The Externalities of Mapping…

The Economic Development department and GIS/Technology department of Frederick County, Maryland have joined forces to map out the major business parks and retails centers located in their county.  While it is advantageous to have this information for their personal use, the main focus of the map is too provide valuable information to possible businesses looking to do business in their area.  The ability for businesses to have access to valuable information regarding zoning, lot sizes, and availability 24 hours a day, 7 days a week will give Frederick County the leading edge against its neighboring counties when trying to lure businesses in.  The county hopes to provide an easy and seamless transition for any businesses looking to expand or relocate to the Frederick County area through its new and innovative interactive map.

For more information about the initiatives of Frederick County, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag; Rutgers University Planning Intern; VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping the History of a Town…

Folks in a village  in the province of the Northwest Territories in Canada have assembled to map the rich history and heritage on their map.  Three young men are planning to map such things as important fishing sites, hunting sites, and areas of spiritual importance.  The three have also begun interviewing all the residents of the village to collect data for the map and have also started a family tree to complement the historical value of the map they hope to create.  The map and display will go up in a nearby community center so that the residents can view the progress and the history of their village and so that other villages can see what community mapping can do to bring a community closer together.

To read more about this project, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag; Rutgers University Planning Intern; VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping and the Rural US…

This piece from the New York Times helps to justify the $350 million portion of the stimulus bill slated to map all the areas of the United States with less than adequate accessbility to internet broadband service.  While this information may be easily accessible by asking internet providers where their respective services extend to, the companies themselves may not be so willing to volunteer that information.  Either way, it seems that internet accessbility is a major component of education availability and communication accessibility in the stimulus bill.

For more information, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag; Rutgers University Planning Intern; VERTICES, LLC.

In an emergency?! Mapping can help…

The local government of Franklin County, Ohio has been hard at work pinpointing every single important detail of their county on a map including individual building in a complex, fire hydrants, and bus routes.  Why all the trouble, you ask?  This initiative, set to debut this summer, is supposed to aid ambulances and fire trucks in locating and getting where they need to go to in the least amount of time.  They believe the county characteristics on a map will help aid them in this goal.  This initiative will not only aid EMTs or firefighters but the county government will also be able to use the map and will assist them in calculating such things as how much salt is required during snow storms or planning new routes for the bus system.

For more information about the initiatives of Franklin County, read here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping and the Census…

It’s almost that time of the decade again!!!  The U.S. Census Bureau is getting its army of workers together again to count every single person that currently lives in the United States and in the state of South Carolina, they have plenty to gain from this round of counts.  South Carolina has seen an upswing in their population and if they are able to account for every single resident in their state they may be able to grad one more seat in the House of Representatives.  The Census is extremely important to mapping and GIS as it provides us with invaluable data that can be portrayed visually into maps and visualize various statistics.

To read more about the Census and its value to South Carolina, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.

More Mapping and the Middle East…

More community mapping and GIS is being used to help stabilize life in the West Bank.  JumpStart International is starting their pilot program of mapping streeets, and various important businesses and establishments in the West Bank as way to encourage economic development in the area.  The organization is training residents from the West Bank with GIS technical skills and techniques so that they may be able to actively manage the sight.  While the site will be aimed for the use by the public, both the private and public sector will be able to access and benefit from the site.  JumpStart International hopes that this project will prove to be successful and bring these projects to other less-developed areas of the world.

For more information, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping the Amazon…

Efforts have begun to map the soya plantations that exist in the Amazon to record the amount of land that is disappearing from the deforestation of the Amazon.  Greenpeace has teamed up with some local Brazilian organizations to map soya plantations, tribal habitats, and where former tribal habitats used to exist.  This project will help provide a case to stop the deforestation of the Amazon and hopefully provide the land to these indigenous people that was taken from under them due to the harvesting of the valuable raw materials located in the Amazon.

To read more about this effort, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping and the Disabled…

The Stewartry Coalition of Disabled People, located in England, is putting out the word that they are trying to get disabled people together to map areas of the town that are proving to be obstacles for disabled people to get around.  They are asking for residents to identify certain areas or problems in the city so that they can submit them to the road department and other departments to have them rectified so that disabled persons can move around more easily.  They are also looking at mapping businesses that have both easy and difficult access ways so that these very residents can plan their errands.

To read more about this project, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.

Mapping During Environmental Disasters…

Wildfires have ravaged much of Southern Australia and keeping residents and fire fighters up-to-date on the latest information can prove to be a difficult task.  However thanks to the digital age, this task has been easier to accomplish.  With the help of Google Maps, many people have now been providing valuable information on the spread of these wildfires and suggesting which areas are safe to find refuge in and which areas should be looking in evacuating soon.  Mapping has always been used as a tool for education and  now it is saving lives…

For more information, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.

The Mapping Case for the Stimulus Plan…

It seems that GIS and mapping was/is deep in the agenda of one of the stimulus plans.  In a effort to create a national map for use by many of the government department, GIS will play a major role in accomplishing this project.  The map will help provide a central source of information should and when a disaster occurs.  This effort will help save time as information will now be able to be accessed through one main database instead of having to figure out where the best information can be retrieved.  This effort will also help provide the millions of jobs that have been suggested to be created by this stimulus plan.  It many ways, it seems that GIS and community mapping is the way to go…

For more information, click here…

Kenneth E. Liwag, Rutgers University Planning Intern, VERTICES, LLC.