Latest Contributions by JosephKerski

I wrote a reflection about a recent article about potential harm to endangered plant species from location tagged data that might be of interest:   https://spatialreserves.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/potential-harm-to-rare-species-from-location-tagged-data/   For those of you who are instructors, it might spark some excellent discussion in class. ~~Joseph Kerski ... View more

We’re excited to celebrate GIS Day 2017 with you here on GeoNet! Join in the worldwide geo-festivities and let us know how you’re celebrating this year by sharing your GIS Day stories and experiences (pictures, videos, comments or links to other content) and answering one of the questions below.     How have you helped others learn about and apply GIS in their work or lives this year? What personal GIS projects are you most proud of? What areas GIS would you like to explore more this year? What GIS skills would you like to improve in? What is one way you’d like to see GIS change the world? Celebrate with your GeoNet profile picture! Download one of these images and upload them to your GeoNet profile to show your love for GIS:  GIS Day 2017 - "Be The Force That Inspires Change" profile image‌ GIS Day 2017 - "I love GIS" profile image‌ GIS Day 2017 - "Globe" profile image‌   Thanks for sharing and we look forward to seeing your contributions and be sure to follow GIS Day group and check out more content in the group! ... View more

Curation of spatial data is an important topic for anyone working in GIS, particularly with the advent of web GIS.  In this dynamic environment, services behind the layers in any online map could change, rendering components of that map unusable.  Yes, even your maps and mine.  Let’s make an example of a weather map tied to a lesson that I created and frequently use.    This lesson asks students to analyze the patterns of wind speed, wind direction, pressure, and temperature, for the USA and for the world, asking them to consider latitude, altitude, proximity to coastlines, prevailing winds, high and low pressure zones, and stream gauging stations.  The lesson asks students to make weather predictions in specific cities and to interpolate surfaces (by state, to keep the lesson manageable) of temperature, pressure, and wind speed based on point data.  I love this data set and lesson because they (1) require hands-on inquiry and investigation; (2) connect geography, meteorology, climatology, mathematics, physics, GIS, and change over space and time; (3) use real time data that are interesting and that students can tie to their own local observations; (4) use weather data that is global in nature. Admittedly, some countries have relatively few weather observations in the data set, but even that fact that be turned into a teachable moment (“can we trust an interpolated surface from only 2 observations in that country?”).     Several educators alerted me recently to the fact that the weather layer containing current wind speed, wind direction, temperature, pressure, and other variables was no longer working in my map.  How did these educators know it was my layer and how to contact me?  Well, I maintain metadata for my maps and layers in ArcGIS Online, and also a profile for each of my ArcGIS Online accounts, so that data users know how to contact me.  I encourage you to do the same—populate metadata for your maps and maintain a profile in ArcGIS Online.  Besides being a good steward and serving the community with the metadata that you provide, doing this can also save you time in data curation, and can even be a lifesaver.  While this doesn’t excuse you from periodically checking your maps and layers to make sure they are working properly, I suspect that many of us have a large number maps and layers online and a lack of staff we can delegate data curation tasks to. The resulting reality is that sometimes some of our content is not working as it should.  Therefore, I really appreciated that these data users notified me!   In short, in my Feature Layer item: http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=89dca88ea1d34c4d8ded02ca21e540d5 was a reference to ‘tmservices1.esri.com’, which I needed to replace with ‘livefeeds.arcgis.com’. It had the same service directory and name; just the server had changed.   To update my map, I needed to point to the updated location of the layer.  I could have done this either by re-creating my web map from scratch, and pointing to the new location, or by accessing my layer’s data service, using the AGOL Assistant by using the “Update the URLs of Services in a Web Map” as shown below.   Here is URL of one of my services: https://livefeeds.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/LiveFeeds/NOAA_METAR_current_wind_speed_direction/MapServer/0           Another thing I needed to address now that the service had changed was as follows:  Using the livefeeds server requires the user to have an account in ArcGIS Online.  This new situation means that the users of my map now need to log in to ArcGIS Online to use it.  But let’s say I want to provide an option for anyone to open the map, even if they do not have an ArcGIS Online account.  That way, anyone could complete the first part of the lesson, before the steps requiring the analysis tools.  Once the analysis steps are reached, everyone needs to be logged in.   To allow users to use the map without logging in, I created a “Stored Credential” item for this layer or service under my account and then I added the resulting item to the map. In my case, the Live Feed Services require subscription access, but will not consume credits.  Creating the stored credential allows anyone to access my layer by using my own ArcGIS Online credentials.   Once done, I added the layer to my map, shared it publicly, and now, anyone can open my web map in ArcGIS Online without being asked to log in.   I decided to create two identical maps, one for the educator and student who just wants to work through the front half of my lesson, that did not require a log in, and one for those who want to complete the entire lesson.  Once I created these two maps, I rewrote the front part of my lesson as follows: Open and save map.  Open either of the following maps that use ArcGIS Online: http://arcg.is/1qXXjH   This is the Real Time Weather Map Starting Point that requires you to be logged in to ArcGIS Online, because it is accessing data in the Living Atlas of the World.  Use this map if you wish to run through this entire exercise, including the analysis steps.  After you log in, save this map in your own ArcGIS Online account’s workspace.  As you work through the steps below in this exercise, save your map after each step. http://arcg.is/Oir1j This is the Real Time Weather Map Starting Point that does not require a log in.  Use this map if you are simply doing a visual inspection of the patterns that you see on the map.  You can change the style, filter the data, and perform other tasks, but you will not be able to complete the interpolation portion of this exercise with this map and without logging in to ArcGIS Online. For further investigation about storing credentials for map services, read the documentation here.  If you are interested in more weather data, see the layers supporting the USA Weather Warnings and Watches Live Feed Service, which are maintained automatically. These layers contain even more information than the layers tied to the map that I use in my lesson, including Public Forecast Zones, Fire Forecast Zones, and Coastal/Offshore Marine Zones as well as current Warnings and Watches.  ... View more

Here is a fun and interactive map (full URL here) that you could use to teach spatial thinking and Web GIS fundamentals.  This map shows the results of NFL (National Football League) football week-by-week data.  Why are the team locations distributed as they are?  How does the spatial pattern of football teams compare to those of professional basketball, hockey, or baseball?  How has the spatial pattern of the football teams changed recently and how will it change in the future, and why? (recent moves of teams to Los Angeles and an impending move to Las Vegas).  Use ArcGIS Online to investigate city size.  What seems to be the minimum size threshold for a city to have an NFL team?  What large cities do not have an NFL team, and why?  (Birmingham Alabama, Portland Oregon, or Memphis Tennessee, for example).  What is an example of a smaller city that has an NFL team? (Green Bay, Wisconsin).   You can also explore this map to illustrate how the Esri Web AppBuilder, the storymaps builder, and other tools can be used to create interactive web mapping applications in ArcGIS Online.  Examine how animated GIFs can be used in the creation of web maps - in this case, the sleepy, happy, and sad football faces depend on the team’s results for the previous week.    For the GIS professionals reading this, you could show this map to your friends and family to introduce them to the idea of web mapping applications and what GIS is.  You could also show this as your attention-getting starting point if you are visiting a school as a geomentor (http://geomentors.net) or for something to demonstrate on GIS Day (www.gisday.com).    The map is updated after each Monday Night game (and thus the map after Week 6 below will unfortunately show the sad faces in Green Bay and Denver).   For more information, see my video with further details.  If you would like to further pursue the connections between sports and geotechnologies, see the chapter on geotechnologies that Jill Clark and I wrote in the book Practical Sports Coaching by Christine Nash. ... View more

The GIS community has always had strong connections to education.  For years, many GIS professionals have freely given their time and skills to encourage and foster the use of GIS in geography, language arts, history, biology, environmental studies, mathematics, and other disciplines in schools.  A geomentor program is a structured and safe framework that provides a network through which faculty, students, and GIS, geography, and/or STEM professionals come together on a regional or national scale to promote the use of spatial thinking and GIS in education in concrete ways.  Geomentor programs usually focus on primary and secondary schools.  Esri and the AAG have been collaborating on a geomentoring program for years that is encouraging deep and frequent use of GIS in public, private, and home schools in the USA.  Some other countries have expressed interest in beginning their own geomentoring programs.  To encourage geomentoring programs, I have created a new presentation and three geomentoring videos that cover my own background in geomentoring and credentials in this subject; four tenets of geomentoring; and why I believe this is the ideal time to start a geomentoring program in your part of the world and/or tap into the existing geomentor networks that already exist (such as geomentors.net in the USA for example). These resources also cover what geoliteracy is, advice in setting up a geomentor program, important traits in any geomentor program, ways of geomentoring, success stories, messages to give to students, tips to help geomentors engage with faculty or students, and ways geomentors could use web GIS, crowdsourcing, field work, spatial analysis, and story mapping in their geomentoring efforts.   Presentation:  Mentoring for GeoLiteracy   Video series, Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih1YHOgiaQs&list=UUdShBEYmIgoDn34bi1vVA9w&index=3   Video series, Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXh3UatXE04&list=UUdShBEYmIgoDn34bi1vVA9w&index=2   Video series, Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QkBC4-HPcQ&list=UUdShBEYmIgoDn34bi1vVA9w Geomentoring is wonderfully diverse, and can take many forms.  This presentation and videos do not represent the only way that geomentoring can be done, but simply some guidance. It is heartfelt and it is my hope that it sparks some ideas, and encourages more involvement in this important effort, globally.  ... View more

A GeoMentor is a volunteer who can help a teacher or youth club leader build capacity to help students engage with GIS. Using tools of geography (such as digital or hard copy maps), and even field work, the GeoMentor helps the educator and youth develop skills in geographic thinking. To provide practical skills and strategies to encourage geomentoring around the world, I have created a 3 part video series on geomentoring, including what geomentoring is, why it matters, what geoliteracy is, 8 pieces of advice when setting up a geomentor program, 5 traits for a geomentor program, example ways of geomentoring that I have been involved with, 3 success stories, key messages to share with students, 6 tips of engagement as GIS professionals work with educators and students, tools and maps to use in geomentoring, and resources to keep moving forward.    Part 1:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih1YHOgiaQs&list=UUdShBEYmIgoDn34bi1vVA9w&index=3   Part 2:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXh3UatXE04&list=UUdShBEYmIgoDn34bi1vVA9w&index=2   Part 3:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QkBC4-HPcQ&list=UUdShBEYmIgoDn34bi1vVA9w I have posted the presentation (in Sway, online), that I used to create these videos, as an additional resource, here: Mentoring for GeoLiteracy  I hope this content is useful and I look forward to your feedback.  ~~Joseph Kerski ... View more

The column I write for Directions Magazine called Geoinspirations is now over 1 year old.  It features people who are making a positive difference through their work in GIS, geography, oceanography, climatology, city planning, and related fields. I thank the Directions editors Rebeckah Flowers and Barbaree Duke for believing in this column and supporting it.  I have personally enjoyed very much interacting with the people I have interviewed and written about; just thinking about them makes me smile.  Here is a spiffy new page in Directions Magazine, where they are all featured in a gallery:   https://www.directionsmag.com/playlist/6651   Consider using this column to inspire your students, but also to help them see the variety of career pathways possible. This is a great tribute to these individuals and to our geo-field that we have such a diversity of backgrounds and stories, but with some common visions, too!      If you know of someone who should be featured, please let me know. ~~ Joseph Kerski ... View more

A new landing page now exists for apps that allow for the exploration of Landsat remotely sensed data that your students could use to examine geology, urban growth, water and water quality, and more, called "Unlock Earth's Secrets:" http://www.esri.com/landing-pages/software/landsat/unlock-earths-secrets I explain how to teach with this tool, here: https://community.esri.com/community/education/blog/2017/04/14/new-and-improved-landsat-apps  This web application highlights some of the capabilities for accessing Landsat imagery layers, powered by ArcGIS for Server, accessing Landsat Public Datasets running on the Amazon Web Services Cloud. The layers are updated with new Landsat images on a daily basis. One of the new and improved Landsat images apps now available.  ... View more

Folks: I am teaching an online course in story maps for educators - beginning January 2018 - details here: http://www.enetlearning.org/register-for-courses/telling-your-story-with-esri-story-maps/ Hope to see you there and please tell your colleagues! --Joseph Kerski  ... View more

Since we are getting ready to celebrate Earth Science Week, Geography Awareness Week, and GIS Day (www.gisday.com) in the next two months, this seems like an appropriate time to mention the resources available through the Esri sciences portal in ArcGIS Online (http://science.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html).  Teaching with and learning from the resources on the sciences portal is easily done with only a web browser required, yet the portal includes key themes in the sciences and offers an immersive, rich set of 2D and 3D maps and apps.  For example, the Drought Tracker allows you to examine drought since the year 2000 by region and by county, making it easy to combine themes of climate, weather, landforms, land use, and the disciplines of science, geography, and mathematics.  Other maps and data sets cover the topics of ocean currents, sea surface temperature, satellite image bands, and more.   Click on Gallery to see the full set of maps available here.  Click on Apps-> Web to see even more.  From the landing page URL above, click on “scene” for a gallery of 3D scenes, including visualizing typhoons, airline routes, and cities. My favorite of these scenes, though, is the “interesting places” set, which guides you to spectacular Earth landforms such as volcanic craters, incised river meanders, and others around the world This set can be used as an instructional aid in geomorphology, earth science, or physical geography courses.  The scene covers the entire Earth, so at any point you can zoom and pan to other landforms that you wish to examine and encourage your students to do the same.  And check back often because the science portal is refreshed often.  Landing page in the Esri Science Portal. 3D Scenes in the Esri Science Portal. ... View more