GIS Tech News (#29)
15 Jan, 2007 By: Kenneth Wong| Avenza's MAPublisher 7 transforms Adobe Illustrator into a mapmaking tool GIS users are familiar with the gap that exists between the digital map and the paper map. The digital map, typically a derivative of geospatial databases, is usually interactive, dynamic and live. A cartographic masterpiece it is not. To transform the digital map into something fit to print, mapmakers often have to refine the digital output in other drawing and layout programs. Many aesthetic refinements -- such as positioning special symbols, flowing text labels along Bezier curves, applying gradients and adding vector objects -- are much more easily done in a graphics application than in a geospatial system. Among the tools commonly used are Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, CorelDRAW and Macromedia FreeHand. Avenza, a private Canadian firm based in Toronto, Ontario, is bridging the gap between digital and printed maps with a series of plugins: MAPublisher for Illustrator, MAPublisher for FreeHand and Geographic Imager (MAPublisher for Photoshop). Both MAPublisher and Geographic Imager run on Mac as well as Windows platforms. The latest in the series is MAPublisher 7 for Illustrator CS and CS2, released just a few weeks ago. Here, I'll offer a peek into how GIS professionals can use this new tool to transform digital data into a quality map. Read More >>
Spatial Technologies: Using Geospatial Data to Restore Wetlands by James L. Sipes Wetlands are important. They help regulate river flow, filter pollutants, absorb flooding overflow and provide homes to thousands of plants, animals and birds. Many people who live along the Gulf Coast believe that wetlands are important for different reasons. Last year the region was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, which caused billions of dollars in damage and displaced more than one million people. Many who live in the region discovered that wetlands could significantly reduce the impact of storm surges associated with hurricanes. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, every 2.7 miles a hurricane travels across wetlands or marsh can reduce storm surge by 1 foot, so one way to make the Gulf Coast a little bit safer is to restore the region's wetlands. Read More>> UPCOMING GIS EVENTS ESRI California Regional Office User Group Meetings MAP 3D 2007 Essentials Training Class 2007 ESRI GIS Solutions Expos 15th Annual Autodesk University WHAT'S NEW AT CADALYST.COM New Cadalyst e-Newsletter from Hot Tip Harry WHAT'S NEW AT GEOSPATIAL SOLUTIONS OTI Offers Power System Analysis Solution for ArcFM: Electric utilities can now access Operation Technology, Inc.'s ETAP power system analysis platform via Telvent Miner & Miner's ArcFM product. ArcFM is an ESRI-based GIS facilities management solution. This integration will provide the electrical utility sector with the platform to simplify power system analysis using data extracted from the GIS. Read more BlueSky Maps Urban Heat Patterns in UK: BlueSky has been awarded contracts to create detailed thermal maps for eight local authorities across the UK. The thermal mapping will be used to identify buildings with high heat loss, and therefore potentially poor insulation; prioritize remedial action; and meet government targets for increasing energy efficiency and energy conservation reporting. Read more Frankfort Plant Board to Use Fiber Manager: Frankfort Plant Board (FPB) chose Telvent Miner & Miner's Fiber Manager application to help manage its fiber optic network within its current ArcFM-based enterprise GIS. FPB has been using ArcFM to support the maintenance of its electric and water distribution system, and elected to expand it to include support for its fiber optic system. Read more Autodesk and Oracle Join Forces to Bundle Map Creation and Sharing with Database Functionality: Autodesk today announced its elevated partnership with Oracle to provide customers with complete solutions for creating and sharing geospatial data within workgroups and across entire organizations. Read more |
