SIGN IN
Illinois GIS Association
  • About
    • Committees
    • Board
    • Governance
    • History
    • FAQ
    • Partnerships
    • Contact
  • News
    • Submission Guidelines
  • Membership
    • Join
    • Directory
    • Member Sign In
    • Our Membership
    • Get Involved
    • Awards >
      • 2021 Awards Winners
  • Events
    • Annual Conference >
      • Hotel & Travel Information
      • Call for Content
      • Logo Competition
      • Poster/Map & App Galleries
    • Regional Meetings/Trainings
    • Mastermind Group
    • MOOC
    • Photo Gallery
    • Past Events
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Dashboard
    • Technical Support Group
    • GIS Notes Archive
    • Education Resources
    • Interactive Maps
    • Certification
  • Students
    • MOOC
    • Scholarship
    • Internships
  • Job Center

Eight research organizations form new geospatial institute in st. louis

4/22/2022

0 Comments

 
By Jacob Barker, Reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
PictureAndrew C. Taylor, executive chairman of Enterprise Holdings Inc. and Founding Chair of Greater St. Louis Inc., speaks at the announcement of the launch of the Taylor Geospatial Institute. Photo by Hillary Levin.

ST. LOUIS — Bolstering the city’s bid to become a hub for geospatial technology, economic development and academic leaders announced Thursday the creation of a new research center that will help build an industry officials see as key to St. Louis’s economic future.

Funded with a “legacy investment” from Andy Taylor, executive chairman of rental car giant Enterprise Holdings, as well as contributions from eight area research institutions, the Taylor Geospatial Institute will fund research and develop programs to draw top scientists to the St. Louis. It will also hire research support staff, house cutting-edge equipment and computing power, and build an extensive data library in a bid to draw the top minds in the field here.

“Geospatial is the critical technology in nearly everything we do, and it is imperative that St. Louis have the world’s leading geospatial research institution to fulfill our promise as the global center for geospatial technology in the next decade,” Taylor, who is also the founding chair of business and civic booster Greater St. Louis Inc., said in a statement. “It is my hope that this institute will cement St. Louis as the world’s true center for geospatial excellence.”

An exact figure for the donation wasn’t released, but the Taylor family has put well over $1 billion into the area’s cultural institutions and civic initiatives over the years, from the St. Louis Symphony and Missouri Botanical Garden to the Arch Grounds revamp to the new Major League Soccer franchise and downtown stadium.


“When the Taylor family gets involved,” said Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, “they do big things.”

The Taylor Geospatial Institute is a “big, big deal for St. Louis,” Hall said. Setting up an entity that can finance foundational research in the geospatial sector will help draw talent and investment from firms that want to be around innovation, Hall said. He called geospatial the “most critical industry for the future success of this metro right now.”

Beyond government agencies like the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, location science has applications for agriculture, public health and a host of consumer and business products, as more devices communicate and connect with each other.

“I’m hoping that this becomes another industry that brings a lot of people from out of town, creates a lot of business, students that are here stay here after they graduate,” Taylor told media after the announcement was made on St. Louis University’s campus Thursday. “It’s also very good for society, if you look at the things geospatial can do, whether it’s food security or national security — the light went on, and it just made a lot of sense to me.”

Launching a geospatial research collaborative was one of the key priorities in the STL GeoFutures report, released in 2020 as regional leaders laid the groundwork to leverage the western headquarters of the NGA to further build an industry sector where St. Louis has a competitive edge. The thousands of jobs at the NGA, and the intelligence agency’s desire to shed its insular reputation and work more closely with industry and universities, have already drawn the interest of locational science firms that have moved to set up offices in St. Louis.


Former NGA Director Robert Cardillo, at the announcement Thursday, said that when he made the decision to build the agency’s new headquarters in north St. Louis, he hoped it would help spur collaborative efforts to propel geospatial research. He and those still with the agency are excited about the opportunities the Taylor Institute might provide. Future geospatial innovation is likely to come from beyond the agency, Cardillo said, and the Taylor Institute can help the NGA solve problems and train its future workforce.

“It’s a win for the NGA and their national security mission, it’s a win for talent and core science, but the big win is for the region,” Cardillo told the Post-Dispatch.

The launch of the Taylor Institute follows other geospatial efforts from organizations such as T-Rex, the downtown business incubator that has a whole floor devoted to geospatial firms and has attracted the NGA’s Moonshot Labs and a University of Missouri St. Louis outpost devoted to the sector. Arch Grants, which offers grants and resources to startups, has set aside funding specifically for geospatial firms.

Harris-Stowe State University, St. Louis University and others have joined business and government leaders to orient their activities in ways to help grow the geospatial sector in St. Louis. Harris-Stowe signed a cooperation agreement with NGA to collaborate with the agency on course offerings. SLU has launched a geospatial institute to work with NGA on research and develop curriculum for careers in the field.

Area universities will be deepening their involvement in the geospatial sector, with seven partnering to form the new Taylor Institute: SLU, Harris-Stowe State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-St. Louis and Washington University.

SLU will house the Taylor Geospatial Institute, though the institute will operate as its own nonprofit with its own director, for which it will conduct a national search.

Though it will be based at SLU, the new institute is “much bigger than any one university,” said SLU President Fred Pestello. He likened it to the area’s success in ag tech, which, in addition to anchor employers and universities, also built off a private research institute.

“Much like plant science, you need the research that you then apply to commercial applications,” Pestello said. “Without this piece of it, I don’t think St. Louis would be able to become the leader it aspires to be in geoscience and not really be able to take advantage of the enormous, tremendous asset we have with the NGA.”

The other institution partnering on the Taylor Institute is the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a private research institute that Hall and Pestello said is similar to the vision for the new Taylor Geospatial Institute. It was founded by another St. Louis family, the Danforths, and it helps draw top researchers and funds foundational research for the industry.

Geospatial tech has plenty of applications in plant and agricultural technology that the center can help develop. But more broadly, the hope is that the Taylor Geospatial Institute can replicate some of the success St. Louis has had in plant science for the geospatial sector. An investigator at the Danforth Center, for instance, co-founded the now publicly traded Benson Hill.
​

“Communities that really get ahead in an industry,” Hall said, are “where the ‘new’ is getting created.”

[Credit: St. Louis Post-Dispatch]


0 Comments

Illinois geographical society annual meeting - register today!

3/8/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
From our friends at the Illinois Geographical Society (IGS):

​The Illinois Geographical Society cordially invites you to explore the Western Suburbs for its Annual Meeting, April 28-30, 2022. The meeting will be hosted at the Sheraton in Lisle, IL. Join us as we look back in time at the Gentleman Farms of Western Suburbs and welcome you back to our in-person meeting. 

More information:
- Meeting invitation
- Book hotel room
- Call for posters & papers

Register Today!
0 Comments

Rep. Casten, FAA officials visit Harper to engage with drone program

3/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Harper College faculty and students welcomed U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (in blue suit jacket) and FAA Administrator Rebecca MacPherson (in yellow jacket) to campus to learn about the college's drone program and try a drone flight simulator. (Credit: Harper College)
Faculty and students from the Harper College Drone Technology and Applications program recently opened up their classrooms to U.S. Rep. Sean Casten and Federal Aviation Administration officials.

Mukila Maitha, coordinator of Harper’s drone program, led a presentation during the October 29 visit about the program’s history before former and current students shared their experiences with a group that included Casten, who serves Illinois’ sixth congressional district, Dr. Avis Proctor, Harper College president, and Rebecca MacPherson, the FAA’s regional administrator for the Great Lakes region. The students explained interdisciplinary uses for unmanned aircraft and discussed workforce opportunities before instructing visitors how to pilot a drone in a flight simulator.

“This certificate program gives students the skills that they need to enter this fast-growing drone industry,” said Maitha, also the geography department chair and an associate professor at Harper. “We have experienced faculty and we have first-class facilities. This puts us in unique position to serve not only our district, but the entire Chicago area.”

Indeed, Harper’s program is one of only two programs in Illinois selected by the FAA for its Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative. The 16-credit certificate program, which began in January 2021, offers comprehensive training in both multi-rotor and fixed wing drones, while preparing students for the FAA’s Part 107 drone pilot exam.
​
Picture
(Credit: Harper College)
“What I love about Harper and our community college system broadly is that we have this rapidly dynamic economy and you guys move so quick to address it,” Casten said. “You all have worked with the FAA… you’ve created this program and we’re so thankful to have you in our district. We’re so thankful we have the professors bringing this up and making this work and, of course, the students to take advantage of all this.”

The students were the focus of the event, highlighting how each had used drone technology at Harper (from surveying geography on campus to studying environmental factors in India) and outlining how it will assist them in their future careers (including emergency management and parks and forestry). Each expressed their fascination with drones, but also how drone pilots can be a necessary resource for many industries – sometimes even saving lives in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

“If you want to be an environmental specialist and you’re licensed to pilot drones, that gives you a tremendous tool to go into places safely,” the FAA’s MacPherson said. “There are implications for geology. There are implications for law enforcement. Anytime you get out of an office structure, there is probably an application where being able to safely and effectively operate a drone would assist you in your professional choices and your ability to do your job.”
​
Picture
(Credit: Harper College)
​After the FAA administrator noted aviation’s struggle to build a diverse pipeline of new pilots, it was notable that each Harper student who presented at the event is a woman – and many are women of color.
​
“With regard to community colleges, [the FAA’s drone initiative] really allows us to expand our footprint in drawing people to careers in aviation,” MacPherson said. “We get people interested in aviation in different ways, most of which is about exposure. Aviation hasn’t always been good about diversity. There are shortages in women and minorities, and we think bridging the gap through community colleges is a great way to address it.”

[Originally published by the Harper College News Bureau on 11/3/21]
0 Comments

Why did an Augustana GIS class learn to fly?

2/25/2022

2 Comments

 
Picture
Claire Gregory ’22 and Bethany Schorr ’22 fly the geography department’s DJI Mavic Mini drone along the Mississippi River. (Credit: Augustana)
PictureJohn Vohasek ’23 and Amanda Walljasper ’23 (Credit: Augustana)
Her official licensed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial drone pilot’s card had just arrived, and Amanda Walljasper ’23 was excited. “I was really nervous,” she said about the certification test, “and most of the questions on that test are for actual pilots.”
​

She had spent hours piloting drones and learning FAA test requirements in her Drone Mapping and GIS (geographic information system) class with Dr. Reuben Heine last fall. Walljasper and 10 other students, half of the class, went further by earning their certification through a testing site at a Quad-Cities airport.

That was the best part for her: “Seeing it all compiled together.”

“None of us had ever used photogrammetry, none of us had really ever flown drones before, so we just got right into learning it,” Walljasper said.

Dr. Heine, the Edward Hamming Chair of the geography department, knows students get excited just seeing the class title. Alongside the general thrill, for geography students there’s eagerness to use this new field tool.

“Then there is that moment when they really come to understand what they’re getting with drones," he said.

The difference between the best satellite imagery and drone imagery, he said, is “the difference between looking at a Minecraft world that’s all pixelated and blocky, and the real world…. It’s hundreds of times better resolution than you can get with existing mapping products.”

He pointed out that with drones you can see detail on individual tree leaves, or individual bolts on campus buildings.

Along with higher resolution, drones provide a truly new perspective. Geographers have always conducted their analyses on the ground level, based on what they see with their own eyes — and also using maps, from the global scale on down. “But even the best maps only take you down so far,” Dr. Heine said.

Between ground-based and aerial perspective is another one, “just above head level, that informs our understanding of the world around us,” he said. “What’s so exciting with drones is that it puts you in control of that in-between.”

As soon as he shares that with students, he said, “they see it.”

So does Augustana’s facilities department.

What more access to ‘the real world’ can do

The class was divided into groups, each in charge of mapping a section of campus. Once they learned how to safely maneuver the drone, the groups planned their flights and captured more than 1,400 images.
​

Then, working with Director of Facilities Bob Lanzerotti, the students created an aerial base map of campus. They also designed new geodatabases of 3D renderings of building roofs and surfaces such as athletic fields and parking lots.

PictureClaire Gregory ’22 and Dr. Reuben Heine review the flight controller. (Credit: Augustana)
To do this, they used a process called photogrammetry to resolve photos in 3D. Because only the center of a photo is distortion-free, Dr. Heine explained, photogrammetry overlays images so that measurements can be made using only those distortion-free sections (see Old Main image).

Students can “take lots and lots of photos and deliberately assemble them into a final digital product that’s then usable in GIS,” said Dr. Heine. He describes photogrammetry as “the in-between of drone flying and GIS.”

This spring, four students are continuing their class final database project through paid internships with Augustana's facilities department. Two are working with the grounds crew to focus on paved, grassed and forested areas, prioritizing pollinator gardens and sites that need attention, and later, permeable paved surfaces.

PictureUsing photogrammetry to map Old Main. (Credit: Augustana)
Amanda Walljasper is one of the two interns working on a rooftop geodatabase. Building on the drone data from the class mapping project, the interns are adding measurements, roof types, angle and pitch, make and model, etc., so that facilities will have a clickable database about the state of a rooftop.

​And in the future, the facilities department will hire a student worker with GIS background to keep the project going.


Picture“The drone industry is on the cusp of exploding, so I am excited to be on the leading edge of the industry.” – Ben Ford ’22 (Credit: Augustana)
Precision agriculture and other futures for the field

Walljasper’s minor in geographic information science and technology (GIST) supports her majors in public health and environmental studies. She said what drew her to GIS is “all the possibilities, and that it’s constantly growing.”

Inspired by both the human/social and physical/environmental sides of public health, she knows GIS can influence her future career, though she doesn’t yet know how. “I want to make positive changes for both the environment and for people, and keeping the environment healthy keeps people healthy.

“I really like research and interacting with people — and going out into the field, too," she said. "I like it all, which makes it hard to narrow it down.”

Walljasper has plenty of time to find her path — and a great resource in Augustana’s CORE (Careers, Opportunities, Research, Exploration). That’s where she found her major interests, with the help of her vocational exploration advisor, when she realized she no longer wanted to be the band director she’d imagined in high school.

Senior Ben Ford, with his GIST minor and majors in geography and business administration, knows exactly how he’ll use his GIS and drone skills after graduation: as a UAS Flight Operations intern for a precision agriculture company called Sentera.

Ford will travel “to farm fields across eastern Iowa and western Illinois to collect various types of data with Sentera’s FieldAgent technology,” he said. He’ll be “giving farmers accurate insights regarding crop stand counts, tassel counts, crop health, yield estimates and precision weed mapping, to name a few.

“So, basically, I will be the one flying the drone and collecting the data, then sending this data off to analysts at Sentera to create useful deliverable data for farmers who want to know more about their cropland.”

When he was introduced to drone technology through his GIST minor, he saw the powerful data it could offer.
​

“And that led me to seek a job position that uses drones to help others,” Ford said. “The drone industry is on the cusp of exploding, so I am excited to be on the leading edge of the industry.”

[Credit: Augustana College]


2 Comments

Statewide Parcel Data Transformation: The North Dakota Parcel Story

2/25/2022

0 Comments

 
Next Wednesday, March 2nd @ 2:00 pm EST, Bob Nutsch (Geospatial Program Coordinator for North Dakota) and 2020 ILGISA Keynote Speaker, Bill Johnson (AppGeo's Carpe Geo Evangelist), will share the story behind the State's Parcel Program. From how it got started, to what helped it succeed — and most importantly, what has been learned along the way.
​

“I’m excited to share what the State and it’s partners, all 53 counties and their vendors, have experienced: the challenges we’ve encountered, how they were addressed, the things we are working on now, and our vision moving forward.”

AppGeo’s Carpe Geo Evangelist and former NY State GIO, Bill Johnson, will facilitate the conversation with Bob, exploring the county-state cooperative model that North Dakota has implemented.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
0 Comments

MAGIC 2022 EARLY BIRD Registration DEADLINE APPROACHING

2/23/2022

0 Comments

 
From our friends at the Mid-America GIS Consortium (MAGIC):

The Earlybird registration deadline for MAGIC 2022 is quickly approaching! Make sure to register by March 4 to take advantage of discounted rates. The earlybird full conference rate is only $445, and additional 4-hour pre-conference workshops are only $125 each! Register for MAGIC 2022 here!

MAGIC Hotel Information
April 11-14, 2022
Hilton Branson Convention Center
200 E Main Street, Branson, MO
Room Code: MAGIC

For full MAGIC 2022 details, click here.
0 Comments

2022 Esri Story Map Competition for Middle School and High School is Now Open!

2/10/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Calling Middle School and High School Educators, Homeschoolers and Scouting Leaders...

Get your students involved in a statewide contest for using maps to study social science or science topics.
 
All Illinois students - east, west, north, south, rural, urban or suburban - are invited to tell their home town stories in the 6th Annual Illinois Map Competition for middle school and high school.
 
The contest is sponsored by Lincoln Land Community College, Illinois Geographic Alliance, The Geographic Society of Chicago and Esri K12 Education. Registration deadline is April 9, 2022.
 
More Information
  • Contest organizers: Dean Butzow and Rey de Castro
  • Email Dean with questions
  • Visit Think Geospatial to get started
 
Thank you for your continued support of K-12 geography/GIS education.

Download the Flyer
[Credit: Geographic Society of Chicago]
0 Comments

ILLINOIS STATE POLICE ANNOUNCE THE CREATION OF THE STATEWIDE EXPRESSWAY SHOOTING DASHBOARD

1/27/2022

0 Comments

 
Springfield, IL – The Illinois State Police (ISP) has unveiled an interactive Statewide Expressway Shooting (SES) dashboard which contains current and historical data regarding reported expressway shooting incidents on all expressways in Illinois. The ISP created this tool to provide not only data but also as context to expressway shootings reported in Illinois.

One of the main goals of the SES dashboard is to be timely and transparent by displaying the latest reported expressway shooting information. The (SES) dashboard will display specific data relating to each reported expressway shooting located throughout the state.

The SES dashboard displays the number of reported expressway shootings from 2019 through 2022 (YTD). The Current YTD number of reported expressway shootings are also compared to the previous YTD number of reported expressway shootings. The SES dashboard will also include information concerning the location, date and time, specific Illinois Highway System, and whether there was a reported injury or death.

There are three drop-down menus located on the top right corner of the interactive SES dashboard indicating the Year, specific Roadway of occurrence, and Day of the Week; once selected, will display the results for your specific inquiry on the main map. Next, there are three tabs located on bottom left hand corner of the SES dashboard, which depending on which one is selected, will display a pie chart with the Day of Week, Death, or Injuries percentage of the total number of reported expressway shootings for the time frame selected. Lastly, the two tabs located near the bottom center area of the SES dashboard, will display a bar graph indicating either the reported expressway Shootings by Roadway or the reported expressway Shootings by Month/Year.
Picture
Access to the dashboard can be located by selecting the below “Quick Link” labeled “Violence Reduction” from the Illinois State Police Home Page (https://isp.illinois.gov/).
Picture
"We want to provide this information to the general public, community stakeholders, our traffic safety partners, other first responders, and our law enforcement partners to assure them that we are committed to our mission of ensuring public safety on our expressway systems,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Knowing when and where these violent crimes are being committed, provides us with another tool to combating these violent and senseless crimes.” 

[Credit: Illinois State Police]​
0 Comments

Seiler Instrument Announces Acquisition of Assets to Expand Presence as a Geospatial Solutions Provider in Iowa and Illinois

1/21/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
ST. LOUIS – Seiler Instrument & Mfg. Co., Inc. has acquired the assets of Precision Midwest to provide Trimble Geospatial products and solutions for the state of Iowa, all of Northern Illinois, and the northwest counties of Lake and Porter, Indiana. The asset purchase of Precision Midwest located in Plainfield, Illinois, will add to the existing Midwest presence of Seiler Geospatial as a leader in Survey, GPS, Robotics, LiDAR, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and software solutions. 
 
Seiler Instrument’s corporate office headquarters is in St. Louis and has geospatial offices to serve its clients in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. 
 
Executive vice president Tom Seiler said, “We will soon have a new office located in Northern Illinois. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue growing the Seiler Geospatial team in Northern Illinois and Iowa leveraging our deep Trimble survey and mapping/GIS domain knowledge. Providing excellence in solutions and services is what our customers and organizations deserve and expect. Our goal is to be more than just a vendor; our goal is to be our customers most trusted and valued partner in helping grow their business.”
 
“I believe in being a trusted ally to our clients and providing them the best equipment and services to maximize their efficiency and productivity. I am excited to carry on this level of commitment and service to our clients as part of the Seiler Geospatial team,” said Todd Sleezer, strategic accounts manager, geospatial sales, Seiler Geospatial.
 
Seiler Instrument is an Authorized Trimble Distribution reseller of hardware and software since 1988, and a 30-year partner for Autodesk as a Gold Partner Reseller. Seiler operates a nationally recognized service and repair facility in Saint Louis, Missouri, and has four other service repair centers across the Midwest along with a new service repair center in Northern Illinois coming soon.

About Seiler Instrument
Seiler Instrument & Mfg. Co., Inc. is a fourth-generation, family-owned business established in 1945. Our family firm is dedicated to excellence in optical instrument design, manufacturing and service. Seiler Instrument is comprised of manufacturing, geospatial, design solutions, medical, and planetarium divisions. The Seiler Geospatial team is an authorized distribution partner for Trimble Geospatial and Spectra Precision, which provides solutions for surveyors, engineering, GIS/Mapping, construction, service companies, governments, utilities, and transportation authorities. Seiler Design Solutions is an Autodesk Gold Partner and also a UAV Drone distributor for DJI, Quantum, and Microdrones under Seiler GeoDrones®.  Please contact us at:  www.seilergeo.com to learn more.

###

For more information:
Seiler Instrument & Mfg. Co., Inc.
3433 Tree Court Ind. Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63122
 
Mark Jeffrey
Email:  mjeffrey@seilerinst.com
Mobile:  1-314-330-2315

[Credit: Seiler Instrument]

0 Comments

Town of Normal unveils Open Data Portal

1/20/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture[Credit: Town of Normal}
The Town of Normal launched an online Open Data Portal on its website, making the Town’s data and information more transparent and relevant to residents through dashboards, interactive charts and maps. 
 The goal of the Open Data Portal is to make data commonly collected by the Town more reliable and accessible through searchable tools and easy-to-understand visuals. Currently, the portal provides links to:
​
  • Budget- and finance-related data, including the Community Investment Plan, Budget, Transaction Log, Payroll, Cash Receipts and Fixed Assets.
  • Building Permits and Business Licenses
  • Normal Police Department Daily Log
  • Various GIS data and maps (e.g., My Public Services, Zoning and Historic Districts)
 
“The Town of Normal collects an enormous amount of data which hasn’t always been easy to access,” says City Manager Pamela Reece. “We want people to understand the work the Town is doing, and this user-friendly portal creates an easy way to share data and information.”

 Some data has been accessible for a while, but access has been scattered across different parts of the Town’s website. The Open Data Portal pulls these resources together into an easy-to-use, online resource. The portal uses interactive dashboards to present the most-requested data sets in user-friendly formats such as: Monthly Financial Reports, Permits Issued and a Daily Log for police activity. 

 “We’ve created searchable databases for the most commonly requested information,” explains Vasudha Gadhiraju, director of Innovations & Technology (I&T). “We will continue adding information to the portal. We want to ensure data shared is helpfully formatted (i.e., machine-readable) so students, researchers and interested members of the community can easily review it to gain additional insights.”

 The Town plans to add additional data sets to the Open Data Portal soon, including Council Action Reports and additional Crime Data.

 The portal provides users with an easier way to search and digest information. The launch of this online resource is one example of how the Town of Normal is working to incorporate Smart City thinking into all aspects of its operations, a goal identified in the Town’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. 

 “This effort is yet another example of a smart city project which uses the power of data and technology to create more transparency and efficiency,” adds Gadhiraju. 

Bloomington-Normal Innovation Alliance 
 The Bloomington-Normal Innovation Alliance, a framework of collaboration to drive efficiency and innovation in the community, will benefit from the more easily accessible data provided through the Town of Normal Open Data Portal. 

 “The Town of Normal is a proud member of the Alliance,” adds Reece. “This initiative aims to connect community data to research and educational projects. Currently, a lot of staff time is spent responding to requests for information. Making data searchable and easier to access through self-service options like the portal helps others more easily find the data they seek, ultimately saving taxpayer money.”

 About the Bloomington-Normal Innovation Alliance: The Alliance’s mission is to empower the Bloomington-Normal region to embrace innovation, bolstering local economies with smart development and policies rooted in connectivity, mobility, equity and sustainability. This effort is a collaboration among Heartland Community College, Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State Universities, McLean County, the City of Bloomington, the Town of Normal, the Economic Development Council and the McLean County Chamber of Commerce.

[Credit: Town of Normal]


0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    March 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All
    Editor
    GIS Projects
    Governance Committee
    Membership Committee
    Outreach Committee
    President

    Submission Guidelines

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2019 Illinois GIS Association. All rights reserved.
800 Roosevelt Rd, Bldg C, Suite 312, Glen Ellyn, IL, 60137
Phone: (630) 942-6584 | contact@ilgisa.org
MemberClicks | Member Management Software