Thursday 26 January 2012

GeoManitoba is Officially Announced

In case you missed it, the Government of Manitoba officially announced the creation of GeoManitoba on its website on GIS Day - November 16, 2011.  (Click here to see announcement)

“GeoManitoba brings together all government mapping and data management services, making it easier for the public and organizations to access these services,” said Conservation Minister Dave Chomiak.  “It will also guide the use of geographic information services across government, ensuring the highest possible standards and the best use of new and emerging technologies.”

To the casual person in the public there is little different on the outside – so far. The Government web-site does not yet reflect the new organization and the establishment of GeoManitoba.  But GeoManitoba has begun to make its presence felt ...

Underneath the surface GeoManitoba is undergoing a transformation that is good for all of us in the Manitoba GIS community.   There is a reorganization and a revitalization of an area that was somewhat neglected for the last ten years.  GeoManitoba is currently marshalling the human and geospatial resources to actively participate, and in some cases guide or lead, geospatial evolution in Manitoba.  Some of the initiatives will take a year, two or more to develop, but the direction is positive and the impact on the GIS community will be huge.

The head honcho of GeoManitoba is Greg Carlson.

Thursday 5 January 2012

2012 New Year's Wishes

A momentous year for GIS in Manitoba has come to an end.  Now it is time to look forward to the New Year and what we can hope for in Manitoba: 

A New Spatial Data Warehouse
The MLI was state-of-the-art once and is still a fantastic resource for data but it is time for an update with all of the modern services. 

Another Big GIS Conference
Yes we all wish for an annual GIS conference in Manitoba to rival or exceed the one that MGUG put on this fall at Celebrations Dinner Theatre.  MGUG has given themselves a tough act to follow, but we have expectations now.

Orthophoto Refresh Program
The current orthophoto refresh project is a tremendous update to the old orthos from the 1990s and the organizers and partners need to be commended.  The orthos look great.  The current refresh has been running for 7 years and we all wonder what happens when the current round of refresh ends?  Will there be another round?  How long do we have to wait before it starts?  Shouldn’t there be an ongoing refresh of old orthos?  A Provincial Image strategy that includes the North needs to be developed.

Oh I am sure there is more, but then I wouldn’t have anything to wish for next year.