In This Issue, July 2016
DRCOG Completes Regional Planimetric Data Project
Article submitted by Ashley Summers, GISP, PMP, DRCOG information systems manager (303-480-6746, [email protected]).


The 2014 Regional Planimetric Project is officially finished! Data can be downloaded now from our Regional Data Catalog. This specialty data consists of information like building outlines, sidewalks, parking lots and structures, and pavement information drawn through interpretation of aerial imagery. Uses include pedestrian-routing, building inventories, impervious surface analysis, creating emergency response plans, and sidewalk quality and availability studies. 

In April, partners that contributed to the project were honored at DRCOG's Annual Awards Celebration. Partners include:

City of Arvada
Denver Water
City of Lone Tree
City of Aurora
City of Englewood
City of Lakewood
Town of Bennett
Town of Frederick
City of Louisville
Town of Castle Rock
City of Glendale
City of Northglenn
City of Centennial
Golden
Regional
Transportation District
City of Commerce City
City of
Greenwood Village
City of Thornton
City and County
of Denver
City of Lafayette
City of Wheat Ridge 

Now that the project is complete, we encourage local planners, researchers, entrepreneurs, private industry and others to apply this data in innovative ways. So DRCOG can better understand this project's return on investment, we ask users to contact us with feedback on the data and their experiences with it. 

Even though we've just finished this project, it's already time to start thinking about updates. Based on the success stories we've heard so far, we understand this data to be very valuable. DRCOG would like to see this information kept updated and in sync with the aerial photography program which occurs on even-numbered years. We are tentatively planning a project update for 2017 (based on the 2016 imagery). This update will only be possible with contributions from the user community. Please email us if you are interested in contributing!
DRCOG Data Used by GoCode Colorado Winners
Article submitted by Margaret-Rose Spyker, GISP, LEED GA, GIS and data analyst at Xentity Corporation (269-806-1948 or [email protected]) and Ashley Summers, GISP, PMP, information systems manager at DRCOG (303-480-6746 or [email protected]).

GoCode Colorado is a program sponsored by the Business Intelligence Center in the Secretary of State's office and supported by two contractors: Xentity Corporation and LadyCoders Productions. The former works with government agencies to make quality datasets available in the state's open data portal: the Colorado Information Marketplace. The latter is fostering a developer community oriented towards building businesses through the use of public data. 

GoCode Colorado just finished its third annual app challenge in which teams competed to create apps that leverage data in the public domain. Ten finalist        teams advanced from the first round of competition. During this process, GoCode Colorado partnered with many public data providers, and served as a data liaison, helping developers to better understand and use the data they needed to build insightful applications. Public entities contributed to this entrepreneurial endeavor
by making data publicly available and machine-readable for the coding community.

Three of the 10 finalists were awarded $25,000 toward the development of a business around their app. Almost all of the ten finalist teams used DRCOG datasets. Two of the winning teams are described below:

Foodcaster helps food trucks find the best location to park by informing food truck owners of parking regulations, foot traffic and other tips such as local events and activity through its mobile app. Foodcaster used public datasets showing  bicycle and pedestrian foot traffic (to find concentrations of people), cellular service data (to ensure that mobile merchant systems can be used), parking regulations, Google Maps, Twitter social data and Facebook events. DRCOG data was also used: zoning (to quickly find commercial areas and places eligible for seasonal festivals) and planimetrics (to identify sites that can physically accommodate temporary parking of oversize vehicles near buildings).

Regulation Explorer helps oil and gas companies find the best locations by putting Colorado oil and gas regulations on the map in combination with environmentally and culturally sensitive areas. Regulation Explorer streamlines the permit process for energy companies, providing these companies with all of their options before they invest heavily in a well location. Datasets used include: community anchor institutions, roads, parks, county parcels and land management datasets. DRCOG data was also used, including: zoning, planimetrics, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

This article is an excerpt from a Xentity blog.
GIS in the Rockies 2016

GIS in the Rockies, the Rocky Mountain West's premier geospatial information and technology conference, returns to Denver Sept. 21 and 22, 2016. 

Conference highlights include: 
See the full schedule of events (including sessions, poster session, GIS scavenger hunt and field data collection tools demonstration), learn more and register at GIS in the Rockies.


July 26: GIS in the Rockies networking event

Join the GIS in the Rockies Planning Committee for a geospatial networking meetup at 6 p.m., Tuesday, July 26 at Fado Irish Pub across from Coors Field. Food is provided at no charge courtesy of GIS in the Rockies. Network with geospatial professionals including conference keynoter Brian Timoney and learn more about GIS in the Rockies and the great events the conference has to offer. 
Your Article Goes Here!
 
The Data Consortium Newsletter is facilitated by DRCOG but is designed to be written by GIS professionals like you. This quarterly newsletter reaches more than 200 people and has a higher-than-average open rate. It's the perfect place to show off your projects, highlight your great work, and contribute ideas to the GIS community in the Denver Region.

The next newsletter goes out in October. Please contact Ashley Summers at 303-480-6746 or
[email protected] by September to contribute.
  
New Resources Available in the Regional Data Catalog

 

 

For more information on any of the topics mentioned in this newsletter or if you have an idea for an article, please contact DRCOG Information Systems Manager Ashley Summers at 303-480-6746 or [email protected]

Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is compiled from multiple sources and is intended for informational purposes only.  DRCOG assumes no responsibility or legal liability for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information in this newsletter.