ESRI UC 2019 Day 3

On my way to my first class, I saw a cartography genius on the escalator, and had a total fan girl moment.



My first class was GIS for Active Shooter Response.  The class was PACKED.  It ended up being nothing that I had hoped, and only a grad student's project on FBI stats.  I could not leave to go to a different class.  So here are some random facts - there have been 277 mass shootings between 2000-2018.  California has had the most.  The least occurrences in less populated states.  No correlation for seasons, ccw/armed households.  7 states do mental health background checks.  Did not compare to gun-free zones.

This class time was shared with a GIS person from a city in California that showed her project that took her two years.  Basic aerial with building outlines.  For schools.  Oh. Man.

I decided I need to present next year.



I apprehensively followed up that class with a class on GIS for Informed Decisions in the EOC.  Once again, it was packed.  Lowndes EM is 18 counties in Georgia.  After an awesome presentation, I asked if the information she collected can be used to fill out FEMA forms for reimbursement.  She said no.  The entire class groaned.  Someone else asked if the information, for instance a downed tree, is updated to show when the road is cleared.  She said no.  There is no updating to her map.  It's purpose was to show community leaders what they wanted.  They created their own symbology, did not follow any standards out there, and do not work with other departments in their area.  I mean what??

Luckily my next class was THE BOMB.



It was taught by said cartography genius that I met on the escalator that morning.  It was all about map wizardry.  And I mean serious wizardry!  Oh man, if I could spend the time that he does making things look pretty, all sorts of focused on the cartography side of maps, I would be one happy camper.  His work is seriously impressive.  He talked through how he made some maps, one that he turned into an animation showing Antarctica sea level changes through time.  Another map showed the journey of an artic fox traveling over 2000 miles.  He also added in a time element to show how the fox paused in certain areas, retraced steps, etc.  He also showed a perfect example of how projections can seriously screw up your data, by showing the line traveled at the equator without a projection change.

  
  
  
The book I must buy and read.

It isn't the UC without watching some battleships come in.
Check out my youtube video here.

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