News

December 2007: Opening of New GIS Laboratory at University of Sarajevo
Members of the Kingston Centre for GIS were present at the official opening of the new GIS Laboratory in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Sarajevo. The Laboratory, funded through the EU Tempus program, is part of the modernisation of the curriculum at the University of Sarajevo within the Bologna process.

In addition to faculty from Kingston University, partners from the Sorbonne and Sarajevo were present at the ceremony, with speeches from representatives of the University of Sarajevo, Canton Sarajevo and Kingston University. As part of the ceremony, certificates were presented to students who had recently attended a short course in GIS at the University of Sarajevo run by participants in the Tempus program training sessions.

December 2007: Final Meeting of EU Tempus Project
The final meeting of the EU Tempus project involving the Universities of Kingston, Graz, Paris IV (The Sorbonne) and Sarajevo took place in Paris in early October 2007. The Kingston Centre for GIS was represented by James O?Brien, Guy Robinson and Nigel Walford. The meeting, held in the Institute de Geographie at the Sorbonne, evaluated the implementation of the project, which had commenced the previous year. It reported on the successful opening of a new GIS laboratory in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Sarajevo, and on the completion of a short course in GIS there taught by the Bosnian collaborating partners in the Tempus project.

The partners agreed to continue their collaboration by acting as an external panel of advisors to the new GIS laboratory. They also agreed to look for future possibilities for funded collaboration in research, distance learning and educational opportunities. During the meeting work was begun on preparation of the final Tempus report, which will be submitted in January 2008. A key outcome of the project is that the new GIS laboratory will act as a vital resource for the university and wider community in Sarajevo. The newly trained Bosnian staff will be inserting GIS into the curriculum in the Departments of Geography and Biology as part of the implementation of the Bologna process that is helping to modernise curricula and generally upgrade higher education in Bosnia.

December 2007: New library stock!
We are pleased to announce that the stock of books and journals supporting GIS courses in the Penrhyn Road library is about to be swelled considerably. Kingston maintains one of the most comprehensive libraries of GIS texts in the UK having been the first University to offer GIS degrees.

Adding to our already impressive book list are some 42 new texts which are either in stock or on order currently. They will be appearing on shelves soon! Additionally, we are increasing our journal subscriptions to include the following:
The Cartographic Journal
Cartographica
Cartography and Geographic Information Science
GeoInformatica
Journal of Geographical Systems
Journal of Spatial Science

December 2007: KCGIS receive grant for biodiversity study
Dr Ken Field and Ian Greatbatch have been awarded £5000 to contribute to a large scale biodiversity project that aims to catalogue the flora and fauna on Kingston University's campuses. Their role will be in setting up a spatial database to catalogue the biodiversity of the campus, maintaining attribute data from a large ground survey and preparing maps to inform future estates policy.

December 2007:New distance learning MSc in GISS
The Kingston Centre for GIS is pleased to announce a new distance learning MSc in Geographical Information Systems and Science.

The course is currently going through the University planning process and, subject to validation , will have its first intake in September 2008.

The course will complement our current mixed-mode MSc in Applied GIS and be available in full distance learning mode, delivered using our state-of-the-art online learning management system. Students will take 8 modules either full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) and then a research project (dissertation). Interim awards of Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma will be available for those who do not wish to take the full MSc. Students will have the opportunity of attending summer schools, intensive short course practicals (should they choose) and an optional module in Mobile GIS which takes place over 10 days in June on Malta.

Fees for the course are likely to be the same as other Postgraduate MSc courses in the Faculty of Science (click here for current fees).

The GIS team is committed to providing high quality courses with state-of-the-art equipment to equip graduates with the knowledge, understanding and skills demanded. We see this new MSc as an important development of GISS at Kingston.

Further details will appear on our web site shortly but for further information please don't hesitate to contact the Course Director, Dr Ken Field (k.field@kingston.ac.uk)

December 2007: KCGIS help develop Marine Digimap
After our successful contribution on the expert panel and, subsequently, as early adopters and testers of Edina'a new MasterMap download service, KCGIS are now helping to develop Marine Digimap for a January 2008 release.

Edina hosts important collections of digital data for use by researchers, academics and students. Marine Digimap is to be the next addition to their digital data services which already includes OS MasterMap, OS Historical data, BGS Geological data amongst others.

Marine Digimap provides marine and coastal zone mapping and data from SeaZone Solutions Ltd.

The new service will provide raster marine maps of various scales and detail (derived from Admiralty Charts), which are ideal for back-drop mapping in the UK coastal zone. The real advance though, is that users will be able to download SeaZone Hydrospatial - a feature rich vector GIS product, containing `topic` layers such as `Bathymetry and Elevation`, `Structures and Obstructions?`and `Conservation and Environmental Protection` amongst others.

Marine Digimap can be used in a multitude of ways including Coastal Planning, Marine Biology and Ecology, Marine and Coastal Leisure Management, Engineering/Technology and all Ocean and Earth Sciences.

Kingston's GIS students already have access to OS MasterMap and Historic digimap through their Athens account login. We will be exploring ways of securing access to Geologic Digimap and Marine Digimap in the near future.

December 2007: New MSc external examiner
KCGIS are delighted to announce that Professor Michael Batty has agreed to be our new external examiner for MSc programmes in GIS. Currently the Bartlett Professor of Planning and Director of the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) at University College London, Mike is prominent in the field of GIS and spatial analysis. He has published widely and is author of many important texts.

Prior to his move to UCL in 1995 to set up CASA, Mike was previously Director of the SUNY Buffalo site of NCGIA (1990-1995) and was Professor and Head of the Department of City and Regional Planning in the University of Wales at Cardiff from 1979 until 1990.

His research is in the development of computer based technologies, specifically graphics-based and mathematical models for cities, and he has worked recently on applications of fractal geometry and cellular automata to urban structure.

He is the Editor of the journal Environment and Planning B and was awarded the CBE for 'services to geography' in the 2004 Birthday Honours List. Rrecent books include:
GIS, Spatial Analysis and Modelling ESRI Press 2005
Cities and Complexity The MIT Press 2005
Advanced Spatial Analysis: The CASA book of GIS ESRI Press 2003
Spatial Analysis: Modelling in a GIS Environment Wiley 1996
Fractal Cities Academic Press 1996

November 2007: The student Google map
The Kingston Centre for GIS home page now sports a map illustrating the home location of all our current undergraduate and postgraduate students. Dr James O'Brien developed the map using Javascript, creating a lookup to geocode postcode (or equivalent international locator) to lat/long before rendering it using the Google maps application interface. The coordinates have been truncated to incorporate a random element. Symbols cannot be used to locate individuals precisely.

a larger window can be opened which includes a legend and an overview window. All the usual Google features for panning, zooming and rendering satellite and mixed mode map displays are available. It's a terrific example of the integration between GIS and web mapping applications. Thanks James.

November 2007: New KCGIS merchandise
Kingston Centre for GIS has teamed up with Café Press to offer an exciting range of merchandise in addition to our own embroidered polo shirts and survey 'caps'. You can still order your shirt or cap directly from Ken but take a look at the KCGIS shop online for a great selection of alternative products from women specific shirts to mugs, mouse mats, hoodies, messenger bags and what is sure to be a winner: KCGIS men's boxer shorts and women's thongs (or women's boxer shorts and men's thongs... up to you really!).

We will be adding more products and different designs from time to time and if there is something different you want just let us know and we'll see what we can do. All products are shipped directly to your door. Could it be any easier?

Head over to the shop at Centre for GIS online store. It'll soon be Christmas!

November 2007: Post-doctoral research positions
Swansea and Kingston Universities seek to appoint two postdoctoral researchers to work on an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project on ?Older People?s Use of Unfamiliar Space?. The project explores older people?s use and navigation of unfamiliar environments as drivers, pedestrians and public transport users. The project has been funded under the UK Cross Council New Dynamics of Ageing Programme. One researcher will be based at Swansea University in the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ageing with Judith Phillips, Professor of Gerontology and the other at Kingston University with Nigel Walford, Professor of Applied GIS in the Centre for Earth and Environmental Sciences Research, School of Earth Sciences and Geography.

Further particulars are available here

November 2007: Celebrate GIS Day!
GIS Day has been celebrated in the USA since the late 1980s as a mechanism to increase public awareness in Geography and, latterly, GIS. It stems from the distressing facts that many Americans have a poor knowledge of geography and the world around us. Startling facts like 'only 37% of Americans can locate Iraq on a world map' are the sort of statistics that we might have previously found somewhat humorous but, alas, we ought to look in the mirror a bit more. a recent UK survey reveals equally distressing results with a third of the UK population (OK - a third of the 1000 people quizzed more accurately!!!) thinking Mount Everest is in Europe and DIY superstores are the most visited local 'landmark'. Respondents were also quizzed on what they remembered most about geography lessons at school from a list of eight topics, with maps coming top with 24%, rocks/erosion and 'don't know' in joint second place with 16% and farming in last place with 5%. Good news for maps, but not much else to celebrate.

GIS Day has, probably with good reason, now found its way across the pond and has been heavily promoted by ESRI(UK) with over 30 schools, colleges and Universities getting involved in some GIS based activity. GIS Day focuses on mapping and GIS in action to show people that an increased understanding in geography is a life skill and that GIS is used routinely in every-day life. UK involvement is timely with GIS being introduced into the new geography curriculum next year. GIS goes much further than simply helping to modernise geography in the classroom. It provides a framework for much of what we do and underpins all our daily lives. There are a multitude of career paths in GIS. The most common question we get at open days is 'what job can I get with a degree in GIS'? The answer is usually along the lines of 'the world is your oyster' as GIS graduates are often in high demand by business, commerce, local government, environmental organisations, NGOs etc etc (really, the list is endless!).geography underpins all our lives and GIS provides knowledge, understanding and skills to practice the subject in a wide variety of careers.

In supporting GIS Day, Steve Brace, Head of Education and Outdoor Learning, Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) said: 'GIS is more than just Sat Nav ? in short, these digital maps give us better ways of understanding our world by combining and mapping different types of information. So it might be geographers comparing data on a previous heat-wave, with concentrations of elderly people in London Boroughs to help plan health services ? or planning the regeneration work that is taking place on the 2012 Olympics site in East London. So we have GIS to thank, both when our Pizzas are delivered piping hot and also when better informed planning decisions are taken in relation to where we live and our local environments.' David Lambert, Professor of Geography Education & Chief Executive of the Geographical Association added 'Geography helps us make sense of the world and face vital issues such as climate change, energy, food production, the 'war on terror', water and poverty. It also touches all our lives everyday, from businesses to schools, government to hospitals. And with GIS technology its benefits are becoming even more widespread, helping people use geographic information to gain new insights and make more informed decisions. New technologies (GIS) are helping teach about such relationships and give more 'power' to the subject, enabling students to engage with the world more effectively. GIS gives a boost to the subject, helping to deliver real-world relevance and giving young people a new set of skills the market needs ? not just ICT ? but the mental skills needed for data analysis and problem solving, highly relevant to a whole host of future educational paths and occupations. Promoting geography and GIS is

November 2007: New equipment has arrived
The GIS research laboratory (190A) has just received some new equipment. We have taken delivery of two new high quality stereoscopic screen setups for use in satellite/aerial photogrammetry; complex geovisualization and 3D rendering.

Additionally, Simon Davies of MarketDeveloper has kindly donated a high quality TDS A0 digitising table which we have installed and adds to our existing digitising facilities. MarketDeveloper is a data management and database solution provider based in SW London and has been involved in providing database solutions since 1973. The digitiser was surplus to requirements and we are extremely grateful to Simon for the donation.

All Level 3 and MSc GIS students can access the GIS research laboratory to use the specialised equipment and as quiet space for dissertation studies.

October 2007: GIS students out and about
Year 3 GIS student Andrew Roberts proudly wore his new Centre for GIS baseball cap at Oceana nightclub recently. We wanted GIS students to forge a closer community...Andrew is taking this seriously! No doubt we'll be getting orders for more baseball caps soon. They were designed for mobile GIS survey work but clearly look equally impressive as club-wear under the ultra-violet lights.

There is still time to get your Centre for GIS merchandise. Contact Ken Field to secure your clubbing gear!

October 2007: Centre for GIS welcomes Ian Greatbatch
The Centre for GIS recently held interviews for the vacant post of Lecturer in GIS (Distance Learning) and is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Greatbatch. Ian should find himself at home being a Kingston GIS graduate. After graduating in 2001, he joined the Centre for Advance Spatial Analysis (CASA) at University College London where he worked for 3 years, as a researcher and consultant on numerous GIS projects. During that time he also completed his Masters degree by research.

In 2004 he moved to City University to undertake a PhD in the new field of ethnophysiography. He is in the final stages of writing up the research. Ian is due to start mid-October and will be primarily responsible for the delivery and maintenance of our Professional Distance Learning training course.

Ian is a keen climber and cricketer. He spends a lot of his spare time working as crew on the RNLI lifeboat at Chiswick. He is enthusiastic about GI in all applications and the application of GIS to new and unusual themes. He is active in research in the fields of Search and Rescue, Coastal Geomorphology and Mountain Morphometry. He is commonly regarded as Geography's most eligible bachelor (Ian's words -Ed.).

A very warm welcome Ian from all at the Centre for GIS. Welcome back!

October 2007: Centre for GIS praised for rapid response to applicant queries
An undercover operation led by Kingston University's web and marketing teams has praised the Centre for GIS for its rapid and informative response to applicant queries. A series of 'quality control' emails were sent to a range of people, including one from an applicant interested in the MSc Applied GIS course.

The 'spoof' applicant received a detailed, individual response within 2 hours of sending their email request for information. This was the quickest turnaround of all those sent and illustrates the commitment of the GIS team to provide a first class service to current and prospective students.

It was a shame the 'student' didn't enrol...he had very good `qualifications` ;-)

September 2007: James finally gets an office!
After 9 months, Dr James O'Brien has finally been provided with a proper office. He can be found in Room 147. This, of course, means that the GIS Research lab, Room 190A, will be reverting to its original use. All Level 3 and MSc GIS students have access to the GIS Research lab for private study and to use the specialist equipment. The equipment comprises 4 dedicated PCs, an A0 digitising table and 2 3-dimensional screens.

September 2007: Get your 2007/8 GIS course pen drive
Owing to the fact that Kingston University`s print room decided they were `too busy` (!!!), GIS students will not, unfortunately, be receiving a printed copy of the GIS Course handbook for 2007/8.

Not to be thwarted, and in an effort to save trees, our friends at ESRI-UK have kindly supplied some pen drives onto which we have pre-loaded the course handbook, semester timetables, samples of the Journal of Maps, The Cartographic Journal, campus maps, Library and IT induction materials and some surprises! Grab your pen drive at induction or from Dr Ken Field.

Some day all course booklets will be this way...

September 2007: Put yourself on the map!
The Kingston Centre for GIS is pleased to announce a new range of merchandise exclusively tailored for GIS students to wear with pride! We have listened to a number of current and former students and designed a high quality heavyweight embroidered polo shirt (in sand colour) along with a high-viz yellow baseball cap. The KCGIS `globes` logo is displayed prominently on each item along with `Kingston University London: Centre for GIS`.

Both items are available for purchase from the start of term and demand is sure to be high. The polo shirt is available for £15 and the high-viz cap is £12. These prices are what the items have cost to produce and are not being sold at profit. The baseball cap is particularly well suited for use when surveying or when out and about with mobile GIS!

For further details, see the merchandise poster (hi-res 6MB, medium-res 800Kb or lo-res) or please see Dr Ken Field if you are interested in ordering. If demand is high enough we will extend the range to include other clothing items in due course. We might even get a special pair of cycling gloves embroidered for Mike ;-)

September 2007: New GIS dissertation prizes...read on!
Ordnance Survey, the UK`s national mapping agency has kindly agreed to sponsor the Kingston University GIS dissertation prize. In fact, two prizes! The awards will be made for the first time for the best undergraduate GIS dissertation and the best Masters in Applied GIS dissertation submitted in 2008. Each award will comprise a £100 cheque and an engraved plaque (to keep). So, all returning third years and Masters students now have an added incentive!

The GIS team is proud to be associated with Ordnance Survey in this way and is grateful to the organisation and, in particular, Director General and CEO Vanessa Lawrence, for supporting the University and the GIS courses. Vanessa is a Visiting Fellow of Kingston University and has supported GIS in a number of ways including giving a keynote lecture at our School `GIS taster` day in June 2007.

September 2007: British Cartographic Society Annual Symposium
Dr Ken Field attended the British Cartographic Society 44th Annual Symposium, 6-8th September in Chester . The annual symposium is an opportunity for UK cartographers and GIS users to get together to explore developments in the discipline and was attended by over 120 people. The keynote Helen Wallis presentation was delivered by the CEO and Director General of Ordnance Survey, Vanessa Lawrence. One of the points made by Vanessa is that we should, as a community, be more proactive in remembering important figures in our discipline. To that end, below is a short description of Helen Wallis, in whose memory the keynote address at the BCS Symposium is given.

Helen Wallis (1925-1995) was an outstanding cartographic scholar. Her professional career was in the Map Room of the British Museum (latterly the Map Library of the British Library) until retirement in 1990. She was the chairman of the standing commission on the history of cartography of the International Cartographic Association. In 1986, she became president of the International Map Collectors' Society and she was a founder of The Geography and Map Section of the International Federation of Library Associations. She served as President of the British Cartographic Society and was awarded their gold medal.

Ken gave an invited workshop on using ArcGIS to design small scale thematic maps with an emphasis on de-mystifiying GIS as a tool for map design and production. Whilst map design has always been problematic in a GIS environment, ArcGIS is now, at long last, beginning to incorporate high quality map design and editing tools to create effective maps. In another capacity, ken can be seen right awarding Bernhard Jenny with the Henry Johns award for the best paper in Volume 43 of The Cartographic Journal.

September 2007: Society of Cartographers

Dr Mike Smith and Dr Ken Field attended the Society of Cartographers 43rd Annual Summer School held at University of Portsmouth 3rd - 6th September . Mike gave an invited lecture on the use of DEMs for both earth and Mars related analysis and exploration. Ken gave an invited lecture on the relationship between cartography and GIS and the importance of design in mapping the results of geographical analysis. The summer school was well attended and the talks went down well.

August 2007: Major research grant to investigate data for National Brownfield Strategy
A team from Kingston University has won a sought-after contract to review the process by which the Government collects, stores and provides access to information about brownfield sites across England. The National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land and Buildings (NLUD-PDL) provides an inventory of the national stock of vacant and/or derelict land and buildings in England. It also provides an inventory of occupied land and buildings with redevelopment potential. NLUD-PDL is essential to National Brownfield Strategy for England as it provides important information about previously developed land.

The project will review the way data are collected in order to make information on the extent and location of brownfield land as reliable, accessible and comprehensive as possible to help Government meet its targets for bringing brownfield land back into productive use. English Partnerships and the Department of Communities and Local Government are funding the work and the multi-disciplinary project team includes Professor Nigel Walford, Professor Sarah Sayce, Dr Peter Garside, David Livingstone and Tony Vickers, together with colleagues from the GeoInformation Group. A comprehensive questionnaire survey of local authorities and interviews with representatives from these and other stakeholders will be carried out to assess current procedures and practice. In addition expert workshops will be held and wider discussion will be promoted via an interactive website. A comparative analysis of approaches to collecting, storing and providing access to brownfield and land use data in other European countries gives the work an international dimension.

August 2007: International Cartographic Association Conference (Moscow)
Dr Ken Field attended the 23rd International Cartographic Conference in Moscow 4-10th August. As editor of The Cartographic Journal, it was a good opportunity to meet with cartographers, map-makers and GIS users who come together every 2 years for this important event. It was also an opportunity to meet with old friends. The picture at left shows Ken enjoying a (particularly expensive) beer with members of the international editorial board of The Cartographic Journal, Jonathan Rowell, Bill Cartwright, Zhilin Li, Alex Kent, Menno-Jan Kraak and David Forrest. Bill, from RMIT University, Melbourne was elected as the new President of the International Cartographic Association at the meeting ? many congratulations! David Fairbairn (Newcastle University and a member of The Cartographic Journal?s Editorial Board) was elected as Secretary General of the ICA, again, congratulations David!

The conference itself provided a showcase for global cartography. National mapping organizations, university cartography programmes, and software and data vendors attend the ICC to share latest research in cartography and associated disciplines. Conference sessions are organized by ?commissions? which are focussed on specific areas of cartography, like generalization, internet cartography, use and useability, mountain cartography, or childrens mapping. The ICA website has a complete listing of all the commissions.

Ken met up with friends and colleagues from Ordnance Survey and ESRI and despite some odd food, bizarre conference organisation and even more bizarre happenings (including being ?taken? to a ministerial reception on a coach with little explanation) the week was a success with many productive meetings. It was also an opportunity to meet with some GIS ?stars? such as Bob McMaster, David DiBiase and Barbara ?Babs? Buttenfield and discuss the development of GIS and what we are doing at Kingston University. The next ICC is in Santiago, Chile in 2009.

July 2007: UK Data Archive 40th birthday
In 1967, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) (as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) was then called) supported the establishment of a national Archive for the collection and maintenance of data from surveys, questionnaires or interviews. The UK Data Archive celebrates its 40th birthday in 2007 and is of relevance to KCGIS because Professor Nigel Walford worked as a senior and then chief research officer at The Archive between 1982-89. The photograph displayed left shows Nigel (seated) hard at work. I wonder whether the Queen knew she was in such esteemed company! Further details can be found on the Data Archive web site.

July 2007: Geospatial technologies conference in Aberdeen
Dr Ken Field made a whistle-stop visit to Aberdeen to present an invited paper at the Geospatial Technologies conference, part of the European Conferences and forum for Integrated coastal Management and Geo-INformation rEsearch series organised by Geographical Information Systems International Group . The focus of the week long conference is to explore ways of utilising geospatial technologies for analysis of costal zones and marine spatial planning. It was attended by some 60 delegates from across Europe and other key speakers from the Industry (David Green from University of Aberdeen, Seppe Cassetari from GeoInformation Group, Tim Riley from EDINA, George Ritchie from Positioning Resources Ltd et al.). The visit also provided an opportunity of seeing early versions of Marine Digimap, a new EDINA provided service for high quality offshore spatial data similar to the land-based equivalent, Digimap.

Ken's paper on effective mapping and 3D visualisation engaged an audience skilled in GIS and map use but with limited cartographic skills. This is a familiar pattern and the importance of educating GIS practitioners in the art and science of cartography for effective communication of their analyses cannot be underestimated.

The flights from London Heathrow and back were on a remarkably clear day which gave an ample opportunity to view the recent flooding from the best vantage point - it really does look a mess from above!

July 2007: Invited talk at Eco-Imagine
Dr Ken Field has been invited to give a presentation on 2D and 3D visualisation at the European Conferences and forum for Integrated coastal Management and Geo-INformation rEsearch event to be held at the University of Aberdeen, 23-28th July. ECO-IMAGINE comprises a group of 8 events on the complementarity between Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Geo-information/GIS as support tool. The initiative runs with an interdisciplinary approach in order to better integrate the different coastal aspects; a science based approach, as per the Johannesburg 2002 Summit, is ensured by a state of art employment of GIS.

July 2007: Invited talk at Eco-Imagine
Dr Ken Field has been invited to give a presentation on 2D and 3D visualisation at the European Conferences and forum for Integrated coastal Management and Geo-INformation rEsearch event to be held at the University of Aberdeen, 23-28th July. ECO-IMAGINE comprises a group of 8 events on the complementarity between Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Geo-information/GIS as support tool. The initiative runs with an interdisciplinary approach in order to better integrate the different coastal aspects; a science based approach, as per the Johannesburg 2002 Summit, is ensured by a state of art employment of GIS.

June 2007: Vanessa Lawrence delivers keynote for "GIS Day"
The Centre for GIS hosted "GIS Day" on Friday 29th June targeted at introducing Lower Sixth students to GIS. The day was intended to engage students in the firsthand discovery of what it?s like to study GIS at university, what the subject area involves and possible career paths. The day was a great success with around 60 students attending from a range of local schools.

Dr Mike Smith gave the introductory presentation using a range of satellite imagery to explore the basis for studying geography. That is, understanding WHERE events occur and WHY. "SO WHAT" is the remit of business and government through understanding geography and then providing a response. Geography is therefore the most important subject and GIS enables it.

Dr Ken Field and Dr James O'Brien provided the students with GIS practical sessions using ArcGIS, Google Earth and Google SketchUp. Dr Field used the example of the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak to provide examples of spatial analysis. This involved identifying the location of contaminated premises and the pattern of disease transmission. GIS tools provide the framework and means for understanding the disease and its impact.

Dr O'Brien used hurricane data of the US within a GIS to provide examples of the interaction between physical and human geographic processes. By combining the physical effects of a storm with the characteristics of the affected human population, it is possible to find groups of people that are more vulnerable to the storms than others (and thus require greater attention in an emergency). Other "what if" questions can also be posed, such as what if population increases, what if more powerful storms occur, or what are the likely effects of climate change predictions.

Throughout the day we were able to draw upon the support of employees from leading industry sponsors. After the practical sessions, the students came back together for a discussion panel which was comprised of:

Dennis Bauszus (Cadcorp)
Emma Cockram (Metropolitan Police)
Dr Ken Field (Kingston University)
Dr Vanessa Lawrence (Ordnance Survey)
Debbie Millard (CACI)
Kate Murray (ERM)
James Thompson (ESRI)

It was a pleasure to be able to bring together a variety of people from different sectors and industries. The panel was completed by Vanessa Lawrence (CEO and Director General of the Ordnance Survey) who helped provide a lively debate. Vanessa received an Honorary Doctor of Science in 2003 from Kingston University and is currently a Visiting Professor within the School of Earth Sciences and Geography.

Vanessa completed the day by delivering an excellent key note presentation. This provided a broad sweep of GIS and the GI industry, with a focus upon how OS fits in to this within the UK and how its' data is being used in a variety of exciting projects. We are priveledged to have been able to deliver such an exciting and varied programme to the students and, in particular, be able to link together geography as a school subject, its' academic study at university and a range of interesting careers.

June 2007: Pilgrimage to Redlands
Dr Ken Field recently visited ESRI Inc headquarters at Redlands, California to meet with some of the people involved in developing the cartographic tools in ArcGIS. The ESRI buildings are actually quite unassuming and easy to drive past. They're hidden away in what is otherwise a residential area and to the outside world nothing much appears to go on (I'll avoid the obvious jokes!). Craig Williams of the MapLex development team provided a tour and introductions to a range of people including Patty Turner, the ESRI librarian and Charlie Frye, Paul Hardy and Aileen Buckley who are responsible for much of the cartographic work. It was pleasing to see that The Cartographic Journal is taken in the ESRI library. There are even a couple of copies of Nigel Walford's book on Geographical Data! Ken spent the morning gaining an insight into how ArcGIS is developed and the way in which ESRI works. It was also an opportunity to foster some good contacts and develop some collaborative links.

There was even an opportunity to take a quick photo of Jack Dangermond's car parking space?with his Ford Taurus. Given the amount of software ESRI shifts, and despite their global stampede to dominance in the GIS industry, it's quite comforting to see that the company is fairly down-to-earth.

June 2007: Dr Ken Field presents at the ESRI User Conference
Dr Ken Field attended the 27th ESRI International User Conference in San Diego to present a paper on the use of GIS for exploring recycling behaviour. The original work was completed as a Masters thesis by Howard Macey (who graduated MSc with Distinction in 2005) and the paper was presented by Ken on behalf of Howard. Ken and Dr Mike Smith also had a poster presented in the Map Gallery on the development of a small scale map of glacial striae in Ireland.

This was the third time Ken has attended the UC which is an astonishing event in terms of size. Contrasting to the relatively humble headquarters in Redlands, this extravaganza draws in over 13,000 delegates from over 100 countries. It is unashamedly corporate but in many ways that doesn't matter because what brings people together is their love of geography, maps and GIS. The event is always spectacular. The plenary session is huge with President Jack Dangermond and others exploring the use of GIS, this year under the banner 'The Geographic Approach'. Jack (as everyone calls him) presented the theme of "The geographic approach?as a kind of framework for understanding and for managing our earth. A way to analyze the measurements and the processes of change. GIS allows us to apply the geographic approach?using the tools and methods to collaborate; create more efficiency in our organizations. Your work gives evidence that we can more effectively communicate through the visual dimension. GIS will become a kind of instrument of evolution?an information infrastructure." He is evangelistic in delivery and the audience lap it up?.but he talks a lot of sense! At the Executive summit he addressed classic geographers thus: "To classic geographers...(GIS) is just this mechanical thing...No, I don't think so...GIS is to geography what the telescope was to astronomy.", echoing statements from the early 1980s on the potential that GIS brings to geoanalysis.

The keynote was given by Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner who noted that ?(GIS) is a wonderful tool and it is a very encouraging tool. With climate change...we are very concerned with the protection of forests. We want to educate and motivate people to plant trees." Maathia is a native of Kenya and the founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has helped thousand of women and their families to improve their lives through planting trees.

Excellent presentations by ESRI?s developers gave insight into what future releases of ArcGIS will include (incidentally, an overlapping offset marker symbol placement tool will be most welcome for cartographic work as will the ability to import kml and sketchup files directly using 3D Analyst). The week contained many excellent presentations by ESRI staff and also from GIS users from around the globe. The Map Gallery opening event saw much interest in the Glacial Striae poster and Ken's talk on the Tuesday drew about 50 delegates?no mean feat given he found he was up against David Maguire giving a technical workshop keynote address at the same time!

Ken met up again with many ESRI staff both at the conference and socially. A good time was had by all at the ESRI UK social event ? a trolley tour and evening buffet (free bar!) ? and there were many familiar faces at the event including our previous external examiner Jonathan Raper. On another night, David Maguire took up his rhythm guitar at a local bar playing for 'Traffic Jam', the ESRI house band (who usually go by the name of 'Gridlock'). Ken beat his personal best for the ESRI 5km run on the Wednesday morning and the UC 'social event' on the Thursday evening was themed as an Ameri

The trip also provided an opportunity to test out some of our new mobile GIS equipment for mobile tracking, creation of Google Earth kml files and geotagging of multimedia files. Click here to view a kml file in Google Maps of our 6km walk from the hotel on the outskirts of Graz to the meeting at the University. Drs Field and O’Brien used their mobile equipment to navigate to the University latitude and longitude and generate a tracklog along the route. It took us right to the front door of the department. Professor Robinson took a car!

May 2007: DMT and Beyond
Dr Mike Smith, fresh from a trip to the USA to present a paper on the mapping of glacial striae at the Digital Mapping Techniques 2007 conference, has, along with Dr Ken Field had a map accepted at the prestigious ESRI International User Conference Map Exhibition. The map is also based on work to log and map the location, orientation and direction of glacial striae from historic records for Ireland. It has also been entered in the 'best data integration' category at the exhibition in San Diego in June with the possibility of being published in the annual ESRI Map Book. The map can be viewed at the Digital Map Gallery.

May 2007: GeoDATA 2007
Drs Field and O'Brien attended the GeoData 2007 event on 22^nd May at The Emirates stadium, home of Arsenal football club.

This is the fifth year of the event which brings together a wide range of public and private organisations involved in all sectors of the GI Industry. Ostensibly held as a means of exploring emerging issues, trends and introducing new technologies, approaches to GI and datasets, the event was extremely well attended with over 200 delegates. The importance of GI in business, government and public and private organisations continues to grow as the number of delegates increased four-fold from the previous year.

The training4gis stand was as popular as ever with much interest in the Kingston Centre for GIS Professional GIS course (delivered in partnership with The GeoInformation Group), seen as a means for many to obtain up to date training in GIS for their own career development and to meet the needs of their roles. The MSc in Applied GIS was of interest to some who prefer to seek a formal qualification in GIS and the proposed MSc in Cartography and Geovisulisation gained interest from people for whom mapping forms a large part of their work.

The event also gave an opportunity to advertise the British Cartographic Society (of which Dr Field is Editor of The Cartographic Journal) and the forthcoming Mapping 2007 event which comprises the 44^th Annual Symposium of the BCS at University of Chester. This event aims to foster 'better mapping' amongst GIS users and will involve a series of talks and workshops.

We are planning two 'Summer Schools' in July for anyone wishing to gain more experience in GIS and learn or update their skills. See our dedicated pages on this site to find out more about the courses in "Introduction to Geographical Information Science" and "Map Design for GIS Users".

Meetings in Graz, Sarajevo and Paris are planned as part of our continuing development of GIS courses for the University of Sarajevo. At the time of writing the GIS laboratory is in the process of being established and the course planning is underway.

Dr Mike Smith and Dr Ken Field have been invited to present lectures at the forthcoming Society of Cartographers Summer School in Portsmouth and Dr Field has also been invited to present a workshop at the British Cartographic Society Annual Symposium in Chester. As well as invited lectures, Dr Smith is presenting at a conference on geological mapping in South Carolina. Dr Field is presenting at the annual ESRI User Conference in San DIego and visiting Redlands to meet with colleagues at ESRI headquarters. Dr James O'Brien will be involved in tutoring on the prestigious University of Penn State GIS Distance Learning programme July through September. Dr Field is also attending the International Cartographic Conference in Moscow to meet with international colleagues on the editorial board of The Cartographic Journal.

Talking of Distance Learning programmes, the newly launched Kingston Distance Learning professional GIS programme will finally hit the shelves through our partners GeoInformation Group. The four original modules on the course have been completely rewritten and updated and are now joined by four new modules including a module on Map Design and an exciting new module exploring the role of GIS in a range of real world environments, delivered as a series of DVD presentations alongside conventional material.

As if that isn't enough, we'll be installing the new version of ArcGIS in our labs ready for the new academic year, Dr O'Brien will be writing a new module on GIS and Hazards which will be offered to students next year and we will be taking delivery of new mobile GIS equipment (five new GPS and bluetooth enabled mobile mapping platforms and a new R200M Builder Series Total Station for accurate ground survey work) and state-of-the-art 3D screens to fully equip the rehoused geomatics lab.

Exciting (and busy) times ahead! Watch this space for updates and announcements during the summer.

April 2007: EPOCH Winner joins the Computer Centre
Adanna Welch, one of a group of Kingston University students from Kingston University who won an apprentice style challenge called EPOCH (Entrepreneurs’ Open Challenge), has been head-hunted for a position at ComputaCentre.

April 2007: Mike Smith interviewed for The Guardian on data copyright
Dr Mike Smith was interviewed by Michael Cross of The Guardian for an article entitled New study casts doubt on Ordnance Survey's copyright control, forming part of the Free Our Data Campaign. Dr Smith is a member of the GRADE Project and his work fed in to Charlotte Waelde's report that was discussed in the article. Specifically, the report suggests that geographic data should be viewed as a collection of "facts" and therefore any IPR is protected through the European database directive and not under copyright. This has quite far reaching repercussions for the use and sharing of data (and derived products), something that is discussed further in Dr Smiths blog entry.