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IMIA Report                                                                               

Industry News, Profiles and Future Events                 

November / December 2015

IMIA is an international organization where mapmakers, publishers, geospatial technology companies, location-based services, content producers, and distributors come together to both connect and to conduct business in the spatial information and map related industry. It is a global organization and welcomes members from every corner of the globe. The Association is made up of three regions: IMIA EAME (Europe, Africa and Middle East), IMIA Americas (North America, South America, Canada, and Mexico) and IMIA Asia Pacific (Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific).

 

The IMIA Report reports the current issues of the worldwide mapping industry giving members information on new products, member news, plus items of interest to those in the industry. We encourage all members to send to IMIA Headquarters their new product information and press releases for distribution. Advertising is available.   


IMIA Asia Pacific Brisbane Conference Wrap Up

The conference was well attended by delegates from Australia, New Zealand, India, Nepal, and the United States.  Over the course of the event, there were 20 Presentations and Lightning Talks; a Business Connect Session along with a Government Session and a lot of networking opportunities with social events spread over three days.  
 
For more terrific photos of the IMIA Asia Pacific Conference, please visit:  www.imiamaps.org/brisbane-conference-2015.
 
Following on after the conference, delegates had the opportunity to attend the Brisbane GIS Day.  IMIA Asia Pacific along with many IMIA members had exhibit stands at GIS Day and several members had maps displayed on the GIS Day Map Wall.
 

IMIA Asia Pacific Brisbane 2015 Conference Dinner
 
IMIA Asia Pacific was delighted to have some very special guests join us, who have been involved with IMIA over many years and have made significant contributions to  the association worldwide.
 
Seated: Margaret Boegheim, Elsa Bleekrode, Peter Bleekrode (IMIA EAME Past President), Noleen Zander (IMIA AP Executive Director), and Marilyn Mackay (IMIA AP Past President).
 
Standing:  Henry Boegheim (IMIA Life Member), John Hammer (Life Member & current IMIA International President), John Payne (IMIA Life Member), Sandy Payne, Graham Stanton (IMIA AP Past President), Peter Davis (IMIA AP Past President), Karina Davis, Gladys Stanton, with Peter Lennon (IMIA Life Member) taking the photo!
IMIA Asia Pacific 2015 Map Awards
  
The IMIA Asia Pacific Map Awards Program was conducted at the IMIA Asia Pacific Conference in Brisbane, November 15 -17th 2015.  The winners were announced at the annual dinner on Monday evening, November 16.
 
Categories Judged:
  • Best Sheet Map Product (maps designed for flat or folded presentation)
  • Best Book Based Map Product (atlas, directories or travel guides)
  • Best Tourist / Free Publication (map-based free publication in any paper-based format)
  • Best Map Related Website (built as a product or solution) 
The Award Winners are:
 
Best Sheet Map Product - Gold Award Winner
Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources - South Australia
"Heysen Trail Map Sheet" 
 
Best Sheet Map Product - Silver Award Winner
CartoDraft Australia
"Craigie's Southern Highlands Map"
 
Best Book Based Map Product - Gold A ward Winner
Hardie Grant Explore
"Touring Atlas of Australia"
 
Best Book Based Map Product - Silver Award Winner
Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources - South Australia
"Mount Lofty Ranges Map Book"
 
Best Tourist / Free Publication - Gold Award Winner
Carto Graphics
"McLaren Vale Wine Region Map"
 
Best Tourist / Free Publication - Silver Award Winner
CartoDraft Australia
"Chesterton Sydney CBD & North Sydney Commercial Map"
 
Best Map Related Website - Gold Award Winner 
Department of Natural Resources & Mines - Queensland
"QTopo Online Mapping App"
 
Best Map Related Website - Silver Award Winner 
Waypoint Ventures
"MapWheel Toposcope"
 
Best Over All Award Winner / The Graham Stanton Award and
IMIA Asia Pacific Entry into the IMIA Global Map Awards
Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources - South Australia
"Heysen Trail Map Sheet "
 
IMIA Global Map Awards 2015  
IMIA Americas Region Entry
Benchmark Maps in Collaboration with Summit Terragraphics Inc.
"Kauai Hawaii 3D Map"
 
IMIA Asia Pacific Region Entry
Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources - South Australia
"Heysen Trail Map Sheet" 
 
IMIA Global Map Award Winner 2015
Benchmark Maps in Collaboration with Summit Terragraphics Inc.
"Kauai Hawaii 3D Map"
 
IMIA Asia Pacific 2015 Student Map Awards
 
Gold Award Winner
Matthew Leman - Queensland University of Technology
"Hamilton Island Chairlift Proposal"
 
Silver Award Winner
David Cini - Queensland University of Technology
"2015 Geospatial Mapping Portfolio"
Never Stop Exploring
The Pursuit of Cartographic Accuracy
By Jim Baumann, Esri Writer

An Australian couple's passion for exploring the Outback eventually led them to develop a multimillion-dollar mapping and publishing company.

In 1983, Henry and Margaret Boegheim founded Hema Charts & Laminating, which laminated and sold marine charts in bait and tackle shops throughout Southeast Queensland. The company name combined the first two letters of each of their first names.

The Australian couple's love of the outdoors led them to purchase a four-wheel-drive vehicle a few years later so they could explore the Outback. They discovered that existing off-road maps were of poor quality and limited use, so they began making their own maps for off-roading. This aspect of the business grew so much that the couple changed the company name to Hema Maps and began using digital data to create maps. To read more...  http://www.esri.com/esri-news/arcuser/fall-2015/never-stop-exploring
Hema combines ground truthing of thousands of miles of roads with the latest ArcGIS mapping technology.
Apple Vs Amazon Battle Takes Surprising New Turn

 Apple AAPL -0.87% and Amazon's paths have crossed like never before in 2015 - and the results haven't always been pretty. In particular, Amazon caused quite a hullabaloo when it announced at the start of October that it was going to stop selling the Apple TV (as well as the Google GOOGL -1.30% Chromecast), allegedly because it doesn't support Amazon's Prime video streaming service. To read the article...
 Wayfindr is Building is Building an Open Standard for Indoor Navigation from Beacon

A project to probe the viability of using low power Bluetooth Beacon technology as an aid for indoor navigation - with a special focus on helping blind and visually impaired people get around independently - has been awarded a $1 million grant from Google.org to broaden and accelerate its development.
Falling oxygen levels caused by global warming could be a greater threat to the survival of life on planet Earth than flooding.
NOAA MESA Project
A study led by Sergei Petrovskii, Professor in Applied Mathematics from the University of Leicester's Department of Mathematics, has shown that an increase in the water temperature of the world's oceans of around six degrees Celsius -- which some scientists predict could occur as soon as 2100 -- could stop oxygen production by phytoplankton by disrupting the process of photosynthesis.

Gordon Cheers, Managing Director, Millennium House Displays Earth Platinum

The National Library of  New Zealand's 50th Anniversary

'Show & Tell'  
 

The National Library hosted a special day of 'show-and-tell' on the 28th of November to celebrate its 50th birthday.

Visitors were invited to discover the stories behind some of the library collections from the last 50 years. There was a tour of the underground maze of library stacks, and special insights into current exhibitions such as Unfolding the Map and Not one More Acre, which commemorates the Māori Land March 40 years on.

Seldom seen items from the Alexander Turnbull Library, include hand-made pistons and other bike engine parts made by Burt Munro, the Earth Platinum atlas, which at 150 kilograms is the largest ever published, and Katherine Mansfield's passport.
For the kids there was storytelling and other activities. Actor Jimmy O'Donovan brought to life Margaret Mahy's A Lion in the Meadow and other notable titles. Mahy was a former staff member.

National Librarian Bill Macnaught said, "We know that many people are surprised by the richness and diversity of our collections. This event was a special opportunity to gain some surprising insights into the treasures we care for on behalf of all New Zealanders. It was also a chance to learn more about the new ways we share knowledge across New Zealand using the latest digital tools." Visit: www.natlib.govt.nz.


For more than 127 years, the National Geographic Society has funded the expeditions and projects-and told the incredible stories-that have inspired people's passion to dig deeper and see farther. I think you'll agree that the scientists, explorers, and storytellers of the National Geographic family have made contributions that have helped change the world. W e're asking YOU to consider making a contribution as well, by joining the National Geographic Society as a Contributing Member for just $25.

Many people don't realize that the National Geographic Society is a nonprofit organization. Funding from individuals like you brings science, knowledge, and discovery to students in classrooms across the country and to curious people around the world through our magazines, website, and channels. When you join as a Contributing Member, you put yourself at the center of our work. You'll help make the next big discoveries possible. And you'll make a real difference in the world.

Without the National Geographic Society, some of the most groundbreaking discoveries and explorations may not have been made. We supported Jane Goodall's research with chimpanzees-Jacques-Yves Cousteau's explorations of the ocean-the Leakey family's extraordinary advancements in our understanding of human origins-and so much more. And we don't just support the big names. The Society has a history of funding expeditions and projects that other organizations wouldn't even consider-ideas that can open the doors to new knowledge and understanding. Sadly, last year we had to turn down far too many proposals from eager scientists and explorers. Join as a Contributing Member so we never have to say "No" to great projects that:
  • Tell Our Human Story through efforts like Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek's seven-year, 21,000-mile walking journey to retrace the steps of our ancestors' migration from Africa and across the globe and share the stories of ordinary people.
  • Protect Our Living Planet through projects like Pristine Seas, which is exploring the last wild marine ecosystems across the globe-and working with organizations, communities, and governments to protect them.
  • Safeguard Critical Species through our Big Cats Initiative, which is working to protect lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other big cats in the wild.
  • Explore New Frontiers with extraordinary talent like National Geographic Young Explorer Knicole Colón, who is studying exoplanetary atmospheres in hopes of one day finding Earth-like planets.
If you value the contribution National Geographic Society-funded science, exploration, and storytelling has made to the world, then help continue this legacy by joining as a Contributing Member. With your help, the projects we support and stories we tell will keep taking people as far as their imaginations will travel. Be a part of the National Geographic legacy. Become a Contributing Member!

Sincerely,

Gary E. Knell
President and CEO
 

Amazingly Detailed Infographic Maps the History and

Future of the Universe

The universe existed long before humanity came onto the scene, and it will last far beyond us, as illustrated by this extremely comprehensive infographic by Slovakian designer and artist Martin Vargic. The timeline begins at the Big Bang, through the early universe, the prehistoric era, a blink-and-you-miss-it section for recorded history, and then our universe's slow and inevitable death. To read more...
Custom Made Maps from
Ordnance Survey
Create a bespoke OS Explorer Map or OS Landranger Map in just a few minutes. A Custom Made map makes the perfect holiday gift for walkers, runners, cyclists or any lover of the outdoors. to tracking heart rate can train more effectively. Buy two Custom Made maps and get a free OS 2016 calendar - offer ends midnight Wednesday 9 December. Calendar will automatically be dispatched with your Custom Made order and does not require the product to be added to the basket before checkout. 
Story Map Navigates Cause and Effects of Climate Change
Esri's Atlas for a Changing Planet Story Map Delivers Geographic Insight for Sustainable Planning and Development

November 30, 2015

Redlands, California-Esri, the world leader in geographic information system technology, released an interactive map illustrating the earth's natural and human systems and how they have changed-and will change-over time. With the Atlas for a Changing Planet Story Map, scientists, policy makers, planners, and activists can examine detailed spatial information that is critical for adapting to a warmer future.
"Mitigating the effects of climate change is a global, geographic challenge," said Jack Dangermond, president of Esri. "Understanding how the earth's systems interact and transform is an essential first step in measuring the threat of climate change and making informed decisions to reduce it." To read more...
 
Trailblazers: Australia's 50 Greatest Explorers Tell the Stories of the Pioneers Who Pushed Beyond the Boundaries to Change the Way We See the World
Event Type: Everyday event
Date:  28 November 2015 to 18 July 2016
In this interactive exhibition, you'll find out what it's really like to be an adventurer. Our nation's greatest explorers have crossed the oceans, tackled jungles, traversed mountains, braved the poles and even seen space. You'll discover the incredible talents and techniques of Indigenous Australians, the nation's first explorers.
Trailblazers lets you get up close and personal with 50 inspirational adventurers, whose bravery, curiosity and determination will inspire you.

Featuring over 360 objects, this exhibition brings some of Australia's most incredible journeys to life, and puts you right in the centre. From James Cook to Douglas Mawson to Jesse Martin, Trailblazers lets you travel through time and across the globe.

Tap into your sense of adventure and get your adrenaline pumping in this family friendly, immersive exhibition. *Get FREE tickets to Trailblazers: Australia's 50 greatest explorers when you become an Australian Museum Member - Join Now *Only valid on new full priced Memberships (single, dual, family).
 
 

                                                National Geographic
Photograph by Diana Tomback

It weighs only four or five ounces, its brain practically nothing, and yet, oh my God, what this little bird can do. It's astonishing.

Around now, as we begin December, the Clark's nutcracker has, conservatively, 5,000 (and up to 20,000) treasure maps in its head. They're accurate, detailed, and instantly retrievable. It's been burying seeds since August. It's hidden so many (one study says almost 100,000 seeds) in the forest, meadows, and tree nooks that it can now fly up, look down, and see little x's marking those spots-here, here, not there, but here-and do this for maybe a couple of miles around. It will remember these x's for the next nine months.

How does it do it? 32 Seeds a Minute. It starts in high summer, when whitebark pine trees produce seeds in their cones-ripe for plucking. Nutcrackers dash from tree to tree, inspect, and, with their sharp beaks, tear into the cones, pulling seeds out one by one. They work fast. One study clocked a nutcracker harvesting "32 seeds per minute." These seeds are not for eating. They're for hiding. Like a squirrel or chipmunk, the nutcracker clumps them into pouches located, in the bird's case, under the tongue. It's very expandable . To read more... 

Robert Krulwich is cohost of Radiolab, WNYC's Peabody Award-winning program about "big ideas" and now one of public radio's most popular shows. It is carried on more than 500 radio stations, and its podcasts are downloaded over five million times each month.  

In Curiously Krulwich, Robert looks for "the little things that catch my eye-that when I lean in, get bigger, richer, and much more compelling." You can see more of Robert's work at radiolab.com and follow him on Twitter at @rkrulwich.
Sharpest Pluto Surface View Released By New Horizons Team | Video
Mountains, craters and plains of the icy dwarf planet have been resolved in detail never before seen: 250-280 feet (77-85 meters) per pixel. "Features smaller than half a city block on Pluto's diverse surface," can be seen according ...  
 
up for Sale at NYC Auction
Centuries before satellites and GPS, European cartographers got plenty of things right, and one thing very wrong, while charting the North American coastline. Artifacts depicting the 16th-century version of your navigation app of choice losing signal - a missing swath of land that left California a huge island off the continent's West Coast - are going up for sale.

It would be another century before cartographers got it right, according to Alex Clausen, maps and atlases specialist at Swann Auction Galleries in Manhattan, where artifacts depicting the mapmaking mistake are heading to auction.

"It's not the only thing they got wrong, but all told, it's amazing what they got right," Clausen said. Several maps showing California as an island are among the scores of maps and atlases being sold in Tuesday's "Mapping of America" auction. To read more...
IMIA New Member
Margaret Spyker / GIS and Data Analyst
Xentity Corporation
PO Box 17887
Golden, CO 80402 USA
Tel:      269/806-1948
 
Xentity is well-versed in complex visualizations integrating geospatial, user, transaction, marketing and procurement data for enterprise planning, scientific, and geospatial analysis. Projects focus on OpenData (data.gov, geodata,gov, Colorado.data.gov), Geospatial Data (Federal National Weather Vector and Raster Projects, State Geospatial Products, Geospatial Analytics), Metadata (about remote sensing data to improve the nations' satellite portfolio), BigData (environments for billions matrixed with billions of records) and Crowdsource Data (gamification and data challenge programs).
 2016 Calendar of Events

IMIA Americas Board & Summit Meeting

January 22- 24, 2016

Bally's Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada USA

 

IMIA Americas Annual Conference

November 29 - December 02, 2016

Omni Hotel San Diego

San Diego, CA USA

 

2016 Esri User Conference

June 2 - July 01

San Diego, CA USA

  

 

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