Time for another 5 Things on Friday, our first one of the baseball post season! We’ve shared some useful and cool resources this week that you’l find enjoyable. First, we stumbled onto a very cool dashboard and damage assessment tool being used in Puerto Rica; next on to details of a new Datum that was recently discussed at GIS in the Rockies; We look at the usefulness of 3D models for urban planning and something fun for the cartographer lurking inside you and a tutorial to get you up and running with Collector. Got a tip for a future edition. Please share with us in a comment below or on Twitter @geojobegis
Found via Twitter, here’s an interesting Esri-powered CrowdRescue Damage Assessment Interpretation Tool being used in Puerto Rico. Compare high resolution imagery, before and after the hurricane damage to assess structures that have been damaged. Editors can then use the tool to report on damage for further inspection.
This from the Between the Poles blog by Geoff Zeiss. A new datum or geospatial reference system is being introduced in the United States to become the official datum in 2022. At GIS in the Rockies, Pam Fromhertz of the NOAA National Geodetic Survey gave an overview of the reasoning behind the new datum, technical details about the change and some practical implications, including corrections of up to 1.5 meters!
3D Models help urban revitalization
An interesting read from Esri’s Matt Ball as he looks at the use of 3D models (think Sketchup) in urban planning. From the article… “Sometimes a compelling 3D visualization of what your city can become spurs an immediate redevelopment opportunity. That was certainly the case in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where creative planning efforts and a resurgent local economy are bringing buzz back to what has been a sleepy downtown.” We love the applications of this, particularly since our GEO Jobe UAV services group has been busy producing some amazing 3D models for clients in local government, utilities, and facilities planning!
HEre’s a clever resource we found from Esri UK. Enter the MapStyler. Simply browse to a desired location on the map, then upload an image, map or something with colors that are of interest to you. Then, shuffle through the color selection window and pick the color for the map that meets your criteria – you can create branded maps or maps that reflect the colors of the season etc… have fun with this one!
Getting Started with Collector
Here’s an excellent how-to blog post that will get you up and running with Collector in 5 minutes! From the article, To explore Collector, the “Try it” maps (available before you sign in) are a great starting point. They let you jump right into the app and see what it can do. But the next question is always “How can I get my own data in the app?” Users starting on their data from scratch should take a look at the ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise templates. This blog answers their question, showing how to use the templates and, in five minutes, be out in the field with your own data in the app.
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