Data Watch » mapping; GIS

Stimulus: Recovery.gov adds a few maps

paulmonies — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:41:24 +0000

Tracking federal stimulus spending can get to be a full-time job in itself, so I always like it when officials make government data easy and accessible to use.

Take the latest maps from the federal recovery.gov site:

Looks pretty nice, right? It is, until you start drilling down into some of the data. Unfortunately, bureaucrat-ese is still alive and well. Here’s the description that popped up when I selected a stimulus project underway in Kingfisher:

1 Project

Recipient Name :URS GROUP, INC.
Project Description :COTTONWOOD 15 DECOMMISSIONING DESIGN – THIS TASK ORDER IS ISSUED UNDER AN EXISTING IDIQ (COMPETITIVE). THE ORIGINAL IDIQ DID NOT OBLIGATED FUNDS AND WAS NOT ENTERED INTO FPDS BY THE ORIGINAL CONTRACTING OFFICER.
Available Funds :$138,905
Project Location : KINGFISHER, OK

I have to admit, I have no idea what any of that means, other than who got the contract and for how much.

It took two more clicks to finally get a clue about what that project entailed. Apparently, the money is going to a Denver-based firm for some type of soil conservation engineering project in Kingfisher.

This is all fairly normal, at least according to the stimulus site explanation:

The orange dots indicate the location of a project funded under the Recovery Act. Click on a dot and see the company that received Recovery money, the project, the amount of money allocated for the project, and its location. In most cases, the company and the project are in the same state, but they may not be in the same city. There are instances when a company based in one state has a project in another state. For example, a company with headquarters in the South may have a project in the Midwest or Northeast. As data is submitted, we’ll update the map.

Meanwhile, over at Oklahoma’s official recovery site, here’s the latest table of disbursements, from early June. (Click to see larger version):

In fact, much of the Oklahoma-specific data remains trapped in PDF files here, with very little in the way of organization. And according to the site, the last meeting the coordinating council had about the stimulus was back in March. Maybe our auditor, the governor and others should take a look at what’s going on at other state stimulus sites, like Maryland.

–Paul

Checking out the EPA’s MyEnvironment site

paulmonies — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:05:02 +0000

If you live in or near Oklahoma City, you’ve no doubt heard about the pollution problems at the Oklahoma River (nee North Canadian River).

First, some triathletes were sickened after swimming in the river. That prompted the city to remind residents not to dump chemicals or other wastes into storm drains across the city, especially ones that feed directly into the river.

A "No Dumping” sticker is posted on a storm drain on the west side of the Oklahoma County Courthouse. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman

Now, the EPA has warned two local companies about animal waste running off into the river.

The companies in the EPA case have 30 days to resolve the matter, but in the meantime, you can check out the EPA’s MyEnvironment site. Just enter your ZIP code and get a wealth of information, from air quality and water quality to sites near you that have to report environmental data to the agency.

–Paul

State unveils mapping Web site

paulmonies — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:27:25 +0000

Need to find your closest post office? How about the nearest fire station, police station, school or tag agency?

Then check out the state’s newest Web site, OK.gov’s interactive mapping system.

Users can search for those places, and more, either by county or ZIP code.

“Our goal is to offer users a fully functioning map as a one-stop resource for state, county and local data in the state of Oklahoma,” said Mark Mitchell, general manager of OK.gov. “We look forward to expanding the maps information in the future with more data and new features, so we encourage users to come back often.”

And in the same vein, don’t forget to check out our mapping services on the Right to Know page.

–Paul

Mapping swine flu cases

paulmonies — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:19:33 +0000

With yesterday’s first confirmed case of the H1N1/swine flu in Oklahoma, that takes to 41 the number of states affected by the worldwide outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A number of maps tracking the H1NI flu outbreak are already widely available, but the New York Times had an interesting story about how several universities are using data models to predict future infections.

You can see some of the maps by Northwestern University here. (Caution: these are from the “worst-case” scenario.) Researchers there compiled data using several sources, including one that approximates human interactions from the circulation of dollar bills across the country.

Here’s one of their maps:

Meanwhile, researchers at Indiana University came up with many of the same conclusions when they predicted the course of flu infections.

Here’s one of the IU maps:

While we’ve all heard the calls for basic hygiene (vigilant hand-washing; covering your mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing) to help curtail the outbreak, this was an important point from one of the professors interviewed in the New York Times article:

But one thing remains true: “People have a very weird perception of large numbers,” (Dirk Brockmann) said. “If you have 2,000 cases of flu in a country of 300 million, most people think they’re going to be one of the 2,000, not one of the 299,998,000.”

(Don’t forget to check out our in-depth Know-It page on the flu.)

–Paul

GIS Day at the Capitol

paulmonies — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:00:36 +0000

I managed to spend a couple of hours this morning checking out the exhibits at the 15th Annual GIS Day at the Capitol. I would have liked to have spent a little longer, but what I did see while I was there impressed me.

Both Carter County GIS and the Chickasaw Nation had the latest maps and before and after aerial pictures of the deadly Feb. 10 tornado that hit Lone Grove. And the Oklahoma County Assessor had the damage assesments from the other tornado that day that sliced through Oklahoma City and Edmond.

I also learned that the good folks at Tinker Air Force Base are using GIS and GPS to track not only military operations, but the movements of the Texas Horned Lizard. It turns out a small population of the lizards are on base, said Natural Resources biologist Ray Moody.

Texas Horned Lizard

–Paul

This Wednesday: GIS Day at the Capitol

paulmonies — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:08:39 +0000

I confess: I’m a map geek.

At home, I’ve got several historic maps of my native Scotland hanging on the wall, and I seek out old maps whenever I’m on vacation.

Those old maps give me a sense of place and history, but there’s nothing outdated about the maps that will be on display Wednesday, March 11, at the Capitol in Oklahoma City. The 15th Annual GIS Day will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the First and Fourth Floor rotunda.

Almost 50 different exhibitors will be showing how they use maps and Geographic Information Systems technology to make decisions and deploy resources. The show is organized by the Oklahoma Geographic Information Council.

Shellie Willoughby, one of the organizers, said increased participation from public and private agencies led to the show being expanded to two floors this year. (Here’s some pictures from last year.)

“The goal is to educate state officials and the public to let them know how people are using GIS,” Willoughby said. “We’ve got everyone from county assessors to the Tax Commission and weather agencies using GIS daily.”

The exhibitors will have hands-on GIS demonstrations, presentations and plenty of maps. Making a return appearance will be students from the McClain County 4-H, who have set up a group called “GeoClovers” to use their mapping and GIS knowledge in the community.

Willoughby said popcorn and roasted almonds will also be available for visitors. Here’s a list of exhibitors this year:

OK Dept of Environmental Quality

INCOG

OK Dept of Wildlife Conservation

Moore Norman Technology Center

OK State Dept of Health

OK Dept of Agriculture, Food and Forestry

Cherokee Nation GeoData

OK Conservation Commission

Oklahoma Office of Geographic Information

Center for Spatial Analysis

OK Water Resources Board