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GIS Tech News (#21)

18 Sep, 2006 By: Kenneth Wong


Untitled Document

Editor's note: Some changes are in the works with Cadalyst's GIS Tech News. Most obvious in today's issue is the new publishing partnership of Cadalyst and its sister Web site, Geospatial Solutions. Starting in October, Cadalyst and Geospatial Solutions will publish GIS Tech News twice monthly, to deliver even more features, reviews, news and other information for users of CAD/GIS technologies. Stay tuned!

Turning the Tide in Tulsa

Army Corps uses river analysis technology
to mitigate flood damage

Memorial Day 1984 was a muggy Sunday in Tulsa, Okalahoma. It also proved to be one of the darkest hours in the city’s history. While many in the rest of the country enjoyed barbecued ribs and chicken wings, people in Tulsa watched nearly 7,000 of their homes and other buildings washed away by a devastating flood. It killed 14, injured 288 and cost the city $180 million.

Flood is a recurring theme in Tulsa’s history, going all the way back to 1908. On the first anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood, the Arkansas River overflowed, costing Tulsa $250,000. In 1970, Mingo and Joe Creeks swept away property worth $163,000. In 1974, Bird Creek unleashed its fury twice, in April and May. Later on, in June, its destructive example was followed by Joe, Fry, Haikey and Mingo creeks. In September, Mingo Creek flooded once more to close out the year. In 1976, yet another flood destroyed 3,000 homes and left the city with a $40-million damage bill.

After all of this destruction, why is the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program), a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) offshoot, offering Tulsa residents federally backed flood insurance at a 40% reduction in premiums? Russell Wyckoff, a hydraulic engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, has an explanation. Read More >>

Cadalyst Labs Review: Autodesk Map 3D 2007

by James L. Sipes

Integrating CAD drawings and GIS data has been amazingly frustrating. That situation is changing, though, as CAD programs get better at working with geospatial data and GIS programs provide better drawing, editing and CAD file import tools. One program that seeks to bring together the CAD and GIS worlds is Autodesk Map 3D 2007. With this latest release, Autodesk makes it clear that it's serious about integrating geospatial data into CAD. Read More >>


UPCOMING GIS EVENTS
Cadalyst'scomplete list of upcoming events is always available on our Web site. Cadalyst's sister publication, Geospatial Solutions, also offers a full calendar of GIS-related events.

ESRI San Francisco Bay Area User Group Meeting
September 20, 2006
Oakland, California
ArcGIS user groups provide a forum for ESRI users to share their experiences, exchange best practices and learn about new technology. Read more

ESRI Coachella Valley User Group Meeting
September 21, 2006
Palm Desert, California
ArcGIS user groups provide a forum for ESRI users to share their experiences, exchange best practices and learn about new technology. Read more

ESRI Monterey User Group Meeting
September 21, 2006
Salinas, California
ArcGIS user groups provide a forum for ESRI users to share their experiences, exchange best practices and learn about new technology. Read more

Webinar: Large-Format Document Management
Various dates in September
IDEAL offers webinars on large-format scanning, 3D printing, and document-management problems. An interactive question-and-answer session is included. Read more

ESRI ArcGIS User Group Meetings
Various October dates in 2006
Various locations in California and Nevada
ArcGIS user groups provide a forum for ESRI users to share their experiences, exchange best practices and learn about new technology. These groups are open to all users of ESRI software and include regional groups both within and outside the United States. Read more

Webinar: New Dimensions in Technical Documentation
October 4, 2006
Right Hemisphere and Tata Consultancy Services will lead this one-hour exploration of best practices in delivering interactive content. Read more

AUGI CAD Camp
October 10 and 12, 2006
Wisconsin and Minnesota locations
MasterGraphics Inc. will host the AUGI (Autodesk Users Group International) CAD Camp, which will feature more than 20 different sessions with targeted training from local and national industry experts and instructors. Read more


WHAT'S NEW AT CADALYST.COM
Visit the GIS Tech News archives to view current and past issues online.

Check Out Cadalyst's Latest Discussion Forum:Cadalyst now offers the new Product Reviews Discussion Forum, where you can "review our reviews." Read the latest Cadalyst Labs and First Look reviews of hardware and software, then post your own comments about the review. Share your own experience with that product and see what other CAD professionals have to say. Visit today!

CADALYST LABS REVIEW – King of the Hill—Big LCDs Climb Past CRTS: CRT monitors are fading fast from the market, eclipsed by flat-panel LCD monitors with more features and bigger price tags. Cadalyst Labs reviews the latest large monitors from Dell, Eizo, Hewlett-Packard, Iiyama and NEC.

TECH TRENDS—What Happens in Delhi, Stays in Delhi: Weighing the benefits against the risks of outsourcing.

Get the Code!Cadalyst's September code from Hot Tip Harry is now available for download. Pedro Ferreira earned $100 for this month's top tip, Center Line Profile, a powerful highway design tool that creates a profile detail with contours and a center line. Congratulations!

September Tutorials Live Online: The latest editions of all your favorite Cadalyst tutorials for AutoCAD and more are now live on Cadalyst.com.

Subscribe to Location-Based Services Newsletter:Cadalyst's sister publication, GPS World, now publishes LBS Insider, a free e-mail newsletter that covers the latest trends, developments and solutions in location-based services. Click here to subscribe.

Cadalyst Daily Update: For all the latest news and new products, subscribe to Cadalyst Daily e-newsletter. Plus, every issue includes a feature you won't find anywhere else -- hardware and CAD software reviews, success stories, AutoCAD tips and much more! Here's a sample of what you missed in the past couple of weeks:

Click here for links to all the latest articles in Cadalyst magazine and on Cadalyst.com.


WHAT'S NEW AT GEOSPATIAL SOLUTIONS  
Cadalyst's sister publication, Geospatial Solutions, offers a Web site packed with features, news, events and other information for users of geospatial technologies. Check out this latest news from www.geospatial-online.com:

Denver GPS Base Station Upgrades Accuracy, Adds Real-Time Capability:CompassTools, the provider of GIS field data collection tools that established the GPS base station in 1998, has joined with Trimble and the University of Denver in upgrading the system to provide centimeter-level accuracy and real-time correction broadcasts.

Intermap Technologies Accelerates 3D Mapping of Western Europe: Intermap Technologies Corp. announced that it has accelerated its plan for creating a high-resolution 3D map of Western Europe.

DM Solutions Group Announces Support for Open-Source Web Mapping Technology: DM Solutions Group has launched DMSG Premiere, the first commercial support service dedicated to open-source Web Mapping technologies.

Blue Marble Offers Applied Geodesy Training in Houston After the GIS for Oil and Gas Show: Blue Marble Geographics will be offering applied geodesy training in their Geographic Calculator class after the GIS for Oil and Gas Conference on Friday, September 22nd. The day-long session is an in-depth training course using a flexible data-conversion application.