GIS Ed Weekly: NGA seeks neurodiverse hires

Resources for Teaching and Learning

 

Journal of Maps: Mobile UX design: learning from the Flyover Country mobile app - "In the paper, we note UX design insights that are potentially transferable to other mobile mapping contexts, organizing insights by mobile representation design (scale, projection, symbolization, and typography) versus mobile interaction design (map entry point, bottom navigation, floating action button, and pull-up information panel)." A timely article to introduce UI/UX into a cartography or GIS course.

Kaiser Health News: Geography Is Destiny: Dentists’ Access to Covid Shots Depends on Where They Live - "A handful of states are making dentists a lower priority than other health professionals for inoculations, even though they have their hands in people’s mouths and are exposed to aerosols that spray germs in their faces." 

The Newark Advocate: Madsen: How geography explains the diffusion of the coronavirus - The author, Kenneth D. Madsen, is associate professor of geography at The Ohio State University at Newark.

 

The Conversation: Neighborhoods with MLK streets are poorer than national average and highly segregated, study reveals - "Poverty rates are almost double the national average in areas surrounding streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., according to our recent study, and educational attainment is much lower."

People 

ASU: ASU graduate maps new life in the US, finds 'family' in classmates - Arnold Chi Kedia, a Master of Advanced Study in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) fall 2020 graduate, found his way to GIS from Cameroon.

Science News: Marie Tharp’s groundbreaking maps brought the seafloor to the world - Betsy Mason explain how Tharp's "three decades of work as a geologist and cartographer at Columbia University gave scientists and the public alike their first glimpse of what the seafloor looks like."

 

NWI Times: Indiana's Middle School Geography Educator of the Year talks teaching in the pandemic - "Merv Barenie, a seventh-grade teacher at Griffith Middle School, is teaching this year with about two-thirds of his students in his classroom with the other third learning remotely." 

 

Florida Today: Fired DOH scientist Rebekah Jones arrested on felony computer charge, state sought computer ban - Jones, upon hearing she was under warrant drove from her new home in Washington DC to turn herself in to Florida authorities. She was ill and later tested positive for COVID-19. She is free on bail and a judge found the ban on internet activity was an overreach. See also: Rebekah Jones Interview with GeoHipster.

Substack: Why I'm Leaving Azavea to Join Umbra - Joe Morrison explains that he and two colleagues from Azavea are heading to an imagery startup. Please note that if you change jobs. you are under no obligation, ever, to tell anyone "why." But if you want to do so, feel free. I will note that like Joe, I am also a big Rob Cheetham fan.
 

Events

JISDaily (Jamaica): Competitions For GIS Day To Be Held Virtually On January 29 - The "conference" part of the event was held in November, but the competitions will be later this month. "These include the Poster, Jingle and Essay competitions, GIS Bee and Treasure Hunt. The Treasure Hunt will see students using their mobile devices to map the coordinates of specific landmarks in each parish to unlock clues to finding the hidden treasure."

Los Angeles Spatial Summit - The event, online, is sponsored by the USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute. It's online Friday February 26, 2021 with fees running from $25 to $35. Registration is now open. Via @cal_cgia.  

Meanwhile in our Industry

Android Police: Google Maps is rolling out incredibly accurate street-level details in these 4 cities - "Google is now ... rolling out super accurate street details in four major cities, which include crosswalks, pedestrian islands, and more." What four cities? San Fran, London, Tokyo, and NYC.

Programs and Courses

AAG: Advocate for Geography in Austerity - "This is Part 2 of a two-part column on what geography departments can do (and should not do) to advocate for their work in budget talks, which are all the more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic" from AAG president Amy Lobben.  

The Varsity (U Toronto): A guide to UTSC’s new 2021–2022 course offerings - Among the new geography courses is a "new C-level Human geography course, GGRC15 — Spatial Databases and Applications, will focus on relational database management systems, specifically in relation to spatial data, and relationships and operations."

Temple: Virtual dinner highlights the harsh realities of forced migration - Students in Development and Globalization enjoyed a meal and discussion with refugees thanks to adjunct instructor Seyeon Hwang “A Cultural Dinner with Refugees.” While the event typically occurs face to face, this past fall it was online.

On and Off Campus

NC State: "Before graduating, @NCSUgeospatial students used GIS creatively to solve issues in public health, racial justice and more. Check out their inspiring projects!" Via @NCStateCNR. 

Careers

NGA: NGA launches neurodiversity pilot - "The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency launched a pilot program in December to increase opportunities for neurodiverse individuals, including those on the autism spectrum. The Neurodiverse Federal Workforce pilot program is a collaborative effort between NGA, MITRE, a not-for-profit R&D company, and Melwood, a D.C. nonprofit providing job opportunities to people with disabilities." I suspect they will find some excellent employees.

January Canadian Geospatial Virtual Career Seminar: This fee-based half day event will "teach you how to get more interviews." Via Jonathan Murphy on LinkedIn.

Esri 

The Denver Channel: Creator of COVID-19 vaccine map hopes to build trust, inspire others to share their stories - "'That’s really the whole idea is to build trust and encourage other people to get the vaccine,' said [Esri's] Jeremiah Lindemann, a geographic data and information analyst who is behind the new map." 

Esri UK: "Some fun for ArcGIS Online users. What level are are you up to with your ArcGIS Online skills and use? Just sign in to automatically check what badges you have, post the results online." Via Jason Sawle, @GIS4Schools.