Geospatial goes Governmental

In the discussions of Cap and Trade, Stimulus Packages and Health Care, a bill snuck through the political system with great relevance to the ASPRS community.

H.R. 2489 is a bill "to authorize a national cooperative geospatial imagery program through the United States Geological Survey to promote use of remote sensing data." It is sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD) and was first introduced back in May 2009. Last week (Oct. 27 to be exact), it was passed by the House of Representatives 379-33. Now it sits in the Senate awaiting discussion, editing and passage.

For more information, here is a great article with links to the text.

ASPRS SAC sponsored DEM webinar - Thurs., Nov.12, 1:00 p.m. EST

A free webinar will be jointly presented by Intermap Technologies & ASPRS Student Advisory Council: Introduction to Digital Elevation Models (DEMs)

What can you learn ?
As the fields of digital mapping and geospatial analysis continue togrow, the use of 3D data is becoming more widespread. One of the mostcommon types of 3D data is a digital elevation model, or DEM. In thisWebinar, we'll talk about what DEMs are and how they differ from othertypes of spatial data. This topical 45-minute interactive eventfeature will also look at some of the sources of DEM data, theirquality, and how they are generated. Lastly, we'll look at examples ofhow you can use DEMs in sophisticated geospatial analysis to solvereal-world problems.

When:
Thursday, November 12, 10:00 a.m. PST; 11:00 a.m. MST; 12:00p.m. CST; 1:00 p.m. EST

Registration:
https://intermap-events.webex.com/intermap-events/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=667249629
*You will receive a confirmation email message after registering thatcontains detailed information about joining the event. The event willstart at 11:00 am Denver Time on November 12, 2009.

Contacts:
Monica Moore, Intermap Technologies,mmoore@intermap.com
Lisa Wedding, ASPRS Student Advisory Council,wedding@hawaii.edu

Geography Awareness Week/GIS Day 2009 Poster Competition

Department of Geology/Geography
Northwest Missouri State University

Sponsored by St. Louis Region
ASPRS (American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing)

To promote the awareness of geography to the public during the nation-wide Geography Awareness Week (Nov. 15 – 21, 2009) and GIS Day (Nov. 18, 2009), a poster competition has been organized by the Department of Geology/Geography at Northwest Missouri State University. Anyone interested in sharing their geography experiences and knowledge is encouraged to participate and submit a poster. The subject of your poster should be geography related, such as Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, Global Positioning System, cartography, physical geography, human geography, or regional geography.

Electronic submissions should be sent to Dr. Eva Wu through e-mail or postal service to the address listed below. Submissions must be received by Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 in order to be considered. Your poster should be a maximum 34” X 45” in size, preferably in Microsoft PowerPoint format, and must include your name and contact information. You should also indicate which group you are eligible for: Student Group (for individuals who are undergraduate students) or Professional Group (for individuals who are graduate students or working professionals). Visit http://www.nwmissouri.edu/dept/geo/gaw.htm for winners from previous years.

Winning posters will be awarded as follows:
Cash prize:

• 1st place with $100.
• 2nd place with $75.
• 3rd place with $50.
  

All winners:

• One year complimentary ASPRS student membership *.


• Posters on display in the Garrett Strong Science Building on the Northwest Missouri State University campus during Geography Awareness Week.


• Posters on display in the ASPRS St. Louis Region Annual Meeting in June 2010.
  

First place winners **:

• A complimentary student registration to the ASPRS 2010 Annual Conference to be held in San Diego, CA, April 26-30, 2010.


• Posters may be on display in the Poster Section during the ASPRS 2010 Annual Conference.
  

*: if qualified as full time student
**: pending on judges’ decision.

Address any questions to:
Dr. Yi-Hwa (Eva) Wu
Department of Geology/Geography
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive, Maryville, MO 64468
ywu@nwmissouri.edu

(660) 562-1869

Land Cover Classification (Free ERDAS Webinar)

ERDAS Inc. will be offering two free workshops on Thursday, October 15th. The first will take place at 11AM EDT and the second will take place at 1PM EDT. To register for one of these events, please click here. Following is an excerpt from their advertisement:

Do you need to extract certain types of information from your imagery? Like many organizations, you probably have massive amounts of geospatial data that you collect regularly, with the intention of analyzing and classifying into categories such as bare earth, vegetation, pasture land, urban areas, etc.
Please join us for an upcoming workshop on Land Cover Classification, featuring a workflow that you can use to classify the Earth.
During this workshop, we will discuss unsupervised classification and how to get the most out of your automated land cover classification. You will also learn how to make small edits to improve results and how to create a signature file that can be used to run your supervised classification.

ASPRS Student Assistantship Program - Fall Conference

If you are a student at an accredited college or university, ASPRS invites you to attend and assist with the ASPRS/MAPPS 2009 Fall Specialty Conference, November 14-19, 2009, in San Antonio, Texas.

Application form: http://www.asprs.org/sanantonio09/Student_Assistantship_%20Application_Fall09.pdf

Application deadline: September 25, 2009.
Student Assistants will be notified by October 6, 2009

Benefits·

• Complementary student registration·
• Lodging accommodations (two to a room)·
• Orientation Dinner – Saturday night·
• A small meal stipend (7.5 hr shifts only)·
• A certificate for your portfolio·
• Acknowledgement in PE&RS·
• Opportunity to network with other ASPRS members·
• Chance to learn more about the geospatial field·
• Meet some of the top names in the industry·
• Explore job opportunities

Student Assistants are required to:·

• Attend the SA orientation on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 5:30 pm·
• Assist at the conference for a minimum of 15 hours during the week·
• Be available for the duration of the conference – November 15-19, 2009·
• Arrange their own transportation and necessary documents for travel to and from San Antonio

How to become a Student Assistant?

• Submit a cover letter describing your interest in ASPRS
• What you hope to gain from this experience
• Your academic and professional experience in the geospatial field
• Include a resume with your mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address where you can be contacted through November 2009.
• Send your application package via e-mail to the SA Program Coordinator (include ASPRS SA Program in the Subject Line of all e-mail messages).

SA Program Coordinator
Kim Tilley
ASPRS Associate Executive Director
kimt@asprs.org
Phone: (301) 493-0290, ext. 103

MyEnvironment Widget

EPA has been building some great web-based tools to share information. Check out this fascinating widget on the EPA website calledMyEnvironment. Plug in your city name or zip code and you'll see allkinds of environmental information around your area: air quality,water quality, real-time stream flow, UV index, cancer risk, drinkingwater sources, mortality rate...

http://www.epa.gov

NOS Data Explorer serves as spatial data portal Options

The NOS (National Ocean Service) Data Explorer serves as a portal to obtain NOS spatial data and offers access to many products, including bathymetry, coastal maps, environmental sensitivity index maps, aerial photographs, and more.

This site allows users to:

• search NOS data holdings
• view metadata
• link to and/or download specific data sets.
  

Data Explorer offers interactive mapping tools that allow users to locate NOS products in any area in the United States and its territories through a metadata catalog. Search results provide users with metadata records and links to websites with additional information. Specific data sets are available to view and download from:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/dataexplorer/welcome.html

-- Lisa Wedding

Launch your own satellite for a price less than a car

A TubeSat is designed to function as a Basic Satellite Bus or as a simple stand-alone satellite. Each TubeSat kit includes the satellite's structural components, safety hardware, solar panels, batteries, power management hardware and software, transceiver, antennas, microcomputer, and the required programming tools. With these components alone, the builder can construct a satellite that puts out enough power to be picked up on the ground by a hand-held HAM radio receiver. Total Price of the TubeSat Kit including a Launch to Orbit is $8,000. Read more...

--
Mahesh Rajasekar
Professional Development Councilor - SAC

Top 7 (Googled !!) Remote Sensing Tutorials

Looking for a quick and easy briefing on the basics of remote sensing, need a refresher, a source for remote sensing methods, or maybe just some summer reading? ... check out these top 7 links to great remote sensing tutorials.

1. Dr. Nicholas Short's Remote sensing tutorial (http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/)


2. Canada Center for Remote Sensing (http://ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/resource/tutor/fundam/pdf/fundamentals_e.pdf)


3. Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing at National University of Singapore (http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/~research/tutorial/rsmain.htm)


4. Federation of American Scientists (FAS) (http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Front/tofc.html)


5. Center for GIS, Towson University (http://chesapeake.towson.edu/data/principles.asp)


6. NEODC Remote Sensing Tutorial (http://www.neodc.rl.ac.uk/tutorials/rstutorial/tutorialhome.htm)


7. NASA EOS (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/RemoteSensing/)

If you have any site suggestions of your own, post it here in our comments section!

Reviewers required for the upcoming GIS manual

The ASPRS will be publishing the
Manual of Geographic Information Systems soon. We are looking for Graduate students who would be interested in reviewing a section of this manual and providing a written review for publication in PE&RS.

Please click here to take a look at the Table of Contents. There are eight sections in this manual, each containing multiple chapters. You will be required to review one section in about a month's time, beginning in mid June, and provide a written review. If you are interested in reviewing (and this will require some time commitment), please send a copy of your resume to Naresh (naresh.pai@gmail.com), SAC Communications Councilor, before Monday June 09, 2009. Also, if you are interested in reviewing any particular section, please indicate that in your email (though we can't promise, we will try to have you review that section).

SAC Deputy Networking Councilor position open !!

The ASPRS Student Advisory Committee (SAC) invites application from interested students to apply for the Deputy Networking Councilor position to be filled immediately. This position works closely with SAC Chair and other members to organize networking events during the conferences. This is a great opportunity for student members to gain leadership experience and make important contacts.

The application form is available at the following link:

http://groups.google.com/group/asprs-sac/web/SACApplication_Final.doc


For more information please contact Rose Kearney, SAC Chair, at ASPRS.ChairSAC@gmail.com.

Presentations on Career Planning, Academic Publishing, and Preparing Grant Proposals

We have uploaded slides from the SAC organized session presentations (in .pdf format) from the ASPRS annual meeting in Baltimore. Click the links below for these presentations:

Academic Publishing by Russell Congalton , John Jensen, and Jie Shan


Career Planning by Mike Flynn, Marguerite Madden, and Mark Stanton


Preparing Grant Proposals by Scott Freundschuh

Hope you find it useful !

Speed Networking Tomorrow

Don't forget about Speed Networking at 5pm tomorrow in Baltimore at the ASPRS Annual Conference!

Grant Programs Update

1) NGA ANNOUNCES COMPETITION FOR 2009 UNIVESITY RESEARCH INITIATIVEPROGRAM GRANTS (NURI)

Application information is posted on www.grants.gov Keyword: NURI

The NURI program focuses on specific research topics ingeospatial-intelligence analysis and its related technologies. Closing date is March 19, 2009.


2) NGA ANNOUNCES COMPITITION FOR 2009 HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES ANDUNIVERSITIES-MINORITY INSTITUTIONS (HBCU-MI)

Application information is posted on www.grants.gov Keywork: HBCU

The HBCU-MI focuses on special research topics ingeospatial-intelligence analysis and its related technologies. Closing date is March 2, 2009.

Opportunity at SUNY ESF

M.Sc, Ph.D. and Postdoctoral positions are now available in Geospatial Information Science and Engineering.  The State Universtiy of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry is currently accepting applications for M.Sc., Ph.D. and Postdoctoral positions in the Intelligent Geocomputing Laboratory of the Department of Environmental Resources and Forest Engineering located in Syracuse, NY.  We are seeking applicants with a strong quantitative background who are interested in performing research in Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Science and Artificial Intelligence. Our lab supports interdisciplinary work including the fields of computer science, electrical engineering, ecological-environmental engineering and biology, therefore applicants with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Recent projects comprise of land use change monitoring using satellite imagery, urban sprawl models, spatiotemporal analyses of animal-vehical collisons and of deer movements, forest change models, spatiotemporal socioeconomic models, human cognition and spatiotemporal relationships.  Research in the Intelligent Geocomputing Laboratory is funded by several NASA, NSF and EPA projects and selected applicants will be offered competitive research assistantships.  Our Department also offers several teaching positions with tuition waivers and stipends.  Interested applicants should contanct the lab director, Dr. Giorgos Mountrakis thourhgemail (gmountrakis@esf.edu) and include your CV and a short statement about your research area of interest.  Optimal consideration will be given to complete applications received by February 15th.  We will continue to accept applications after that until positions are filled.  For additional information visit:

Applications information:  www.aboutgis.com (click under students)

Program information: www.esf.edu/erfeg/graduate/gisce

Student Volunteers Needed!

Attention all student members of ASPRS!

 

Plan now to attend the ASPRS 2009 Annual Conference

and pay NO registration fee.

If you are a student at an accredited college/university and would like to attend the ASPRS National Conference without paying the required conference registration fee, consider serving as a Student Volunteer.

The ASPRS 2009 National Conference committee is looking for Student Volunteers to help from Sunday, March 8 – Friday, March 13, 2009.  In exchange for the opportunity to attend the General and Technical Sessions, visit the Exhibit Hall, and enjoy the Exhibitor's Reception, Student Volunteers will be required to work at least 8 hours during the conference.  

This is a great opportunity to learn more about the geospatial field, meet some of the top names in the industry, and explore job possibilities; you are encouraged to bring your resumé as a special area will be set aside for resumé postings.  In addition, the ASPRS Student Advisory Council will host myriad events targeting the special interests of students and young professionals including: Speed Networking, an Exhibit Hall Guided Tour, and a new track of special sessions. 

If you are interested in attending as a volunteer, please visit the conference website for an application athttp://www.asprs.org/baltimore09/pdf/Volunteer_Application.pdf.  Also, see the description of Volunteer Tasks at http://www.asprs.org/baltimore09/student_volunteers.html

All applications must be submitted by e-mail to the Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Rakesh Malhotra, at rmalhotra@NCCU.EDU.  Please include ASPRS Volunteer Program in the Subject Line of all e-mail correspondence.  Assignments will be made on a first come basis.

Here is a timeline for the Student Volunteer process:

Application Deadline:  February 4

Acceptance Announcements: February 11

Student Volunteer work schedules announced:  February 23

News and notes...

ASPRS Student Advisory Council- Information For Students:

 

Baltimore 2009 Conference

Student Assistants:

§  26 applications for Student Assistantship grants

§  These Grants cover:

Lodging for Student Assistants for Sun-Thus nights

Registration Fee

$100 stipend at end of week- check given on site!

Volunteers:

§  Conference Registration FREE

§  All students welcome to volunteer; don’t need to be members!

§  Need lots of volunteers, 500 hours to be covered!!

§  Dr. Rakesh Malhoutra in charge of Volunteers at Baltimore Meeting is March 9th

 

 

v  Student assistants 1^st choice for job assignments

v  Then announcements for all students

v  Student Assistants and Volunteers asked to work a minimum of 15 hours for the entire week

v  Work obligations: Sunday evening to end of your assignment 

 

 

Activities –

Sunday March 8^th

§  The SAC Orientation Meeting will be held from 5:30 – 6:30pm

§  Following the Orientation Meeting is the Dinner for SAC and Volunteers cost of food will be covered, cost of drinks will not be covered

Tuesday March 10^th

§  The SAC Meeting will be held from 5:30 – 6:30pm : The council is a place to come and give inputs and give the students a voice in the society. So, come share your voice!!

Wednesday March 11^th (3:30-5:00)

§  ASPRS SAC - Career Planning

Industry: Mike Flynn - M.J. Harden Associates

Consulting: Dr. Kass Green - The Alta Vista Company

Industry: Dr. Stewart Walker - BAE Systems

Academic: Dr. Marguerite Madden - University of Georgia

Industry: Mark Stanton - Pixxures, Inc.

 

Thursday, March 12^th  (3:30-5:00)

§  ASPRS SAC - Academic Publishing

Dr. Russell Congalton - University of New Hampshire

Dr. John Jensen - University of South Carolina

Dr. Jie Shan - Purdue University

 

Friday March 13^th

§  The final event that we highly recommend you plan to attend is one of the special sessions for Students on Friday, March 13 from 12:30 pm to 2:00pm, on Preparing Competitive Scholarship and Grant Proposals.

 

ASPRS SAC - Preparing Competitive Scholarship and Grant Proposals

Dr. Scott Freundschuh - NSF Program Director, Geography & Regional Science

Dr. Marguerite Madden - University of Georgia

Jesse Winch - ASPRS Scholarship Administrator

Dr. Curt Niebur - NASA Program Scientist

 

Networking Session- Day and time TBD

§  Speed Networking- Whether this is your first ASPRS Conference or if you have had an opportunity to attend previously, you are invited to join other students and young professionals from all over the world at this special event designed just for you. You’ve heard of Speed Dating. We’re offering Speed Networking where you will get to meet at least seven new people who may become good friends for the conference or the rest of your life.

 

Job Board –

§  Bring resumes to conference!!

§  There will be a job board with available job listings as well as an area you can post your resume.

 

Interviews on site – Press Room, need sign up sheet for interviews

 

Students in Workshops – Not free, but reduced rate offered on a stand by basis, if workshop is not full by close of early registration, Feb 9, students can take workshop at reduced rate.  **This is a result of student input by council**

 

Tickets for Event – ask conference participants to donate unwanted tickets for the event, will be given to SAC members first, then student volunteers

 

 

Additional Information

 

Board has approved funding for Student Assistantship.

Grant supported by several regions,

-CRR $5,000 from last year conference, matched by foundation, becomes $10,000

Other funding from Foundation

 

18 funded students each year, 10 at Fall Conference

 

 

2009 Fall Conference events for students

 

The 2009 Fall Conference will be held in San Antonio

 

Students requested special sessions for students at Fall Meetings

• Same sessions as Annual Meeting
• Networking
• Invite Graduate Programs to conference and host table top displays so students can meet professors from graduate programs.

 

Do you have suggestions? We want to hear them! Contact us through the student blog or our yahoo group! 

ASPRS Student Advisory Council Organized Sessions

At the 2009 ASPRS Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD, the Student Advisory Committee has organized a few sessions geared towards students and young professionals.  Here is a summary:

Wednesday, March 11 2009 (3:30-5:00)

ASPRS SAC - Career Planning

Mike Flynn - M.J. Harden Associates

Dr. Kass Green - The Alta Vista Company

Mark Stanton - Pixxures, Inc.

Dr. Stewart Walker - BAE Systems

Dr. Marguerite Madden - University of Georgia

 

This session addresses career planning and professional development for graduate students from the perspective of a representative cross section of the ASPRS professional community. A panel of professionals from industry, consulting, as well as academic research and teaching positions will be represented. Students will be exposed to a wide range of views on professional development and the steps involved in preparing for both academic and non-academic positions. This session will provide students with a foundation to guide their career planning to focus on the particular job they hope to secure in the future.

 

 

 

Thursday, March 12 2009 (3:30-5:00)

ASPRS SAC - Academic Publishing

Dr. Russell Congalton - University of New Hampshire

Dr. John Jensen - University of South Carolina

Dr. Jie Shan - Purdue University

 

This session will provide graduate students and young professionals an introduction to the peer review publication process. Details will be presented on the proper organization, preparation and submission of a manuscript. This session will also provide insight on how to choose an appropriate journal, draft a letter to the editor, and address reviewer comments. Students will learn what to expect during all steps of the publication process.

 

 

 

Friday, March 13 2009 (12:30-2:00)

ASPRS SAC - Preparing Competitive Scholarship & Grant Proposals

Dr. Scott Freundschuh - NSF Program Director, Geography & Regional Science

Dr. Marguerite Madden - University of Georgia

Dr. Curt Niebur - NASA Program Scientist

Jesse Winch - ASPRS Scholarship Administrator

 

This session will provide graduate students with relevant information on organizing and preparing a successful grant or scholarship proposal. Topics covered will include finding prospective grants, developing a general proposal, securing letters of reference and the formal application process. A panel of experts will provide advice and insight from their professional grant writing experiences.

 For more information, go to www.asprs.org or contact SAC Education Councilor Lisa Wedding at wedding@hawaii.edu.