IMAGIN - Improving Michigan's Access to Geographic Information Networks
IMAGIN E-News - May, 2006
Current News
Free Gift! - The first 250 IMAGIN members that attend the annual conference in Traverse City will receive a special gift from IMAGIN and North Arrow Technologies ... a 128MB thumb drive with the IMAGIN and North Arrow logos.
It's not too late! - The IMAGIN conference starts next Monday, May 1st and the golf outing is Sunday April 30th at 1:30. Conference attendees and golfers will be accepted at the door as space allows. Join other GIS professionals for an informative conference in the beautiful Traverse City area. For information, see the conference web page at: http://www.imagin.org/conference/
Certified GIS Professionals (GISPs) Surveyed for Program Changes - The GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) recently surveyed 543 (out of a current 1,088 GISPs) to gauge opinions and changes for the fledgling program. Survey results indicated that over 57% of respondents would like GISCI to lobby for additional GISP endorsements by states, counties, and municipalities. Official statewide endorsements for the GISP certification currently exist for Oregon and North Carolina. Over three-quarters of respondents were in favor of keeping the GISP certification non-specific to GIS responsibilities (e.g., GIS-Analyst, GIS-Programmer) or disciplines (e.g., GIS-Transportation, GIS-Public Works). View the full survey results at: http://www.gisci.org/06GISP_survey_summary.html.
GIS related professions included in "Best Jobs List" - CNN and Money Magazine’s annual list of “Best Jobs in America” included GIS-related professions among the 166 jobs surveyed. Among the professions listed were “Cartographers and Photogrammetrists”, pegged at a 10-year job growth rate of over 15% and described as a person who will “Collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information.” The title of “Geographer” also appeared on the list with a respectable 6.75% 10-year job growth forecast. Since GIS is truly cross-disciplinary in nature, many of the other professions listed may also utilize GIS as tool in their profession.
Map Michigan welcomes you to search and explore various places and points of interest throughout our State. Looking for a certain address? Have a weekend destination in mind, but don’t know how to get there? The tools available on this site are designed to assist the public in meeting these and many other map-related needs. See the Map Michigan web page at: http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mapmichigan/home.asp
Interested in GIS at MDOT? - Sign up for the Michigan Department of Transportation GIS News mailing list. See the signup page at: http://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?SL1=MDOT-GIS-NEWS&H=LISTSERV.MICHIGAN.GOV
Interested in GIS news from MCGI? - Sign up for the Michigan Center for Geographic Information GIS News mailing list. Get announcements of new GIS data products available from the State. See the 'GISUSERS' signup page at: http://www.michigan.gov/cgi/0,1607,7-158--35275--,00.html
The Michigan State University Aerial Imagery Archive is housed within the Remote Sensing & GIS Research and Outreach Services group (RS&GIS) in the Department of Geography.  The Aerial Imagery Archive is a unique resource and home to the largest collection of historic and recent aerial imagery for the State of Michigan, including hundreds of thousands of black and white images dating back to the late 1930s. Thousands of our images have been scanned and indexed to allow for easy access via PC. The Archive is also home to several unique sets, such as an early 1990s set of Great Lakes shoreline imagery for the entire U.S. side and several high-altitude NASA color infrared sets. All resources in the Aerial Imagery Archive are open to the public. For more information, please visit us on the internet at http://www.rsgis.msu.edu/archive.htm or call us at 517-355-3771.
Give us your suggestions! We want the E-News to be a member driven publication that provides current, relevant information to GIS users across the State of Michigan. Send your suggestions to enews@imagin.org to let us know about upcoming user meetings, conferences, opportunities, etc. Get a little free PR for your event!
Upcoming Events
  • April 30 - May 3, 2006: IMAGIN 2006 Annual Conference, Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, MI
  • May 3, 2006 8:00AM: IMAGIN 2006 Annual Meeting, Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, MI
  • May 19, 2006: IMAGIN Board Meeting, Doherty Hotel, Clare, MI
  • August 7-11, 2006: 2006 ESRI International User Conference, San Diego, California
  • September 13-15, 2006: Mi-CAMP 11th Annual Conference, Boyne Mountain, Boyne Falls, MI
  • September 26-29, 2006: URISA 44th Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC
  • For more events, see the IMAGIN Calendar of Events
  • Training
    Date(s) D Organization City Description
    May 16, 2006 D MSU RS&GIS E. Lansing 2005 Statewide Aerial Imagery Seminar (FREE)
    May 19 & 22, 2006   U-M CSCAR Ann Arbor Using ArcGIS
    May 23, 2006 D MSU RS&GIS E. Lansing 2005 Statewide Aerial Imagery Seminar (FREE)
    June 5-9, 2006   ESRI Livonia ArcSDE Administration for SQL Server
    June 9 & 12, 2006   U-M CSCAR Ann Arbor Using ArcGIS
    June 19-20, 2006   ESRI Livonia Introduction to ArcIMS
    June 21-23, 2006   ESRI Livonia ArcIMS Administration
    June 21-23, 2006 D MSU RS&GIS E. Lansing Aerial Imagery Interpretation
    June 26-28, 2006   ESRI E. Lansing Advanced Analysis with ArcGIS
    June 29-30, 2006   ESRI E. Lansing Introduction to Geoprocessing Scripts Using Python
    For links to Michigan GIS training facilities visit the IMAGIN training page.
    To include your Michigan GIS training in this list, send the details to: enews@imagin.org
    D = IMAGIN Members get a 10% discount on this training.
    Web Mapping Site of the Month
    Ottawa County, Michigan GIS Department - The mission of the Ottawa County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department is to provide geographic data and capabilities to the County, its Local Units, and the public. In 2005, the GIS Department furthered this mission through expansion and enhancement of its data and services as well as continued delivery of its data and maps through the Web. With the introduction of BS&A and Infogeographic's Geoconnector Ottawa County GIS was able to offer nightly parcel updates to the IMS site. In addition, access to the information via the web became a part of the free service offered. Last year Ottawa County GIS also added water features, lot lines, and lot dimensions to the free-mapping Web site, enhanced search capabilities for the GIS free-mapping Web site were also added. Visit our mapping web page at: http://miottawa.org/CoGov/Depts/GIS/mapping.htm
    Currently the Department is working on adding additional services to the free mapping component. A Parks and trails service that will feature a direct link to the Ottawa County Parks Department’s park page of the selected park. A Water Recreation Service that will feature No Wake zones with corresponding ordinance and Launch sites that will feature a direct link to the state’s page containing information about the selected boat launch.
    Spotlight on Supporting Organizations
    Midwestern Consulting, LLC Midwestern Consulting, LLC, is an award winning consulting engineering and surveying firm recognized for using emerging technologies to provide exceptional products and services. Supported by engineering expertise, we have become a leader in GIS application development and hosting services for infrastructure management, developing innovative applications, web-based and desktop-based alike, for state, county, and local agencies. These applications range from regional transportation data management to village asset management. To learn more about us, contact Ben Chen, PE, PTOE at (734) 995-0200 or visit http://GIS.MidwesternConsulting.com
    Huron-Manistee National Forests The Huron-Manistee National Forests comprise almost a million acres of public lands extending across the northern lower peninsula of Michigan.  The Huron-Manistee National Forests provide recreation opportunities for visitors, habitat for fish and wildlife, and resources for local industry. For more information, please call 800-821-6263 (voice), 231-775-3183 (TDD) or visit our web site at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/.
    Each month, this section will highlight two of our supporting organizations. If your organization would like to be in the spotlight, please contact IMAGIN headquarters about becoming a supporting organization.
    Employment
    Job Openings
    Organization Title
    Eaton County GIS Intern
    Allegan County Planning Coordinator
    Oakland County User Support Specialist II - GIS
    Wind Lake Solutions GIS Technician
    Altarum GIS Healthcare Analyst
    Consulting Engineering Associates, Inc. GIS Application Developer
    New Hires/Promotions
    Organization Title Name
    Midland County GIS Coordinator Chris Cantrell
    To include your job openings, new hires or promotions in this section, please send the information to enews@imagin.org. Please include the URL for your organization also. Check the IMAGIN jobs page for other openings.
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    IMAGIN E-News Information

    Editor - Tara Maguire, GIS Coordinator, City of Birmingham
    Editor - Matt Malone, GIS Coordinator, City of Farmington Hills
    Editor - Brian Buckley, Senior GIS Specialist, Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.
    Publication Date: April 28, 2006
    E-News Web Page:http://www.imagin.org/resources/enews.html
    Email Address: enews@imagin.org
    Please email us your comments and suggestions. Thanks!

    © 2006 IMAGIN. All rights reserved.