GIS Paddlers?

[knu2xs]

As many are already well aware, I work for ESRI as an instructor. I teach people how to use GIS. A side benefit is I have some pretty amazing tools to play with at my fingertips. Recently I have been tinkering with some ideas for applying this more toward paddling. Already well aware quite a few people are fiddling with GIS and their passion for paddling in AR, I would like to start pulling together ideas if anybody is interested. For right now, please let me know if you fall into this category. At the very least, I would like to start some data sharing and idea exchanges.

[RussellPresley]

Yes, I work for Baxter County Assessors office and I'm using 9.3. I graduated form NorthArk last spring, but i done forgot have the stuff i learned in class. Love to get with you and pick your brain and get some tips.

[knu2xs]

Russell-

I am slowly trying to learn, utilize and automate the USGS's free tools (HEC-GeoRAS) for runoff prediction in a watershed catchment. Right now though, what I am working on is much simpler, learning Windows7, spooling up to teach a Spatial Analyst class at the end of the month and learning ArcGIS 10...considering I am going to be teaching it next month.

If you want to pow-wow, I would be more than happy to answer questions you may have. It would be great to have somebody to bounce ideas off of for some of the stuff floating around in my head.

[muskrat]

I'm also involved with gis and have been meaning to see if anything can be done to help with excessive stream erosion from farmers' fields. I have a feeling that it's been discussed around here, but I have never inquired about it. Anyone want to fill me in? I'm wondering if there are any inexpensive ways to combat such erosion. And I would assume farmers would generally be receptive if they are approached the correct way.


And if you're from ESRI, I'm guessing you know that Shelby Johnson is a 'GISer'.

[JasonK]

I'm a long-time GIS user. I started on ArcView 3.x and (gulp) ArcInfo doing command-prompt modeling and analyses. That dates me.

I'm using ArcGIS 9.3 and I'm way overdue to download and implement 10.x.

I've done some predictive modeling for wildlife species and adapted some geological models for ecology application.

My time is pretty strapped right now but I'd like to be a part of whatever list develops for communications on this stuff.

[Fish]

I'm actually working right now on a project hook GIS web services into a cool new web-based stream mapping app I've been developing in my spare time. A trickle of paddler-related GIS functionality is starting to be provided as web services here and there, but I'd like to see that turn into more of a flood. I should have a working prototype before the fall paddling season, and my hope is that it'll be the seed around which some cool web services will crystalize. In other words, if there's a pretty cool app sitting around that can consume the data and make it usable and valuable to paddlers (and others), then hopefully GIS data like Joel's talking (like runoff prediction) about will follow. Sort of an "if you build it, they will come" philosophy.

I plan to make everything open-standards based (WSDL, KML, etc.) so it can handle representation of new data feeds without additional coding. I'm also expert at turning existing data sources into web services, so if there are sources of data that are not convenient to access, I can likely help make them more accessible. Holler at me if you want to plot and plan.

And I agree that Shelby is a top notch GIS guy - I'm hoping he'll get involved with this as it goes forward.

I'll keep working and hopefully have something to show for my efforts pretty soon!

- Fish