December, 2016

GIS Data

Map of major tectonic plates. Source: USGS.

Where to Find Tectonic Plate GIS Data

December 28, 2016By Caitlin DempseyGIS Data

There a few sources of freely available tectonic plate data that is available in various GIS data formats

Spatial prediction map for the ordinary kriging interpolation of 232 Th. Map: Dindaroğlu, 2014.

Analyzing Risk for Radioactive Materials Using GIS

December 27, 2016By Mark AltaweelGIS Industry

Earlier studies in GIS were particularly focused on analyzing safe transportation that looked at where the safest routes might be in the transportation of radioactive materials. More recent studies have utilized the analytical capabilities in GIS for quantifying risk in the storage of radioactive materials.

Map showing US per capita income distribution by county, 2009-2013. Data: American Community Survey Estimates. Map: Jajhill.

4 Ways Retailers Use GIS and Geographic Data for Holiday Marketing

December 19, 2016By Troy LambertGIS Industry

How can retailers use mapping, or location to make their operations more efficient?

5 New Year’s Resolution for GIS Users

December 18, 2016By Caitlin DempseyGIS Learning

As 2016 comes to a close, it’s time to start turning your attention to the upcoming New Year and reflect on what steps to you can take to improve your GIS skills and participate more in the geospatial community.

Map of defined commuter megaregions. Image:

Using Census Data to Define US Commuter “Megaregions”

December 14, 2016By GIS ContributorGIS Learning

Researchers analyzed Census data to map out commuter megaregions in the United States.

7 Nifty Gift Ideas for the GIS Person in Your Life

December 9, 2016By Caitlin DempseyMaps and Cartography

Whether you are looking for gifts for Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or just looking for a special gift for any time of the year, here are some gift ideas for a range of budgets. From silly to serious, find the perfect GIS gift idea on this list.

Tools for Utility Supervisors: GIS Based Asset Management That Performs

December 2, 2016By GIS ContributorGIS Industry

Michael Boyd of Novotx describes how a small utility company was able to incorporate GIS tools in order to assign jobs, develop reports based on location, and complete other routine tasks.

NASA Exploring Using Mini-drones

December 1, 2016By Elizabeth BornemanGIS Industry

NASA has gotten in on the drone action themselves, testing unique mini-drones that are manufactured in Sweden.

The End of the Rainbow: Picking Color Schemes in GIS

The color symbology in displaying a GIS data on a map is an important decision to make in communicating geographic data.

Optimizing Traffic with Autonomous Vehicles and Machine Learning

One way to improve traffic is to integrate technologies within autonomous cars, particularly as they are forecast to be soon on our streets, including sensors for driving, and information from different external sources.

Elements of a Map

Maps are the primary tools by which spatial relationships are visualized. Maps therefore become important documents. There are several key elements that should be included each time a map is created in order to aid the viewer in understanding the communications of that map and to document the source of […]

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