One of the earliest topics that researchers and educators tackled with GIS was natural hazards, because of their multi-disciplinary nature, and because hazards data were readily available in formats easily ingested by GIS software. Fifteen years later, hazards data are more easily used immediately after a hazardous event than ever ...

My blog last week was about GIS as a ''powertool for STEM education.'' In preparing for GIS Day, Geography Awareness Week, and the Virginia STEM Education Conference, and bearing in mind the recently released federal funds for education known as ''Race to the Top'', I decided to explore Virginia's school districts. The general challenge in STEM ...

My dad golfed over 200 different courses over a 30 year span. Sadly, his skills did not transfer to me, though I acknowledge in a movie I filmed on the driving range [TouTube video] that golfing is a spatial sport. Class discussions about golf courses can include debates about their pros and cons, water resources, land use, permeable surfaces, ...

Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere means exploring mazes cut into fields of corn (maize) whose intricate patterns and shapes are created with GPS and a creative imagination. In a recent electronic newsletter from Point of Beginning, a resource dedicated to serving GPS, surveying, and GIS professionals, the editor discussed my article entitled ...

October 11-17 is Earth Science Week (''ESW''), organized by the American Geological Institute. The purpose is to encourage people to learn about the natural world and examine the geosciences. This year, particular attention is being given to climate. ESRI is proud to be a sponsor and supporter of ESW. Educators can acquire an ESW Toolkit, ...

Add-ins extend ArcGIS Explorer's out-of-the-box functionality, and are delivered as add-in files (.eaz files). Like you can add layers to your map with .nmc files, you can add tools (buttons, dockable windows, and more) to ArcGIS Explorer with add-ins. Let's take a closer look. Add-ins can be created using the ArcGIS Explorer SDK, and the ArcGIS ...

In a previous post we mentioned the two groups we've created for ArcGIS Explorer users on ArcGIS Online; the ArcGIS Explorer group and the ArcGIS Explorer Labs group. Let's take a closer look at the ArcGIS Explorer group, and how you can use it. When you click the Contents tab you'll see a list of content that you can use directly in ...

ArcGIS Online provides an easy way for GIS users to find and share useful content and resources, including maps, layers, and tools. These include a wide variety of specific file types unique to ESRI products, and you can view a complete list of supported content in the ArcGIS Online Help. There's lots of content from ESRI and ...

Come explore how GIS can serve as a powerful toolkit in research, applications, and instruction in geosciences and environmental sciences at the upcoming annual conference of the Geological Society of America. My colleagues and I are teaching this workshop over the Saturday and Sunday before the main conference begins in Portland, Oregon. We ...

It's summer in southern California. It's hot, and dry, and downright scary. (Contrary to the title of this column, wicked heat is no fun at all.) Though this summer has been generally mild, the last few weeks have seen temperatures in the 90's and 100's, with not a drop of rain in the Inland Empire. From my apartment, I can see and hear the ...