consuming, I plan to devote more time to trying to develop a <a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS</a> plugin and hiking in the Mid-Atlantic region. My only regret is that I didn't finish the GeoDA tutorial. That was never my intention. My favorite thing has been to watch QGIS grew into the platform it is today!<br />
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Lastly, I've decided to re-double my efforts at work in violence prevention and reducing firearm homicides in Baltimore City (<a href="http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police/homicides/">http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police/homicides/</a>). If you are still interested in following me, subscribe to my Twitter feed @jontheepi: <a href="https://twitter.com/jontheepi">https://twitter.com/jontheepi</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">All the best!</span></b></div>
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<br />Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-90827759097229543972016-02-21T19:14:00.003-05:002016-02-21T19:14:31.878-05:00Spatial Analysis with GeoDa: Part II - Importing Data and Tools<a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/software/downloads">GeoDa</a> opens as a "floating bar" which you will find nice as you do analysis and realize multiple linked windows can be arranged. The maps and graphs are interactive, as I'll show in later posts, show selecting features in one window will highlight the same parts in other windows.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r27mv0pVzWE/VsPDsFwZLzI/AAAAAAAACa4/DrvM-hphWVI/s1600/GeoDa%2BBar.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="50" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r27mv0pVzWE/VsPDsFwZLzI/AAAAAAAACa4/DrvM-hphWVI/s400/GeoDa%2BBar.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I learn a new piece of software, I always go from left to right. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>File Menu</b></span><br />
The "File" menu allows you to import data, save and load projects (self-named *.gda files), and export selected data. In addition, there is a nice Project Information option that tells the title, data source and type, project name, number of observations and fields.<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Data Formats</b></span><br />
Users can import a wide array of file formats: shapefile, SQLite/SpatialLite, *.csv , .xls, .dbf, .json, .gml, .kml, and MapInfo files. Remember, are analyzing vector data, so points, lines, and polygons. Remember map projections matter, since spatial weights are created based on distance!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q0_-xsFEtGs/VsPFmNHL7wI/AAAAAAAACbE/aCjam-t4Nmc/s1600/Filetypes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q0_-xsFEtGs/VsPFmNHL7wI/AAAAAAAACbE/aCjam-t4Nmc/s320/Filetypes.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GeoDa does a great job of offering multiple file types to import.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Tools Menu: </b></span><b style="color: #cc0000;">Spatial Weights</b><br />
Spatial weights are used to model spatial relationships. Using GeoDa, we can create spatial weights based on contiguity/bordering (think chess moves: rook or queen), distance, and the number of nearest neighbors. Imagine a grid or matrix that has a row and column for every feature. The cells are populated using 0/1 for weights based on contiguity (where a feature borders another) or distances for distanced based weights.<br />
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Tips:<br />
<ul>
<li>Generally, do not go above 2nd order of contiguity: 1st order contiguity is neighbors, 2nd order is neighbors of neighbors. Anything beyond this becomes extremely difficult to interpret.</li>
<li>The GeoDa Center also has <a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/projects/pysal">PySAL</a> an open source Python library that can be used to create spatial weights and perform spatial analysis<span style="color: #cc0000;">.</span></li>
</ul>
The first option is "Select" if you have already created weights. The second option is "Create." Here you will a couple of options to examiner spatial relationships in your data. Which one you choose should be based on the phenomenon you are studying. Like other types of analysis, you will also want to examine how different spatial weights affect your results.<br />
<ul>
<li>More about contiguity based spatial weights: <a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/node/380">https://geodacenter.asu.edu/node/380</a> and distance-based weights: <a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/node/384">https://geodacenter.asu.edu/node/384</a></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Connectivity Histogram</span></b><br />
Another one of GeoDa's cool features is a histogram that shows the number of features with a specific number of features. It can also help you clear up any questions you have about different types of contiguity and how spatial relationships are modeled.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLt3xzxQQ3A/VspSQavNTdI/AAAAAAAACbk/Mdof-Cqm5Xk/s1600/Connectivity.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLt3xzxQQ3A/VspSQavNTdI/AAAAAAAACbk/Mdof-Cqm5Xk/s400/Connectivity.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the histogram a right, the bar/bin for two neighbors is selected. <br />On the map at left the county is highlighted. Selecting other bars would highlight more features.<br />Users can also see the distribution of the spatial weights from the histogram.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="color: #cc0000;">Shape</b><br />
In case you tabular data, you can create points from this menu. You can also create a bounding box or grid. Next time, we'll look at the Table and Map toolbars.<br />
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Want blog or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYBdq5iYLbouPmbe59WeX1w">YouTube updates</a>? You can follow me @jontheepi: <a href="https://twitter.com/jontheepi">https://twitter.com/jontheepi</a>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-30472622721373423742016-02-03T21:54:00.003-05:002016-03-01T19:19:27.363-05:00Spatial Analysis with GeoDa: Part I - Introduction<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UwWCrEqRZfA/VrK1tZ1hH6I/AAAAAAAACZw/NKunndh-omY/s1600/downloads_geoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UwWCrEqRZfA/VrK1tZ1hH6I/AAAAAAAACZw/NKunndh-omY/s200/downloads_geoda.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/software">GeoDa</a> (<a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/software">https://geodacenter.asu.edu/software</a>) is a free and open source cross-platform program for exploratory (spatial) data analysis or EDA/ESDA and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_likelihood">maximum likelihood</a> spatial regression. It has been downloaded nearly 150,000 times and is available on Windows, OS X, and Linux. ASU's GeoDa center is home to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_Anselin">Luc Anselin</a>, e.g. Anselin's Moran's I a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indicators_of_spatial_association">local indicator of spatial autocorrelation or LISA</a>.<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">Update #1: It looks like an older version of GeoDa's source code is available (circa 2014) but not more current versions: </span><a href="https://code.google.com/archive/p/geoda/source">https://code.google.com/archive/p/geoda/source</a><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Why use GeoDa?</b></span><br />
You are interested in spatial analysis of vector data (points, lines, polygons) and statistics. This includes looking for clusters of count or rate data, which have similar attribute values, performing regression (asking why a certain pattern exists), observed/predicted values, residuals, and diagnostics. Spatial statistics are commonly used in mainly fields including health, criminology, and pretty much everything! <br />
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If you are using GIS for a problem, at some point, you should consider spatial statistics. The human brain and eye can only see so much. Some patterns aren't easily apparent.<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><br /></b></span>
Spatial analysis can come at a cost ($), and this is why GeoDa is so great! It is free, open source, and has great capabilities It even includes some advanced options which you can't currently find in ArcGIS.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #cc0000;">Features</b><br />
GeoDa includes the ability to make choropleth maps, graphs, Thiessen polygons, creating spatial weights using queen and rook contiguity (which requires a high level license in ArcGIS), graphing features by number of neighbors, linked graphs you can 'brush,' LISAs, and regression. We will dive deeper into features later--there is a lot to cover.<br />
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A list of GeoDa's features can be found at: <a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/general-features">https://geodacenter.asu.edu/general-features</a>. Also, here is a list of its modeling features: <a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/node/397">https://geodacenter.asu.edu/node/397</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Examples of Use</b></span></div>
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In 2014, I wrote about a simple use case: examining health insurance rates at the county-level:<br />
<a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/exploring-health-insurance-estimates-by.html">http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/exploring-health-insurance-estimates-by.html</a>.<br />
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">More to come...</b></div>
This is the first part in a series that explores GeoDa's functions and spatial statistics. If there is something you would like to see, leave it in the comment section below.<br />
<br />
Want blog or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYBdq5iYLbouPmbe59WeX1w">YouTube updates</a>? You can follow me @jontheepi: <a href="https://twitter.com/jontheepi">https://twitter.com/jontheepi</a>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-26029405430389635792016-01-21T21:46:00.005-05:002016-01-25T20:08:33.382-05:00Looking at Weather Maps and Data for Winter Storm JonasPreviously, I've written about <a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/be-weather-readythe-open-source-way.html">Being Weather Ready: The Open Source Way</a> and <a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/weather-gis-viewers-and-data.html">Weather GIS, Data, and Viewers</a>. I would probably stop blogging about the weather if there weren't <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/ClimateStorms/page2.php">bigger storms each year</a>. Family, friends, and coworkers often ask me what the weather will be like or get confused about updated/changing predictions. Maybe yours do to!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><a href="http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2016/011116-noaa-completes-weather-and-climate-supercomputer-upgrades.html">NOAA has recently quadrupled their computing power</a></i> <i>which will lead to better forecasts for everything from winter storms to major hurricanes.</i></blockquote>
Fortunately, there is a lot of great information, maps, and data out there, if you know where to look! Winter storms don't carry official names. But,<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/10/13/viewpoint-its-time-for-the-weather-community-to-adopt-winter-storm-naming/">the Weather Channel has adopted this idea</a> and named the upcoming storm <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah">"Jonas."</a><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Local Forecast Office</b></span><br />
The National Weather Service (NWS) has local forecast offices spread throughout the country. Often, the offices have specific pages to deal with certain weather threats. <br />
<br />
For example, the Sterling Office for DC-Virginia-Maryland has a Winter Weather Page: <a href="http://www.weather.gov/lwx/winter">http://www.weather.gov/lwx/winter</a>. The maps below show the:<br />
<ul>
<li>At the top, links and headlines highlight key weather threats and message</li>
<li>Minimum, most likely, and maximum amount of snowfall</li>
<li>Storm track, time of onset, and reported snowfalls are all clearly labeled. </li>
<li>Warning areas are highlighted at a county level. Clicking the map takes you to the local forecast in text--with additional links to hourly graphs.</li>
<li>Probabilities are given for different snowfall amounts</li>
<li>Weather fronts are highlighted nationally</li>
<li>Lastly, always check the time stamp of the forecast map, since forecasts change frequently.</li>
</ul>
I'm from Baltimore, so the expected snowfall is between 23-25 inches, Range 7 to 27 inches. The storm is expected to start between 3 to 5 pm. See weather forecasting is not that hard! (just kidding). Be sure to read any text warnings and messages. Surface winds will be the 30 mph range with gusts possibly exceeding 50 mph. For more on effects of wind speed, check out: <a href="http://www.weather.gov/media/iwx/webpages/skywarn/Beaufort_Wind_Chart.pdf">http://www.weather.gov/media/iwx/webpages/skywarn/Beaufort_Wind_Chart.pdf </a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tRPAuvQaKbw/VqGANCJp_mI/AAAAAAAACWU/CnaA3se1mWY/s1600/NWS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tRPAuvQaKbw/VqGANCJp_mI/AAAAAAAACWU/CnaA3se1mWY/s400/NWS.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The NWS packs a lot of information neatly into their web page.<br />
Although a 'long' web page, there is a clear hierarchy of information from<br />
most important to least important and specific weather information to <br />
general climate information.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t3rTq4q2GM0/VqGLVbPK4CI/AAAAAAAACWk/wrLsefMPUOs/s1600/Graphs.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t3rTq4q2GM0/VqGLVbPK4CI/AAAAAAAACWk/wrLsefMPUOs/s400/Graphs.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some weather information can't be captured well on maps, so you will also have to look at graphs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
NWS also has a GIS Data Portal (<a href="http://www.nws.noaa.gov/gis/">http://www.nws.noaa.gov/gis/</a>) so you can make your own maps. But you don't have to go through all those steps and can use web-based map tools like NOWCOAST (<a href="http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/)">http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/)</a> for real-time information and the easier to use Enhanced Data Display (<a href="http://preview.weather.gov/edd">http://preview.weather.gov/edd</a>/). There is also a briefing site: <a href="http://www.weather.gov/briefing/">http://www.weather.gov/briefing/</a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Storm Results</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">See below from the NWS, or check out the NY Times map "How much snow has fallen?"</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">: </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/22/us/east-coast-snow-storm.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/22/us/east-coast-snow-storm.html?_r=0</a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqZ3MT8zvJc/VqbBwRq2ZdI/AAAAAAAACYE/frddT8gve9A/s1600/UpdatedResults.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqZ3MT8zvJc/VqbBwRq2ZdI/AAAAAAAACYE/frddT8gve9A/s400/UpdatedResults.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jonas shaped up to be everything the predictions were!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Satellite Imagery</b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5o87xiYpDM/VqbGwyNljwI/AAAAAAAACYU/_m33TdfVCVQ/s1600/dmv_oli_2016024_lrg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5o87xiYpDM/VqbGwyNljwI/AAAAAAAACYU/_m33TdfVCVQ/s400/dmv_oli_2016024_lrg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=87395&eocn=home&eoci=iotd_image">A Snow Blanket for the East Coast. </a>NASA Earth Observatory images (first, second)<br /> by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the </span><a href="http://glovius.usgs.gov/" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: whitesmoke; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #005dbd; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">U.S. Geological Survey</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">.<br /> NASA image (third) by Jeff Schmaltz, </span><a href="https://earthdata.nasa.gov/earth-observation-data/near-real-time/rapid-response" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: whitesmoke; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #005dbd; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">. <br />Caption by Mike Carlowicz.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Map Examples</b></span><br />
Some maps convey their message better than others. Weather maps are no exception...What do you think about the maps below? You be the judge...<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Easiest on the Eyes</span></b><br />
USA Today had the most pleasing storm map that I could find. Simple and effective.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>At this scale, the classification and increment of snowfall is appropriate. Although not described in the text, the mapmaker assumes the reader will see that Washington and Charleston, highlighted differently in white, will receive the most snowfall.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cZ7fyCvI8J0/VqGL0IGPMpI/AAAAAAAACWs/gaajyDh2FPQ/s1600/NWS%2BMap.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cZ7fyCvI8J0/VqGL0IGPMpI/AAAAAAAACWs/gaajyDh2FPQ/s400/NWS%2BMap.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/01/21/snowstorm/79113164/">USA Today</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Hard on the Eyes</span></b><br />
<span style="color: black;">The Weather Channel loves translucent boxes, apparently. This map of regional temperatures and precipitation probably combines too much information on one map. </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Precipitation type is also classified into different colors and different icons (snowflakes and rain drops). </li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: black;">The second places cities and accumulation totals in boxes which makes it harder to read. The boxes for cities probably is not necessary.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aeNw95_LN70/VqGMqEsbmHI/AAAAAAAACW4/bicUA-0cpgo/s1600/Weather.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aeNw95_LN70/VqGMqEsbmHI/AAAAAAAACW4/bicUA-0cpgo/s400/Weather.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/news/winter-storm-jonas-forecast">Weather Channel via AccuWeather</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3hdourYLJY/VqGReTivRrI/AAAAAAAACXI/wUePzbdjfLk/s1600/Weather%2BChannel.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3hdourYLJY/VqGReTivRrI/AAAAAAAACXI/wUePzbdjfLk/s400/Weather%2BChannel.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Too Slow...but...</span></b><br />
Lastly, it is notable to add that ESRI deploys personnel for large disasters, and usually posts a quick map. Although in this case, their snow map animation is nothing to get excited about: <a href="http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/severe-weather/us-snowfall-forecast">http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/severe-weather/us-snowfall-forecast</a>.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>However, one nice feature, which I wish I saw more of in other interactive maps, are spatial bookmarks that allow the viewer to jump to certain places in the map.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WH1LXhSKnU/VqGTYC2cB-I/AAAAAAAACXU/72XRjarj6oQ/s1600/ESRI%2BMap.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WH1LXhSKnU/VqGTYC2cB-I/AAAAAAAACXU/72XRjarj6oQ/s400/ESRI%2BMap.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow animation but spatial bookmarks (drop-down at the top) are a nice touch and speed navigation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-32260084123549096022016-01-04T22:28:00.001-05:002016-01-04T22:43:48.686-05:00Video: Open GIS Data PortalsOpen GIS data portals are becoming more common, and can contain lots of geospatial data, but is it a case of too much of a good thing? <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G3eS_lSLGsk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G3eS_lSLGsk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">What is a Portal?</span></b><br />
An internet site providing access or links to other sites. In the case of open GIS data, the file may appear on the same page, link out to another website (or portal) or require more digging. In addition, some GIS portals have links to web map services.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Search is the thing...</span></b><br />
Open data portals house more and more data and therefore can become more difficult to search over time. Creating complex searches is sometimes not available and can slow the discovery process.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">What are they made of?</span></b><br />
Open data portals leverage free and open, propriety, or hybrid data and/or GIS platforms. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Here one minute, gone the next...</b></span><br />
While often data can be downloaded directly, some sites link to external or partner data sources. Some data may seem accessible and near-at-hand but actually require more searching and digging.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Syndication</span></b><br />
In some cases, this is the result of syndicated data sets. For example, on federal data portals, local and state governments can have their data sets metadata appear in search results and link out to the resource. In others, this can be overused, frustrating, or lead to broken links or missing resources. Sometimes going directly to the source can be easier than navigating a much larger data portal.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Examples</span></b><br />
We will look at several open data portals for geospatial data:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://data.gov/">Data.gov</a></li>
<li><a href="http://opendata.arcgis.com/">ESRI's Open Data</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nws.noaa.gov/gis/">National Weather Service GIS Data Portal</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nycopendata.socrata.com/">NYC Open Data</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Also check out <a href="http://dataportals.org/">http://dataportals.org/</a> for a neat interactive map of open data portals worldwide.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aRPFz5BPQ3A/Vos24wtIbWI/AAAAAAAACVU/SRKgVDhpRDg/s1600/DataPortalsdotorg.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aRPFz5BPQ3A/Vos24wtIbWI/AAAAAAAACVU/SRKgVDhpRDg/s400/DataPortalsdotorg.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking for an open data portal? Check out the interactive and searchable map on <a href="http://dataportals.org/">dataportals.org</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-41378157025456221592015-12-08T22:26:00.004-05:002015-12-08T22:46:03.798-05:00QGIS and FOSS GIS Wishlist for 2016<div>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Happy holidays!</span></b> I am certainly thankful for <a href="https://www.qgis.org/en/site/index.html">QGIS</a> this year as it showed significant improvements to its capabilities and the user experience. Many other free and open source GIS projects also improved including a major update of <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/">GRASS GIS</a> and <a href="http://www.osgeo.org/node/1644">gvSIG graduating from incubation</a>. In addition, <a href="http://www.satscan.org/">SaTScan</a> continues to get easier to use while providing advanced spatio-temporal statistics. <a href="https://geodacenter.asu.edu/projects/opengeoda">GeoDA</a> has reached nearly 150,000 downloads, and <a href="http://rapidlasso.com/">LAStools continues to rock</a>!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UnoUGFFrjTk/Vmeewbe7B_I/AAAAAAAACT4/bbxBRPCiFCs/s1600/BlueHands.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UnoUGFFrjTk/Vmeewbe7B_I/AAAAAAAACT4/bbxBRPCiFCs/s400/BlueHands.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to QGIS and ALL FOSS GIS Developers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I wanted to take a moment to talk about my QGIS wishlist for 2016. In the coming year, I hope to get more involved...I am aiming for trying to create some plugins. You can checkout the QGIS roadmap and submit requests for new features at: <a href="http://hub.qgis.org/projects/quantum-gis/roadmap">http://hub.qgis.org/projects/quantum-gis/roadmap</a>.<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>What are your wishes for QGIS in 2016?</b> </span> Feel free to leave them in comment section below!<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
Of course, the core QGIS developers are always hard at work, and some of these may not be scheduled for the near or future release, but it is always good to dream! These are on the advanced feature end, and although not critical, would be nice to have.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">My QGIS wishlist for 2016:</span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Continued commitment to cartography (definitely happening)</li>
<li>Full-funding goals reached for crowdsourced QGIS plugins and projects.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/qgis/pool/">More maps in the QGIS Flickr Showcase</a> (Do your part!)</li>
<li>Continued improvements to the Print Composer</li>
<li>Error-free or near-error free releases of QGIS. </li>
<ul>
<li>I worry as more features are added, more bugs could creep in!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<li>Ability to join points to lines - visualizing data by street segments can be extremely cool!</li>
<li>More spatial analysis tools integrated directly into QGIS core</li>
<ul>
<li>Might include linear directional mean, standard distance, or others...</li>
</ul>
<li>Ability to create an address locator from reference data</li>
<ul>
<li>Online locators have limitations (number of records that can be (batch) geocoded) and can't be used for confidential data</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Some other/non-QGIS wishes</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OpenRouteService#Criticism">Open routing</a> and isochrone maps for the US (See also: <a href="http://openrouteservice.org/">http://openrouteservice.org</a>/)</li>
<li>Some new and exciting projects! Revival of old favorites?</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>How to contribute</b></span><br />
Lastly, there are many ways to contribute to QGIS: <a href="http://qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/index.html">http://qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/index.html</a>. Also, if you use QGIS, whether for school, business, government, or non-profit, please consider a donation! <a href="https://www.qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/donations.html">https://www.qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/donations.html</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-8578049122265061662015-11-02T20:40:00.000-05:002015-11-02T20:46:54.437-05:00QGIS 2.12 Release: Focus on Customization<a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS 2.12 Lyon</a> has been released and focuses on customization based on user preferences and improvements for more efficient workflows. For a quick overview of changes head over to the Visual Change Log:<a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/visualchangelog212/index.html">http://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/visualchangelog212/index.html</a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Project Management</span></b><br />
After installing 2.12 and creating or re-saving at least one project, restart QGIS and you will be greeted by a "Recent Projects" window within QGIS that has a thumbnail of your project, title, and a few details, like coordinate system and projection. Double-click on an entry and you will be taken to your project.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1IGTYkz1MTM/Vjf83oh_4UI/AAAAAAAACRs/GmKDzf9SuaE/s1600/Recent%2BProjects.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="381" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1IGTYkz1MTM/Vjf83oh_4UI/AAAAAAAACRs/GmKDzf9SuaE/s400/Recent%2BProjects.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recent Projects display nicely and neatly within QGIS.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">User Interface</span></b><br />
You can now change the color scheme of QGIS to suit your liking, daytime, or nighttime mapping lifestyle. I am sure that the QGIS Community will come up with some neat themes--and at least one in QGIS green! Note: <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>As of writing,</b></span> there has been <a href="https://twitter.com/madmanwoo/status/658739128322752512">a bug that will be quickly fixed.</a> How to make changes are described by the feature's creator here: <a href="http://nathanw.net/2015/08/29/ui-theme-support-now-core-in-qgis/">http://nathanw.net/2015/08/29/ui-theme-support-now-core-in-qgis/</a>. The default UI can be rather bright being both gray and white. Having some contrast can definitely help users in certain settings.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NwGQqyvLOuI/VjgN7vlBCuI/AAAAAAAACSQ/dvIr141TSj0/s1600/options-general_037.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NwGQqyvLOuI/VjgN7vlBCuI/AAAAAAAACSQ/dvIr141TSj0/s400/options-general_037.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can now change the UI theme to suit your liking. <br />
Image source: <a href="http://nathanw.net/2015/08/29/ui-theme-support-now-core-in-qgis/">http://nathanw.net/2015/08/29/ui-theme-support-now-core-in-qgis/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Conditional Formatting in the Attribute Table</b></span><br />
Cells in attribute tables can now be color coded based on rules. This can help to identify certain groups of data as well help to highlight errors or outliers. It is easy to overlook the new button for this feature. After opening the attribute table, look in the upper right-hand corner for a small button with color bars stacked. Click the image below to get a closer look at its placement.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8RQRwFcfYQQ/VjgMFq1U6OI/AAAAAAAACR8/Whak15nwI3g/s1600/ConditionalFormatting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8RQRwFcfYQQ/VjgMFq1U6OI/AAAAAAAACR8/Whak15nwI3g/s400/ConditionalFormatting.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the table above, records for Alabama ("STATE"='AL') are highlighted in Red,<br />
while Arizona's records below are not highlighted.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">The color formats are saved, so when you re-open your QGIS project and the attribute table they will still be there. It is a good way to keep notes or tag certain records for later.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Labels</span></b><br />
There are numerous improvements to labeling including:<br />
<ul>
<li>Only drawing labels that fit inside polygons</li>
<li>Label priority and obstacles</li>
<li>Rule-based labeling</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Print composer</b></span><br />
QGIS Atlas in Print Composer is getting closer and closer to ArcGIS's Data Driven Pages that is used to create map books. Navigation is now easier as buttons allow users to skip ahead to any page in the map book. More data defined controls have been added -- allowing for the creation of more complex map books that loop over different layers. If you want to learn more about the Atlas feature in QGIS, check out my YouTube video here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCISvTfHtZc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCISvTfHtZc</a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Symbology</span></b><br />
Existing color ramps can now be edited, so you do not have to start from scratch. This is a definite time-saver and an overdue feature.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xeBBTGv6_jU/VjgNnZHnvsI/AAAAAAAACSI/sjCyTpNCAIY/s1600/ColorRamps.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xeBBTGv6_jU/VjgNnZHnvsI/AAAAAAAACSI/sjCyTpNCAIY/s400/ColorRamps.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All color ramps, including existing ones, can now be edited.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Other Notable New Features</span></b><br />
There are improvements to digitizing in QGIS as well as raster alignment tools, and much more!Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-34396473769489723512015-10-22T20:47:00.001-04:002015-10-23T04:37:22.035-04:00Book Review: An Introduction to R for Spatial Analysis and MappingI decided to talk a walk on the wild-side and examined R as a GIS for spatial analysis. I hope to use several of R's spatial statistics packages and to automate tasks--staying within one program. I highly recommend Brunsdon and Comber's book (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/An-Introduction-Spatial-Analysis-Mapping/dp/1446272958">$50 on Amazon</a>, Paperback, electronic versions also available).<br />
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About the Authors: Chris Brunsdon is the creator of geographically weighted regression or GWR. Lex Comber is a professor at Leeds University.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Four Reasons to choose R as a GIS</b></span><br />
1) You are interested in performing tailored exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), spatial statistics, regression analysis, and diagnostics.<br />
<ul>
<li>Of course, R is also way better than ArcGIS and QGIS for summary statistics too. (Notably, QGIS has integrated a R processing toolbox into it. ArcGIS also has an <a href="https://r-arcgis.github.io/">official bridge to R</a>.)</li>
</ul>
2) You already use R for non-spatial data, have lots of code written, and need to analyze spatial data.<br />
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3) You do not want to export your data (or results) from one program into another and back again!<br />
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4) You want to be able to publish or share your code with a wider audience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCrqId46q2Q/ViWhCWlVBHI/AAAAAAAACGE/HO10vPznijo/s1600/bookcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCrqId46q2Q/ViWhCWlVBHI/AAAAAAAACGE/HO10vPznijo/s400/bookcover.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great cover to a great book!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Reader Accessibility</b></span><br />
The content is extremely well-presented, clear and concise, and includes color graphics. It is not overly technical. Still, R as a GIS and spatial analysis are tough material and is definitely not for the faint-of-heart. The authors assume readers may not have either a R or GIS background, or both. I took a R class in graduate school and occasionally use it.<br />
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Additional packages that assist in manipulating and reshaping data, such as <a href="https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/plyr/plyr.pdf">plyr</a>, are also discussed. The authors also warn readers that R packages can change over time, causing error messages, but many warn users about recent and upcoming changes.<br />
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">Overview</b><br />
In the first 40 pages, you will learn R basics, if you don't already have a foundation. Next, you will learn GIS fundamentals, how to plot data to create a map, taking into account scale, and adding and positioning common map elements like a north arrow and scale bar. This may sound basic but in R nothing is easy! Of course, the advantage with code is that you can reuse it or may only need to modify it slightly for many maps.<br />
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Late in Chapter 5-6 the book dives into spatial analysis. The last few chapters are probably the best of the book, as more advanced statistical techniques are discussed including local indicators of spatial auto correlation (LISAs), geographically weighted summary statistics and regression.<br />
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The book providers a great guide and reference, and I am sure I will be re-visiting it frequently! Overall, it is a great mix of practice and theory.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Disclosures: </b></span><br />
None, I found and purchased the book on my own.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-77503711934296250132015-10-14T20:45:00.001-04:002015-10-14T20:45:25.211-04:00Video: QGIS Print Composer - Side-by-Side Maps and Atlas<a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS</a> has a powerful print composer that allows users to create complex maps very quickly. Two common practical examples include creating: 1) side-by-side (or multiple maps) on the same canvas/layout and 2) a map book or atlas. This week's video looks at these cases: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCISvTfHtZc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCISvTfHtZc</a>.<br />
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In the video, we will create side-by-side maps of different band combinations of remote sensing imagery of the Salton Sea. For a related blog post, visit:<br />
<a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/tutorial-side-by-side-maps-in-qgis.html">http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/tutorial-side-by-side-maps-in-qgis.html</a><br />
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We will also use the atlas to take a closer look a battleground states during the 2012 presidential election.<br />
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Lastly, I searched high and low, but I could not find any guidance or cartographic reference on creating side-by-side maps. So, I looked through several dozen examples, found a couple of themes, and drafted some suggestions --which you can find towards the introduction--and below.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dij0PG1lM8/Vh72zAMdLsI/AAAAAAAACAk/gEVTPlu1RTE/s1600/Sidebysidesugg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dij0PG1lM8/Vh72zAMdLsI/AAAAAAAACAk/gEVTPlu1RTE/s400/Sidebysidesugg.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few suggestions for creating multiple maps on the same canvas/layout.</td></tr>
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In the coming months, we will also re-visit the atlas function in print composer and look at more complex examples.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-89428995665404439162015-10-04T15:59:00.004-04:002015-10-04T16:38:14.752-04:00Video: Tips for Using QGIS Print Composer<a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS</a> Print Composer can be a little awkward to use at first. It is analogous to Layout View in ArcGIS. We will look at some tips to make it easier to use and understand how to create maps in QGIS.<br />
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In the video, we will review a map of 2012 Presidential Election Results, as seen below.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--JVEIGnDTuw/VhGExgA7dII/AAAAAAAACAE/gbJ3AuEYNDI/s1600/ElectionMap2012.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--JVEIGnDTuw/VhGExgA7dII/AAAAAAAACAE/gbJ3AuEYNDI/s400/ElectionMap2012.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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In Part II, <a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/tutorial-side-by-side-maps-in-qgis.html">I will show you how to create side-by-side map series</a>, which is great to look at changes over time as well as different band combinations in remote sensing. We will also take a look at creating an atlas or map book, essentially iterating/repeating the map making process by a geographic area. Lastly, we will take a look at the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/qgis/pool/">QGIS Map Showcase on Flickr</a>.<br />
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If there is something you would like to see, let me know in the comments section below.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Update #1</span></b>: Print composer has an add Legend button but in this video I used an image file because I used some fancy rule-based symbology, the legend was not easy to look at. Normally, I would just select add Legend.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-64435089947372964012015-09-23T23:16:00.003-04:002015-09-23T23:17:29.991-04:00Video: Free and Open Source GIS Reference DataAfter last week's post looking at the landscape of free and open source GIS software, the next logical step is looking at open GIS data. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaxrwhMq9NQ&spfreload=10">This video looks at reference data.</a> I am still deciding on what to do the next video on...the choices are a) Open data portals, b) novel data types, social media (TwitteR and Instagram), or c) remote sensing. Let me know what you would like to see in the comments below.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><b>Topics covered in the video include:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Census: <a href="https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tiger.html">https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tiger.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">DataFerrett: <a href="http://dataferrett.census.gov/">http://dataferrett.census.gov/</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Summary File 1 DVD: <a href="https://www.census.gov/mp/www/cat/decennial_census_2010/summary_file_1_1.html">https://www.census.gov/mp/www/cat/decennial_census_2010/summary_file_1_1.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Natural Earth: <a href="http://www.naturalearthdata.com/">http://www.naturalearthdata.com/</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">OpenStreetMap: <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/">https://www.openstreetmap.org/</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">GeoNames: <a href="http://www.geonames.org/">http://www.geonames.org/</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">US Board on Geographic Names:<a href="http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html">http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Maryland Department of Planning/ACS: <a href="http://www.mdp.state.md.us/msdc/S7_ACS.shtml">http://www.mdp.state.md.us/msdc/S7_ACS.shtml</a></span></span>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-15191593283526852092015-09-15T23:20:00.003-04:002015-09-15T23:20:48.084-04:00Video: A Quick Introduction to Free and Open Source GISMy first video has been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB_qnTE-W9c">posted to YouTube</a>. It briefly covers the landscape of free and open source GIS (FOSS GIS), remote sensing and processing, a few related tools, and JavaScript libraries for creating online interactive webmaps. It does not cover every program out there but gives new and returning users a place to see all of the options available. You can check it out here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB_qnTE-W9c">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB_qnTE-W9c</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYBdq5iYLbouPmbe59WeX1w">subscribe to the channel by clicking here</a>.<br />
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I hope to bring out more videos in the near future including delving into each of the programs and step-by-step tutorials. So stay tuned! As always feel free to leave comments, questions, or feedback below. Be sure to like the video and subscribe if you would like to see more.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-40950181536027263962015-09-03T19:07:00.000-04:002015-09-07T13:41:04.617-04:00Tips for Using LIDAR and LAStools in QGIS<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lidar.html">LIDAR</a> is an important technology that is <a href="http://blog.lidarnews.com/lidar-market-poised-for-high-growth/">undergoing continuous and expansive growth</a> and predicted to reach $1 billion by 2020. <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/europe-lidar-market-by-product-type-by-application-and-by-geography---analysis-and-forecast-2014-2019-300136449.html">A recent report also describes</a> ongoing developments in LIDAR in Europe. <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">NOAA</a> has a great one-hour <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Introduction to LIDAR</span></b> that I recommend checking out: <a href="http://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/training/intro-lidar">http://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/training/intro-lidar</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fLQGuxaEfuY/VeeWSots5cI/AAAAAAAAB70/e1UmGK_ZvZQ/s1600/Global-LIDAR-Market-Sidebar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fLQGuxaEfuY/VeeWSots5cI/AAAAAAAAB70/e1UmGK_ZvZQ/s400/Global-LIDAR-Market-Sidebar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Allied Market Research, <a href="https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/lidar-market">https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/lidar-market</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://rapidlasso.com/">LAStools</a> is the popular LIDAR processing tool created by the developer of *.las and compressed *.laz formats. There is a standalone program as well as toolboxes for a variety of programs including <a href="http://qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS</a>. We will cover a few tips and wrap up with a look at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_Island">Wizard Island, Crater Lake, Oregon.</a><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Linking LAStools with QGIS</b></span><br />
Linking the two has gotten much simpler since QGIS 2.4. Simply download the *.zip file from: <a href="http://lastools.org/download/lastools.zip">http://lastools.org/download/lastools.zip</a>. Unzip the file, and copy and past the LAStools folder into a simple directory like "c:/" If you have QGIS running, close it before proceeding.<br />
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">Tip #1: </b>Users often copy the folder to a folder pathway that is complex and includes spaces like c:/Program Files/ or c:/My Documents. <b style="color: #cc0000;">It will not work. </b>Again, use simple path names, no spaces!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Tip #2: </span></b>This also applies for any files you import with LAStools or export during processing in QGIS.<br />
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After doing this, start QGIS, go to the <b style="color: #cc0000;">Processing Toolbar, </b>click "Tools for LiDAR Data"->Activate-> and enter or browse to the folder pathway. I've been using LAStools with the most recent version of QGIS (2.10) and have not had any problems yet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzvT45mscIg/VeeZC2tvX6I/AAAAAAAAB8A/MfWoCrsmpdM/s1600/ProcessingToolbox.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzvT45mscIg/VeeZC2tvX6I/AAAAAAAAB8A/MfWoCrsmpdM/s400/ProcessingToolbox.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linking LAStools and QGIS has gotten much easier!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Click "Ok", then head over to the Processing Toolbox side-panel, and you will see the tools ready-to-use!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wT8rPFkr67Q/VeeZo45H09I/AAAAAAAAB8I/8qjyEXRiOnE/s1600/ProcessingTool2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wT8rPFkr67Q/VeeZo45H09I/AAAAAAAAB8I/8qjyEXRiOnE/s400/ProcessingTool2.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expand and see a wide range of tools at your disposal! <br />
Note: <a href="http://rapidlasso.com/2014/04/03/new-lastools-production-and-lastools-pipelines-for-arcgis/">The LAStools Production or PRO tools are for batch processing</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Tip #3: </span></b>If you run a tool and nothing happens, be sure that <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">NONE</span></b> of the folder pathways, for importing data and exporting results, are complex and/or contain spaces.<br />
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">Tip #4:</b> Be sure to read the "Log" for important information and troubleshooting.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucC1QOUagS4/VeebVyGDGMI/AAAAAAAAB8U/5X402cSv3QY/s1600/LogExample.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucC1QOUagS4/VeebVyGDGMI/AAAAAAAAB8U/5X402cSv3QY/s320/LogExample.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">Tip #5: </b>When using <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">lasview</span></b> in QGIS, pressing <b style="color: #cc0000;">Space bar </b>changes your ability to navigate from zoom, tilt,pan, and translate. In the upper-left of the window, you will see the navigation type change as you press it. <br />
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Furthermore, right-clicking the mouse, brings up a menu for changing the view of LIDAR, from selecting returns, how to symbolize/color data.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2cF7VRymlxY/VejOvV0-07I/AAAAAAAAB9M/Mtyqty8FphY/s1600/Rightclick%2Bmenu.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2cF7VRymlxY/VejOvV0-07I/AAAAAAAAB9M/Mtyqty8FphY/s400/Rightclick%2Bmenu.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The right click menu in LAStools</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Tip #6</span></b>: To get a 3D view, press <span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">Space bar </span>until <span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">Pan </span>is displayed, if is not already. Click and hold your mouse, then move it up to the top of the screen and voila!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O6v45_vTXi4/VeeowxoFzmI/AAAAAAAAB8o/1SfzzMQgHSo/s1600/Crater%2BLake%2BGround.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O6v45_vTXi4/VeeowxoFzmI/AAAAAAAAB8o/1SfzzMQgHSo/s400/Crater%2BLake%2BGround.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wizard Island, Crater Lake, Oregon, Data from: <a href="http://www.opentopography.org/">Open Topography</a>. lasnoise was also used.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">See also:</span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.opentopography.org/">OpenTopography</a><br />
<a href="http://coast.noaa.gov/dataregistry/search/collection/info/coastallidar">Digital Coast</a><br />
<a href="http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/">3D Elevation Program</a><br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=county+lidar">Google search for "County lidar"</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=state+lidar&oq=state+lidar">State LIDAR</a>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com14Wizard Island, Oregon 97604, USA42.9394893 -122.1492293999999742.927864799999995 -122.16939939999996 42.9511138 -122.12905939999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-68292715217725510912015-08-24T21:36:00.000-04:002015-08-25T04:34:22.841-04:00Making Maps with 'Google My Maps', Part IINow we will look at more features, performance, and wrap up with some strengths and limitations of My Maps. If you missed the first post, <a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/making-maps-with-google-my-maps-part-i.html">you can check it out here</a>!<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Symbology/Icons</b></span><br />
Google includes a set of stock symbols that can be added to your map. Clicking on a category in a layer will bring up the option to change the marker color as well as add different icons. Google has a nice stock selection of icons for: business, crisis, facilities and services, points of interest, recreation, and transportation.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MMlyN6yBzH8/VdpaiB-8XFI/AAAAAAAAB7M/ElHr2Jxoqa4/s1600/Icons.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MMlyN6yBzH8/VdpaiB-8XFI/AAAAAAAAB7M/ElHr2Jxoqa4/s400/Icons.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google has a nice set of stock icons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You can also add custom icons at the bottom of this pop-up by linking to an image's web address.<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Polygons in KML</b></span><br />
Adding polygons will slow down your maps performance, currently, when they are clicked the polygon also shows the points that make it up--a strange sight--compared to other web publishing platforms.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Labeling</b></span><br />
You can add labels by clicking the style paint brush, but your map will also take a performance hit. However, even with lots of labels, performance remains very respectable.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9N9H1eHIfvg/VdktZRUhQUI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/Y3pcF_408EY/s1600/Labels.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9N9H1eHIfvg/VdktZRUhQUI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/Y3pcF_408EY/s400/Labels.png" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding labels will decrease the performance of your map.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Set Default View/Extent</b></span><br />
Click the three vertical dots on the "Add Layer" menu (not the individual layer), and you will see the option to set and confirm and default view/extent, you can zoom in/out and pan and click this to set it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vcB-uwAWLOc/VdksOiL_iSI/AAAAAAAAB6M/CZ0d48N4o-8/s1600/SetDefaultView.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vcB-uwAWLOc/VdksOiL_iSI/AAAAAAAAB6M/CZ0d48N4o-8/s400/SetDefaultView.png" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting a good default view can significantly increase your map's appeal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Limitations</b></span><br />
Google has a nice table of file limits at: <a href="https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3370982?hl=en">https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3370982?hl=en</a>. Maps are limited to 10 layers, 10,000 features per map (2,000 per layer), maximum of 50 attribute columns, 5 MB for KML/KMZ, and 2,000 rows/points and up to 40 MB for other file types.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a10xPIdLkPg/VdpYBHoeewI/AAAAAAAAB7A/OLtlc3MUj9U/s1600/Limits.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a10xPIdLkPg/VdpYBHoeewI/AAAAAAAAB7A/OLtlc3MUj9U/s400/Limits.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google's clearly lists the limits for data uploads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Interestingly, maps can be printed in HD up to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4K_resolution">4K resolution</a>. The ultra-high definition revolution is upon us!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Conclusion</b></span><br />
Google has developed a nice user friendly interface to allow anyone (even non-mappers) to create free interactive maps. Very cool!! It will be interesting to see how much My Maps is developed/improved, how quickly/slowly, or whether it stays the same.<br />
<br />
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com1Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-91438049075329407782015-08-17T21:22:00.000-04:002015-08-21T19:09:59.979-04:00Making Maps with 'Google My Maps', Part IGoogle may be moving away from making software, like <a href="https://www.google.com/earth/explore/products/desktop.html">Google Earth</a> desktop--<a href="https://www.google.com/earth/explore/products/desktop.html">the Pro version was made free</a>--but they still have a few tricks up their sleeve. Recently, Google made a solid entry into the web publishing domain by giving users the tools to create more sophisticated online maps. Gone are the days of just adding placemarkers, and now users can add spreadsheets (automatically geocoded) and *.kml files.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/google-maps-works-from-drive,29493.html">As of mid-summer</a>, users can now create and manage their own maps via Google Drive, called <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/">"Google My Maps"</a> or simply "My Maps." All you need to do is setup a free <a href="https://www.google.com/drive/">Google Drive account</a>, click on "My Drive" at the top, then "New File", and "Google My Maps"<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqJ6ebCdCIQ/VdJgmJZHhZI/AAAAAAAABlY/5XWNX6Is_bs/s1600/GoogleMyMaps.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqJ6ebCdCIQ/VdJgmJZHhZI/AAAAAAAABlY/5XWNX6Is_bs/s400/GoogleMyMaps.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google created a very user friendly way for users to make online maps from Google Drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are nine different basemaps to choose from. Adding layers is easy. Simply, click the link "Import" to add data or "Add Layer" to add additional layers on top or below. You can add *.csv, *.xlsx, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyhole_Markup_Language">*.kml files.</a> You can directly import files by searching your Drive or import them from your desktop. If you use a spreadsheet, Google will prompt you to identify the location field or field(s) whether an address or placename as well as how to identify/name your features.<br />
<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HgYzQpnIa1M/VdJhSSaSYbI/AAAAAAAABlg/vTD0zJewB0c/s1600/AddingLayers.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HgYzQpnIa1M/VdJhSSaSYbI/AAAAAAAABlg/vTD0zJewB0c/s320/AddingLayers.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
In this example, we will look at a spreadsheet of Substance Abuse Clinics (2011) from the <a href="https://data.cityofchicago.org/Education/Schools-KML/feag-vjje">City of Chicago of Data Portal</a>. After clicking "Import, we are asked to select the location field(s). It can handle addresses in a single or multiple fields. Next, you will be asked what name/title for your places should be.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uNUf8j0xfKA/VdKETFEGNiI/AAAAAAAABl8/Hde5m5zIIt0/s1600/Address.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uNUf8j0xfKA/VdKETFEGNiI/AAAAAAAABl8/Hde5m5zIIt0/s400/Address.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If Google has problems geocoding a spreadsheet, you will receive a warning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next, we will symbolize the markers by "Population Served" or age groups that each clinic serves. You can also change the symbols for each class.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvH7jLkrV7w/VdKFBli4oNI/AAAAAAAABmE/rsKGHL_WQus/s1600/Symbology.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvH7jLkrV7w/VdKFBli4oNI/AAAAAAAABmE/rsKGHL_WQus/s1600/Symbology.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google allows map creators to make changes to symbology.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At this point, you will probably start to think about saving your project...But, Google has you covered as changes are saved as you go along. Be sure to give your map a good name, so it does not get lost among your other files.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qFEg2Nwc3zo/VdKFnwQhBxI/AAAAAAAABmU/uHqcq-RIESU/s1600/Toolbar.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="79" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qFEg2Nwc3zo/VdKFnwQhBxI/AAAAAAAABmU/uHqcq-RIESU/s400/Toolbar.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can even add a widget for people to get directions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Maps can be shared and permissions set with a few clicks after pressing the share button.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwPEXflFdSY/VdKFvipyiwI/AAAAAAAABmc/LZuhXdjJuy0/s1600/Map.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwPEXflFdSY/VdKFvipyiwI/AAAAAAAABmc/LZuhXdjJuy0/s400/Map.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What the map looks like so far. Clicking on markers brings up attribute data.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You can check out the interactive version at: <a href="https://goo.gl/39D8lG">https://goo.gl/39D8lG</a> using your desktop computer or mobile device. Next post, we will look at more features, performance, and wrap up with some strengths and limitations of My Maps. </div>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com3Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-17356182160569085952015-08-01T14:16:00.001-04:002015-08-01T14:16:37.170-04:00Tutorial: Side-by-Side Maps in QGIS Print Composer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPzroDMjSM0/Vb0Fx1nxHnI/AAAAAAAABjE/WRazLBrhaoE/s1600/Menu.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPzroDMjSM0/Vb0Fx1nxHnI/AAAAAAAABjE/WRazLBrhaoE/s320/Menu.png" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step #1: Open New Print Composer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS</a> print composer can be a bit daunting and confusing. It is equivalent to the Layout View in ArcGIS, where users can setup their map for printing and publication. One common task is to create side-by-side maps, to compare imagery, choropleth, or other types of maps. I looked but could not find a good tutorial with screenshots, so here we go!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Purpose</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To create three side-by-side maps of different band combinations from Landsat 7 imagery of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea">Salton Sea</a>. The maps will be exactly the same size. The d<a href="http://web.pdx.edu/~emch/ip1/bandcombinations.html">ifferent band combinations</a> were created using the <a href="https://www.orfeo-toolbox.org/">Orfeo Toolbox</a>->Image Manipulation->Images Concatenation and selecting various band combinations.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Step #1: For starters...</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've started by just selecting the natural color view (bands 3-2-1). Go to the the Project Toolbar in the upper left-> New Print Composer. </div>
<br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">You can also can the page layout to landscape or portrait, depending on whether your map series will be laid out horizontally or vertically.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Step #2: Creating the first map</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hti8X--4-p4/Vb0GLffjKdI/AAAAAAAABjM/yHvvy9SEMnI/s1600/Toolbar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hti8X--4-p4/Vb0GLffjKdI/AAAAAAAABjM/yHvvy9SEMnI/s320/Toolbar.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SjUScITxD80/Vb0H9tXwveI/AAAAAAAABjY/3ed1LmEx0K0/s1600/PrintComposer1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="68" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SjUScITxD80/Vb0H9tXwveI/AAAAAAAABjY/3ed1LmEx0K0/s320/PrintComposer1.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Click the "Add New Map" button, highlighted in red. and draw an area for your map on the blank page. For best fit of your image, be sure in QGIS to have zoomed into an area of interest. </div>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Then on the right hand side of print composer, select "Item Properties" and click the long button for "Set to Map Canvas."</li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NRHCP3qL2Y4/Vb0IJ10Y2VI/AAAAAAAABjg/RikLoCTjhzM/s1600/Screenshot1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NRHCP3qL2Y4/Vb0IJ10Y2VI/AAAAAAAABjg/RikLoCTjhzM/s320/Screenshot1.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Steps #1-2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Step #3: Add the second map</b></span></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe44r_UzAZc/Vb0IulPHKwI/AAAAAAAABjs/142TDVmUBqY/s1600/PrintComposer2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe44r_UzAZc/Vb0IulPHKwI/AAAAAAAABjs/142TDVmUBqY/s1600/PrintComposer2.png" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Before adding the second map to the right, scroll up in "Item properties" and check the box for "Lock layers for map item." The click on the existing map in print composer and copy and paste it.<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> On this second map, be sure to uncheck the box we just checked: Uncheck "Lock layers for map item."</span></b></div>
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<br />
<ul><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9MYFcHdyy0A/Vb0JrkmW88I/AAAAAAAABj4/nSpAPxh6EPY/s1600/PrintComposer3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9MYFcHdyy0A/Vb0JrkmW88I/AAAAAAAABj4/nSpAPxh6EPY/s1600/PrintComposer3.png" /></a>
<li style="text-align: justify;">In QGIS, add the next layer, in this case I added a false color image from bands 4-3-2.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Go back into Print Composer and hit the blue refresh button.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The second map should display the false color image and the first map should remain natural color.</li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SJ2JMcowMHw/Vb0KGUXUfYI/AAAAAAAABkA/Wjb7_8a6HZ0/s1600/False%2Bcolor.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SJ2JMcowMHw/Vb0KGUXUfYI/AAAAAAAABkA/Wjb7_8a6HZ0/s320/False%2Bcolor.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Step #3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Step #4: Repeat for the third map</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Before copying and pasting, make sure to check the "Lock layers for map item" box. Copy, paste, and then uncheck this for the third map, with the last set of band combinations (7-4-2). The final map appears below.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNZqxOJWo1s/Vb0L4sb1oWI/AAAAAAAABkY/7lYFaee9VVM/s1600/Side%2Bby%2BSide%2Bwith%2Btitle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNZqxOJWo1s/Vb0L4sb1oWI/AAAAAAAABkY/7lYFaee9VVM/s400/Side%2Bby%2BSide%2Bwith%2Btitle.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge the map.<br />Three side-by-side maps, equal sized, and the same scale.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>For more information:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can find additional tips about using the map composer from multiple frames and different layers in this discussion on StackExchange: <a href="http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/45174/how-to-handle-multiple-map-frames-with-different-layers-in-one-print-layout">http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/45174/how-to-handle-multiple-map-frames-with-different-layers-in-one-print-layout</a></div>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com36Salton Sea, California, USA33.2535325 -115.7101789000000232.828891999999996 -116.35562590000002 33.678173 -115.06473190000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-7504193673719245382015-07-08T21:04:00.000-04:002015-07-08T21:06:29.877-04:00What to Expect in QGIS 2.10 PisaWith the next release of <a href="http://www.qgis.org/">QGIS</a> on the horizon, I downloaded the <a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/development/index.html#location-of-prereleases-nightly-builds">latest nightly build</a> and looked through the <a href="http://changelog.qgis.org/qgis/version/2.10/">visual change log</a> to see what to expect. What I found is very exciting!<br />
<br />
If you have not looked at <a href="http://changelog.qgis.org/qgis/version/2.10/">QGIS Visual Change Log</a>, it is a quick way to see changes from release-to-release. It includes screenshots and quick explanations of the upcoming changes. It also lists the contributor(s) and funding source.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Rasters</b></span><br />
The new release includes log functions (natural and base 10) for the raster calculator. This is great since many remote sensing calculations use logs, for example <a href="http://landsat.usgs.gov/Landsat8_Using_Product.php">land surface temperature</a> via <a href="http://landsat.usgs.gov/landsat8.php">Landsat 8</a>. Zonal Statistics for rasters is now included as a core plugin of QGIS. This allows users to summarize the characteristics of raster layers using a polygon layer for setting zones.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Symbology and Histograms</b></span><br />
When you go to symbolize a layer using a graduated scheme, you can now adjust the breaks by using an interactive histogram, akin to what you will find in ArcGIS. If you change your classification scheme, be sure to (re)load or reclassify the layer before clicking on the histogram tab. Below is quick example using population by county for Maryland.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WbBa1fffLVc/VZ3AJU6lNcI/AAAAAAAABYI/2bOL2pPTF2Q/s1600/Histogram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WbBa1fffLVc/VZ3AJU6lNcI/AAAAAAAABYI/2bOL2pPTF2Q/s400/Histogram.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Histogram view of two classification schemes: <br />
Top: Equal interval, Bottom: Quantile / Equal Count</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Live layer effects</b></span><br />
Live layer effects is probably the most talked about new feature and was crowd-sourced. It adds the ability for a variety of effects including a drop shadow. The creator of this feature has a <a href="http://nyalldawson.net/2015/04/introducing-qgis-live-layer-effects/">great post and quick how-to</a>. Basically, when you got to style a layer, look towards the bottom, check the "Draw Effects" check-box. Then, look a fair way to your right and click the 'yellow star.' <br />
<br />
I found using this to be much easier-to-use <a href="http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2011/11/04/figure-ground-drop-shadow/">than its implementation in ArcGIS</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iCsj4O5O8Y0/VZ3C-idvgDI/AAAAAAAABYg/DEHf_Wz5av8/s1600/DrawEffectsv2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="86" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iCsj4O5O8Y0/VZ3C-idvgDI/AAAAAAAABYg/DEHf_Wz5av8/s400/DrawEffectsv2.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It can be easy to overlook the Draw Effects check box when styling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F4bx6C-pbYA/VZ3Hvj1rtHI/AAAAAAAABZA/t-CYbxSHcL8/s1600/DrawEffectsQuick.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F4bx6C-pbYA/VZ3Hvj1rtHI/AAAAAAAABZA/t-CYbxSHcL8/s400/DrawEffectsQuick.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Adding effects is easy-to-do in QGIS and look good!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Often, I feel my maps can get stale, or someone wants a more 'graphic' or photo-shopped look for a presentation, other product, or to develop a 'brand.' So having this feature is great, especially, if like me, you are not an expert graphic designer or cartographer. I look forward to seeing creative uses of this feature in the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/qgis/pool/">QGIS Flickr Map Showcase</a>. There may already be a few in there!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Follow point</b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> labeling</span></b><br />
Good, clear, and legible labeling help separate the good mappers from the bad. Follow point labeling has been added to align text based on where the label is located. So, if a label appears to the left of a point, the text will be right-aligned. This will also help with multi-line labels.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">True Curves</span></b><br />
There is a new geometry engine which allows for 'true curves' to be represented as such -- instead of segmented lines or polygons. If I am not mistaken, I believe this is very important for a variety of users, but particularly for CAD users or those that use CAD and GIS.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">New desktop icon</span></b><br />
To start QGIS, the old familiar neon yellow/green "Q" is gone in favor of a more professional looking two-tone green globe for an icon. I am glad that the distinctive QGIS green remains, For those using both ArcGIS and QGIS installed on the same computer, it will still be easy to distinguish between the program icons.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rrU4TMnqyi8/VZ24_0l2IdI/AAAAAAAABX0/Uogq-nYsCak/s1600/QGIS%2BNew%2BIcon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rrU4TMnqyi8/VZ24_0l2IdI/AAAAAAAABX0/Uogq-nYsCak/s320/QGIS%2BNew%2BIcon.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-90325568401273399702015-06-29T20:19:00.001-04:002015-06-29T20:36:57.409-04:00Book Review: PostGIS EssentialsI decided to teach myself <a href="http://postgis.net/">PostGIS/PostgreSQL</a>. The other option was returning to <a href="http://geoserver.org/">GeoServer</a>, which I started last summer, but I will leave the latter for the fall.<br />
<br />
After shopping around and reading reader reviews, I purchased <a href="https://www.packtpub.com/big-data-and-business-intelligence/postgis-essentials">PostGIS Essentials</a>, April 2015 by Angel Marquez. I got a Kindle copy which was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/PostGIS-Essentials-Angel-Marquez/dp/1784395293/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435437782&sr=8-1&keywords=postgis+essentials">$22 on Amazon</a>. Overall, I recommend it for those, like me, who want to learn PostGIS as a beginner. Having even a little SQL knowledge is also very helpful. However, the later chapters are for much more advanced users and developing web and desktop applications.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The book covers downloading and installing PostGIS and gives a good quick background on its uses. Next, it illustrates three ways to create a spatial database using: 1) the command prompt, 2) the toolbars or GUI in PostGIS, and 3) a SQL script. </div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CCUvOwpvjhU/VY8MBEyN3WI/AAAAAAAABWI/PWt-LyJnhPI/s1600/bookcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CCUvOwpvjhU/VY8MBEyN3WI/AAAAAAAABWI/PWt-LyJnhPI/s400/bookcover.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great way to learn PostGIS/PostgreSQL</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before covering how to insert data into these tables, the book goes into discussion of projections and how to include these in spatial tables. It then shows how to manually add this information and also extract it from shapefiles and import it into PostGIS.</div>
<div>
<br />
Next, we get down to business with creating non-spatial and spatial queries/functions and accessing information from more than one database. Of course, connecting to PostGIS databases in <a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS</a> is also covered as well as doing spatial queries in QGIS using PostGIS using DB Manager toolbar in QGIS.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PxefKAY8tPA/VZHaDCRNzYI/AAAAAAAABWk/kNDFRuPVtJQ/s1600/PostGIS.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PxefKAY8tPA/VZHaDCRNzYI/AAAAAAAABWk/kNDFRuPVtJQ/s400/PostGIS.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going from PostGIS to QGIS is a snap!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9zwRPbaMVI/VZHblb5dg5I/AAAAAAAABWw/egpU5wkdq2k/s1600/PostQGIS.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9zwRPbaMVI/VZHblb5dg5I/AAAAAAAABWw/egpU5wkdq2k/s400/PostQGIS.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using DB Manager from the database toolbar in QGIS.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
You will also find information on <a href="http://gdal.org/">GDAL</a>, working with raster files. The last few chapters cover advanced features including performance tuning and spatial indexes, developing web and desktop GIS applications. The latter uses <a href="http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/java/">NASA World Wind</a>. (Note: I have only had time to skim these chapters.)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>A few quick pointers</b></span><br />
<br />
<ul><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GkXfQfzAfZY/VZHenMCuVLI/AAAAAAAABXE/EbkAl_1iO_k/s1600/SQL.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GkXfQfzAfZY/VZHenMCuVLI/AAAAAAAABXE/EbkAl_1iO_k/s1600/SQL.png" /></a>
<li>Early on the book assumes the reader knows where to execute SQL queries..If you are a novice like me it takes a minute to realize it is the magnifying glass </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>...and how to switch to a different database table when running code on several different ones. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j7Jvw5wfFws/VZHe_GXezZI/AAAAAAAABXM/qZdx4yUxF8M/s1600/SQL2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j7Jvw5wfFws/VZHe_GXezZI/AAAAAAAABXM/qZdx4yUxF8M/s1600/SQL2.png" /></a></div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Be sure to check the column names in data from OpenStreetMap, particularly the id column: osm_id vs. id.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Overall, the book is a great resource to have. Like all of Packt's books the code is available to download on their website, or you can type it in yourself, which is my preference.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Disclosures</span></b><br />
I bought the copy of this book on my own. I served as a reviewer for <a href="https://www.packtpub.com/application-development/qgis-python-programming-cookbook">another Packt publication.</a></div>
</div>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-36299273704604465062015-06-16T22:28:00.000-04:002015-06-19T16:54:30.217-04:00QGIS vs. ArcGIS: Adding Magnetic Declination<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">This is a <a href="http://www.qgis.org/en/site/">QGIS</a> vs. ArcGIS throwdown. It has been a while since I did the last one on </span><a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/crimestat-gme-vs-arcgis-kernel-density.html" style="text-align: left;">kernel density</a><span style="text-align: left;"> and <a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/grass-vs-arcgis-thiessen-polygons.html">Thiessen polygons</a>. Recently, I was looking over new QGIS plugins and one in particular caught my eye: the </span><a href="https://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/MagneticDeclination/" style="text-align: left;">QGIS Magnetic Declination Plugin</a><span style="text-align: left;">. </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination" style="text-align: left;">Magnetic declination</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is simply the difference between geographic and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole" style="text-align: left;">magnetic north</a>, caused by the earth's magnetic fields.<span style="text-align: left;"> This difference also changes over time. ESRI has a nice </span><a href="http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2010/03/19/adding-a-declination-diagram-in-arcmap/" style="text-align: left;">technical article on their blog</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: auto; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8fLqSYo7xBM/VYDThhG7qnI/AAAAAAAABUY/FDBqck9Vemc/s1600/Historical%2BMag%2BDec.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8fLqSYo7xBM/VYDThhG7qnI/AAAAAAAABUY/FDBqck9Vemc/s400/Historical%2BMag%2BDec.PNG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">NOAA Historical Magnetic Declination Viewer:<br />
<a href="http://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/historical_declination/">http://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/historical_declination/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">ArcGIS</span></b><br />
Adding a declination diagram in ArcGIS can be a bit tricky. As of version 10.2, <a href="http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=dd664ce915214390b8cb8babb09a84bd">there is a template </a>and <a href="http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//010900000013000000">several tools</a> to assist. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>You will need a Standard or Advanced license plus the Production Mapping Extension.</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<b style="color: #cc0000;">QGIS Plugin</b><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EIeo27yI9eY/VYDaptLCHRI/AAAAAAAABVQ/X5BxNmOhfi0/s1600/Button.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EIeo27yI9eY/VYDaptLCHRI/AAAAAAAABVQ/X5BxNmOhfi0/s1600/Button.PNG" /></a>On main toolbar in QGIS, go to Plugins-->Manage and Install Plugins--> and search for Magnetic Declination. After a quick installation, you will see a green and yellow star appear on your toolbar. Click it and you will see the toolbar open below. <br />
<br />
You can select a location off a map, such as <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/">OpenStreetMap</a>, calculate it and map it! Best of all, the resulting compass rose and measurements also appear in QGIS Print Composer. Under the options tab, you can also change the color. I found it helpful to change it to black.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Steps:</b></span><br />
<ol>
<li>Click LON/LAT from map</li>
<li>Choose any options</li>
<li>Press "Calculate" button</li>
<li>Then "Draw Compass Rose"</li>
</ol>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4z_FrkXMFGo/VYDZdfxt6RI/AAAAAAAABVI/d8kry4JPhc8/s1600/Plugin%2BSteps.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4z_FrkXMFGo/VYDZdfxt6RI/AAAAAAAABVI/d8kry4JPhc8/s400/Plugin%2BSteps.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of the plugin, steps, and buttons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Click any of the screenshots below to get a closer look.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KO-YUF_3P3w/VYDWAj3qg3I/AAAAAAAABUw/-s7vUi7KV4M/s1600/Upclose.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KO-YUF_3P3w/VYDWAj3qg3I/AAAAAAAABUw/-s7vUi7KV4M/s400/Upclose.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up close example with declination, true, and magnetic north shown in Greenland<br />
where declination is much greater.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0f47Kkfkxo/VYDYNiTDzOI/AAAAAAAABVE/t-PeoRQlxSo/s1600/US%2BMap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0f47Kkfkxo/VYDYNiTDzOI/AAAAAAAABVE/t-PeoRQlxSo/s400/US%2BMap.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing positive, zero, and negative declination in the US.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The plugin is very new but is being updated, so stay tuned!<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #cc0000;">Update #1</b><br />
I forgot to mention that you can customize the size/diameter of the compass rose--as large or as small as you need depending on whether you are interested adding it to a small scale map or a large scale map.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-14194637388326821242015-06-03T23:16:00.000-04:002015-06-03T23:16:04.614-04:00Mapping Photos with the Leaflet.Instagram PluginAbout a month ago, I posted <a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/repost-rs-twitter-and-accessing-1.html">about accessing Twitter data via R</a>. Now, I will cover accessing and mapping photos from Instagram using the Leaflet.Instagram plugin which can be found on github: <a href="https://github.com/turban/Leaflet.Instagram">https://github.com/turban/Leaflet.Instagram </a>and <a href="https://instagram.com/developer/">Instagram API</a>.<br />
<br />
If you want to skip ahead and see the resulting map, then visit: <a href="http://webmapexamples.net/instabaltimore.html">http://webmapexamples.net/instabaltimore.html</a><br />
<br />
Note: The difficulty of this project is moderate to difficult based on the large number of Leaflet plugins and other code that you will have to use. However, the results are terrific. There are several different implementations of the code so you have a few options to pick and choose from.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Getting an account...</span></b><br />
First, head over to the Instagram page for developers: <a href="https://instagram.com/developer/">https://instagram.com/developer/</a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Leaflet.Instagram Plugin</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">In addition to the Instagram plugin for <a href="http://leafletjs.com/">Leaflet</a>, you will need to install several other scripts including:</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://leafletjs.com/">Leaflet </a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/ded/reqwest">reqwest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://leaflet.markercluster/">Leaflet.markercluster</a></li>
<li><a href="https://jquery.com/">jQuery</a></li>
<li><a href="http://fancybox.net/">fancyBox</a></li>
</ol>
<div>
You will need to ensure that the files are placed in correct directories and referenced correctly in your code. If you a receiving errors, check to make sure everything is correct! There are also several CSS files for styling. Of course, you can find examples of webpages on github to make sure that everything works before trying your own example.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Getting an Access Token</span></b></div>
<div>
In order to access Instagram, you will need an Access Token. You will see this in the plugin code. This is different from your user id, etc. found on the Instagram API page. Several websites will <a href="http://instagram.pixelunion.net/">help you generate a token as well</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Code</span></b><br />
Making sure all of the JavaScript libraries are referenced properly is the toughest part. Otherwise, the code comes down to just three pieces in Leaflet:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Creating a variable for map for the <div> element</li>
<li>Adding a basemap via L.tileLayer</li>
<li>Making a call to the Instagram API which depends on what you want</li>
<ol>
<li>It can be based on tag, user, location,etc.</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kb8n6Btinhw/VW_AIgIFyuI/AAAAAAAABQs/faL_TpSdJWM/s1600/Instagram%2BAPI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kb8n6Btinhw/VW_AIgIFyuI/AAAAAAAABQs/faL_TpSdJWM/s400/Instagram%2BAPI.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Instagram API is well organized and easy to understand how to retrieve data.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
In this case, I retrieved recent results from my Instagram photos. Other criteria to select photos include: relationships, media, comments, liked, tagged, by location, and geography.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>The Results</b></span><br />
I created a quick map of photos from walking around Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so I won't be winning any awards for great photos! Head over to <a href="http://webmapexamples.net/instabaltimore.html">http://webmapexamples.net/instabaltimore.html</a> to see the results! Clicking on the popups will show a larger picture, which is also clickable to take you to the original version on Instagram. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cjUbsgBu3LM/VW_BSlOI5iI/AAAAAAAABQ0/cGKAbU0B7O8/s1600/Instagram%2BMap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cjUbsgBu3LM/VW_BSlOI5iI/AAAAAAAABQ0/cGKAbU0B7O8/s400/Instagram%2BMap.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walla! An interactive map of Instagram photos!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The map updates in real time, so as soon a photo is posted and the webpage refreshed, it appears. If you want to see another example, head on over to the plugin creator's nice map where you can also see the clustering effect (photos grouped and numbered together) at: <a href="http://turban.github.io/Leaflet.Instagram/examples/fancybox.html">http://turban.github.io/Leaflet.Instagram/examples/fancybox.html</a> or see below for the map of photos from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sjernar%C3%B8y">Sjernaroy, Norway</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PJ9e89aD_pU/VW_CQHGHPwI/AAAAAAAABQ8/cdf03cTo5cY/s1600/popup-cluster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PJ9e89aD_pU/VW_CQHGHPwI/AAAAAAAABQ8/cdf03cTo5cY/s400/popup-cluster.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com3Baltimore, MD, USA39.2903848 -76.61218930000001139.0937408 -76.9349128 39.4870288 -76.289465800000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-80414519368123159002015-05-20T22:04:00.002-04:002015-05-20T22:14:07.377-04:00Arches 3.0 Released for Heritage InventoryDeveloped jointly by the <a href="http://www.getty.edu/conservation/">Getty Conservation Institute</a>
(GCI) and <a href="http://www.wmf.org/">World Monuments Fund</a> (WMF), <a href="http://archesproject.org/">Arches 3.0</a> (<a href="http://archesproject.org/">http://archesproject.org/</a>) is an open-source based heritage inventory and management system. <a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/arches-heritage-inventory-and.html">I wrote a short blog about Arches back in 2013</a>, and lot has happened since then!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i>"Prior to Arches, no modern software system was freely available to the heritage field, often leading organizations to expend scarce resources to create custom systems from scratch." - Arches Project</i></b> </blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PETvIlrcao0/VV06lVNqeZI/AAAAAAAABOg/DDrWOxM9XKg/s1600/Arches.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PETvIlrcao0/VV06lVNqeZI/AAAAAAAABOg/DDrWOxM9XKg/s400/Arches.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of webmap powered by Arches: <a href="http://historicplacesla.org/map">http://historicplacesla.org/map</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For a live example of website and map powered by Arches head over to <a href="http://historicplacesla.org/index.htm">Historic Places LA</a>: <a href="http://historicplacesla.org/index.htm">http://historicplacesla.org/index.htm</a> or for the map: <a href="http://historicplacesla.org/map">http://historicplacesla.org/map</a>.<br />
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According to the <a href="http://archesproject.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/arches_factsheet_may_5_2015_launch.pdf">project factsheet</a>, Arches was designed with the following principles in mind:<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Economical</span></b>: As an open source system, Arches is available at no cost and allows adopters to share resources for software customization and maintenance.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Customizable</b></span>: The software code is open, and the system is structured in modules to be easily extended. It is capable of presenting its user interface in any language or in multiple languages and configurable to any geographic location or region. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Standards based</b></span>: Arches incorporates internationally adopted standards for heritage inventory, semantic modeling, and information technology, leading to better practices in the creation and management of heritage data and facilitation of data exchange and longevity in spite of advances in technology.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Broadly accessible</b></span>: Web-based for the widest possible access, Arches is user friendly, requires minimal training for most users, and is freely available for download from the Internet.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTbOG8MbxuQ/VV0-oT7icJI/AAAAAAAABOs/JWgmNip_R7Q/s1600/Arches2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="327" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTbOG8MbxuQ/VV0-oT7icJI/AAAAAAAABOs/JWgmNip_R7Q/s400/Arches2.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arches project website has a nice user-friendly layout and information is easy to find.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
For documentation including how-to-install, visit: <a href="http://arches.readthedocs.org/en/latest/">http://arches.readthedocs.org/en/latest/</a>. There is also a forum on Google Groups: <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/archesproject">https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/archesproject</a>.</div>
Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-46030590001521072592015-05-07T21:11:00.003-04:002015-05-07T21:11:57.998-04:00Atlasify Beta Released, Learn About Explicit Spatialization<a href="http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~bhecht/publications/bhecht_sigir2012_ExpSpatialization_SRplusE.pdf">Explicit spatialization </a>"'spatializes' or 'projects' any object into a pre-defined reference system such as a periodic table, map,
or seating chart. It is being used for exploratory search of the web, specifically Wikipedia, and similar sources of information. Enter <a href="http://www.atlasify.com/">Atlasify</a>, a collaboration between the University of Minnesota and Northwestern University. The web address is <a href="http://www.atlasify.com/">www.atlasify.com</a> or <a href="http://spatialization.cs.umn.edu/)">http://spatialization.cs.umn.edu/</a>.<br />
<br />
How does <a href="http://www.atlasify.com/">Atlasify</a> do this? Well, it uses <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_similarity">semantic relatedness</a>--basically a scoring system to be able to pair and match things that are related. Visualization options include: mapping/geography, chemistry/a periodic table, politics/senate seating chart, and history/a timeline.<br />
<div>
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<div>
If you are having trouble thinking about this, thats okay! Let's go through a couple of examples. Be sure to click each map to make it larger. <br />
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First an easy one: the geography of nuclear weapons. Note the key in the bottom right-hand corner. Some countries are obviously more closely related to nuclear weapons (those that have, thought to possess, or are pursuing that technology). </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vZe7GiDt5VI/VUwJcmILijI/AAAAAAAABNk/f6yIqQaxYjo/s1600/GeographySearch.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vZe7GiDt5VI/VUwJcmILijI/AAAAAAAABNk/f6yIqQaxYjo/s400/GeographySearch.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some countries are more related to the search term nuclear weapons than others.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Lets look at another example, which is still spatial, but uses senates seat locations. See the example below which looks at the relatedness between medical marijuana and senate seats. Some senators are more closely tied to the issue, whether pursing legislation for or against. Some of those senators even sit near each other or across the aisle.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB5urGoF6s4/VUwKd9RDviI/AAAAAAAABNs/8zSq0R2728E/s1600/Medical%2BCannabis.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB5urGoF6s4/VUwKd9RDviI/AAAAAAAABNs/8zSq0R2728E/s400/Medical%2BCannabis.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some senators are more related to the issues of medical marijuana than others.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lastly, let's look at an example using the periodic table and searching for "rechargeable battery" to see which elements are most related. Elements like Lithium, Nickel, and Cadmium are most related.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkUywRWH9kY/VUwMUDucFNI/AAAAAAAABN4/-RaIjrPrm_o/s1600/Rechargable.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkUywRWH9kY/VUwMUDucFNI/AAAAAAAABN4/-RaIjrPrm_o/s320/Rechargable.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lastly, Atlasify has a little fun gaming component which asks which of two items are more related to certain countries: <a href="http://spatialization.cs.umn.edu/game/index.html">http://spatialization.cs.umn.edu/game/index.html</a><br />
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Interested learning <a href="https://www.coursera.org/course/spatialcomputing">more about spatial computing</a>? Be sure to check out my review of the <a href="https://www.coursera.org/course/spatialcomputing">Coursera course</a> from the University of Minnesota:<a href="http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/review-of-spatial-computing-class-on.html">http://opensourcegisblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/review-of-spatial-computing-class-on.html</a>.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis, MN, USA44.977753 -93.26501080000002744.7980145 -93.587734300000022 45.1574915 -92.942287300000032tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7710608326397968868.post-80997584339019662562015-04-29T20:49:00.000-04:002015-12-10T21:30:19.157-05:00Repost: R's twitteR and Accessing the 1 Percent of Geotagged TweetAbout 1 percent of all tweets are geotagged. Fortunately, most of these geotagged tweets fall into public stream data.<br />
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Of course, this only applies to Twitter. The percent of geotagged media varies by social network source. For example, Instagram had up to 25% of photos geotagged by users in 2012, according to the New York Times.<br />
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We will take a look at the <a href="http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/twitteR/twitteR.pdf">twitteR package in R</a> that provides an interface with the Twitter API. The main reason I chose this was my familiarity with R.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Getting a Twitter Dev Account</span></b><br />
First, head over to https://apps.twitter.com/. You can use your regular Twitter account to login. Click on the "Create New App" button in the upper right-hand corner. Follow the on-screen instructions and be sure to read the Developer Agreement.<br />
<br />
After your "app" is created, click on the "Permissions" tab and make sure the last radio button is selected: "Read, Write, and Access direct messages." Also check out the Keys and Access Token, especially if you are more familiar with connecting to APIs.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Connecting with R</b></span><br />
For this blog, I am using R 3.1.3 64-bit. Start R, then follow the instructions located in the screenshot below. Click the screenshot for a closer look.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSHyKHpdtvg/VUF7SPjaV7I/AAAAAAAABM8/hQ-XdCJcmSY/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSHyKHpdtvg/VUF7SPjaV7I/AAAAAAAABM8/hQ-XdCJcmSY/s1600/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click the above screenshot to get a closer look.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Update #1 12/10/2015:</b></span><br />
In addition to the code listed above, you will have to install one additional package:<br />
install.packages('base64enc')<br />
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Otherwise, you will oauth errors.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Concluding remarks...</b></span><br />
Connecting to and using an API may not be your strong suit, but it is not mine either! Hopefully, I've saved you some time and got you connected to this valuable source of data!<br />
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You can also now follow me on Twitter at: @jontheepi. I will post blog updates there as well as additional quick insights about open source GIS and mapping.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988718685395120408noreply@blogger.com0