NYGeog

Geography, GIS, Geospatial, NYC, etc.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

New York cyclist attacked by police during mass ride & Open Source Remote Sensing software: Opticks

New York cyclist attacked by police officer during Time's Up Critical Mass ride. A link to the NY Times article and for YouTube video.



Open Source Remote Sensing software!

From Opticks website:

Opticks is an open source remote sensing application and development framework

Opticks supports imagery, motion imagery, SAR, multi-spectral, hyper-spectral, and other types of remote sensing data. Find out more about using Opticks

Opticks is also a remote sensing development framework licensed under LGPL 2.1. This means software developers can easily extend Opticks functionality, provide the capability to the open source community, or even embed it in your commercial application. Find out more about developing with Opticks

Monday, July 28, 2008

Musician paddles on tour down the Erie Canal


image and italicized text below from NY Times

Musician Christopher Bell has been traveling along the Erie Canal by canoe and playing shows at small venues along the way. Spending only $80 dollars in his first week. He may have found a new means of touring in New York State. The NY Times profile him in this article.

Mr. Bell, 22, of Frewsburg, near Jamestown, is on a summer tour across
New York State. He started his tour from Buffalo on July 20, and plans to canoe 550 miles to New York City in time for a performance at a coffee shop in Manhattan on Sept. 4. Along the way, he is performing in small towns like Brockport, as well as in larger cities such as Rochester, Albany and Poughkeepsie.

Though he calls it his “great adventure,” it is also something of a necessity. Mr. Bell typically tours via his 1997 Toyota Corolla, traveling 40,000 miles over a seven- or eight-month period.

He earns anywhere from $20 to $200 a show, making him barely able to eke out a living even when gas prices were $1 per gallon cheaper. “I just get so angry about it,” he said....

Friday, July 25, 2008

Mannahatta Project , Pitchfork '08 videos on pitchfork.tv & the Brooklyn Shuttle (S)

The Mannahatta Project is a mapping project by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
"The aim of the Mannahatta Project is to reconstruct the ecology of Manhattan when Henry Hudson first sailed by in 1609 and compare it to what we know of the island today." -quote and image from Wildlife Conservation Society
-Learn about the GIS component here.

Pitchfork's music festival was last weekend. Performance videos will be added here.

image of Brooklyn Shuttle (S) and link to NY Times
Read about the Brooklyn Shuttle (S) Train in the NY Times.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis collaboration & Google Maps Walking Directions in beta

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, along with a killer band, made an incredible cd that is an amalgamation of American music that transcends genre.

Google Maps Walking Directions Beta


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Monday, July 21, 2008

ArcGIS Online services-archiving aerial imagery & Deerhoof at Prospect Park Bandshell

One problem with using ArcGIS Online services imagery is that if the service ever goes away (or you lose internet or wish to archive files) your basemap loses its imagery. However, there is a wa to create a tiff or jpeg with a world file...

Saw Deerhoof/Metropolis Ensemble: The Rite: Remixed on Friday at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, NY.

http://flickr.com/photos/lucas-blue/2685857151/in/set-72157606277117536/

Caught all of the second set of Deerhoof as I think we caught the tail-end of 'The Rite' in the first set. It was a free show but staying outside the small fence enables you to drink from cups and have a little more room. Looking forward to the African Guitar Festival on August 3rd at the Bandshell and the Bill Wither's Tribute there as well.


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Save georeferenced ArcGIS online imagery

Instructions on how to save georeferenced ArcGIS online imagery as a tiff or jpeg:

1) If you are not connected to ArcGIS Online connect so the imagery is viewable in the .mxd.
2)Go to Data view of your MXD.
3)Turn off ALL layers except for the Imagery layer you'd like to export (save).
4)Click File -> Export Map...
5)Select Image type (TIFF, JPEG, etc.), dpi and other settings.
6)Check the Write World File box, if box is greyed out you may be in layout view or have a problem with the projection system.
7)save imagery to Aerial folder within specific project folder.
8)File should have proper associated World file.
9)Add file to .mxd if imager server is not working properly

Friday, July 18, 2008

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Radiohead's video uses Point Cloud data, Portable GIS code update, & Dark Star Orchestra Gov's Island review

Radiohead's recent "House of Cards" video uses point cloud data. You can download the data here.

For Portable GIS users, update your code manually. Click here to see how.

Caught the Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) show at Governor's Island on Friday. DSO is a Grateful Dead cover band that emulates actual shows that the dead played. They covered the set from 5/1/77 at the Palladium in NYC. The line to get on the ferry was extremely long so I missed opener Tea Leaf Green and walked in during "Ramble on Rose." Set 1: Might as Well, El Paso, Ramble on Rose, Cassidy, They Love Each Other, Lazy Lightning> Supplication, Must Have Been the Roses, Estimated Prophet, Tennessee Jed, Sunrise, Samson & Delilah
Set 2: Dancin in the Streets> Browneyed Women, Playin in the Band> Drums> The Other One> Comes a Time> Playin (reprise) Encore: Brokedown Palace
"Filler:" Music Never Stopped

Friday, July 11, 2008

St. Vincent @ Castle Clinton, etc; Charles Rengal gets low rent; & is GPS making us dumber?

St. Vincent played a free show at Castle Clinton last night as part of the River to River festival. The band was awesome and on-point. Brooklynvegan has a review. (Image from BKV) Stopped by the John Hammond performance on the way to Castle Clinton also in the area at Battery Park City. Missed the Fleet Foxes and free No Age show at South Street Seaport - pretty terrific night for music-lovers in NYC last night.

Congressman Rengal is getting a pretty good deal on his rent in Harlem.

and is GPS making us dumber...

Thursday, July 10, 2008

TA: Don't Let Broadway's Protected Bike Lanes be Disconnected

There's some projects to improve bike access at Times Square, Herald Square, and Madison Square Park. Transportation Alternatives is suggesting we contact the DOT let them know that the projects are both awesome and should be connected via bike lanes.

From Transportation Alternatives:

Don't Let Broadway's Protected Bike Lanes be Disconnected

Start Date:
07/01/2008 - 00:00
Expiration Date:
08/01/2008 - 00:00
Action Type:
In-Person Outreach

On May 29th Manhattan Community Board 5 unanimously approved a DOT proposal to remove two travel lanes and create a seven-foot wide cycle-track accompanied by pedestrian amenities that encourage sitting and people-watching along Broadway from 42nd Street to 35th Street.

These formerly unremarkable seven blocks will now connect Times Square to Herald Square, and with a bit more work they could connect all the way to the redesigned Madison Square Park and create one of Manhattan's finest public spaces.

Take Action!

Contact the DOT and tell them that their plans for Broadway between 42nd Street and 35th Street and Madison Square Park are so great that they ought to be connected.



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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Landmark trip completed for wave-powered boat

Image from Treehugger.com

The Suntory Mermaid II completed a landmark 4,350 mile trip across the pacific. It's not quite as fast as conventional ships but technological improvements and increasing fuel costs may make this innovation an alternative for non-time-sensitive shipping.

Published: July 8, 2008
The Suntory Mermaid II completed a 4,350 mile trip, marking the longest known voyage by a wave-powered boat.

Illustrations and history of Japanese sailor Ken-ichi Horie's boats from Treehugger.com.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Free Governor's Island Bike Rentals & Measuring Area in Live Maps

Just returning from 2-week vacation in AK...

Learn about free bike rentals on Governor's Island from Treehugger.com.
(text from Treehugger article:)
Free New York Bike Rental Introduces New Riders
When we reported on the competition to design a park for Governor’s Island in New York, the prospect of 3000 free wooden bikes left us in no doubt as to which entrant was our favorite. While the full park may still be in the design stages, the concept of free bikes on the island has actually manifested itself a little early, as this new film from StreetFilms shows. Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), Transportation Alternatives and Bike and Roll have joined forces to create a bike share program, and every Friday between now and October 4th those bikes are free! What better way to get folks into biking than to let them try it in a safe environment, free of cars, and at no cost? As one interviewee put it “with the way gas prices are going, I think this is my next vehicle.” We certainly hope so. Thanks for another great movie StreetFilms – click below the fold for more StreetFilms action.



Measuring area in Live Maps. Learn more here.