Webcast reminder - Tomorrow, Enable Data Independence for Field Users

Tomorrow, TerraGo and Adobe are hosting an hour long webinar titled "Enable Data Independence for Field Users". About the session... "Non geo-savvy users need to access and collaborate with geospatial data and assets. These users aren’t concerned whether it is a map from ESRI or an image from ERDAS, they just want the information to help them respond faster, make better decisions and enable their teams to be more productive." Time and Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008, 11am Eastern; 8am Pacific - see details and register here
Attendees will learn how to:

• put disparate data sources together in a single, intelligent, interactive PDF
• Review geospatial data types required by non-GIS experts
• create a functional map using multiple data sources easily and securely accessible by anyone using Adobe Reader

The case for GeoPDFs

James created a lively topic again recently by asking his readers what they felt GeoPDF does and essentially asking why would anyone want to use it. As could be expected this question prompted quick responses from the GeoPDF faithful... I actually thought it was a slightly odd question to ask, particularly since the data can be viewed in a PDF viewer that millions of people already have on their PC and are comfortable using - actually, there's loads more you can do as well! I think the issue really is that power GIS users may not in fact have an immediate use for GeoPDF, however, they can easily distribute and share their work with others (non-GISers) via GeoPDF... that's the real story here!

I piped in with the following response... Well, it is a useful format for large agencies to use to distribute and share their information.. think of the USGS serving up free GeoPDF formats of all their topos… would you rather have an SDTS format data file? This now enables any recreational user to easily grab a topo and use it immediately… that’s just for starts… I’ve used it loads and rarely use full blown Adobe for anything. I think asking this question James is akin to asking why would anyone use DWF… my 2 cents. FYI, you can get more details on it in this piece I did up last year.

A number of other comments followed but then a response from Ray Caputo came in and pretty much sums it all up... nice job Ray! He noted the following and more... "Just about anyone reading this is a GIS Pro so remember GeoPDFs are maps for masses, maps for non-mappers, maps for people who do not have big honking GIS/Mapping software on their “tricked” out PCs. Do me a favor ask your mailman (mailperson) next time you see them and ask them if they know what a GEOTIFF is when they say no ask them if they know what a PDF is I can bet you they say yes." See this comment and more


Do you use GeoPDF? I have and I also love the fact that the USGS serves up all their topos as free, downloadable GeoPDFs. See See http://www.terragotech.com/solutions/map2pdf-reader.html

The Next-Generation USGS Quadsheet in GeoPDF with 37 layers of information

I got the latest on GeoPDF today at the Denver stop of the GeoPDF roadshow from TerraGo Technologies - more on that later. One of the cool things we heard about in a wrap-up was the next version of USGS quads that will be converted to GeoPDFs over the next 5 years. Granted, these daya are currently available as free GeoPDFs from the USGS, however, this next version (the next generation) will add loads more functionality and usefulness to these data. Look for GeoPDF quads to include 37 layers of information (yes, 37!) where the user can toggle on/off any of the layers of information (names, contours, transportation features, etc...) The quads will be searchable and users can query for required strings (like a place name, feature, road name) and these quads will also be color separated... perhaps coolest of all, these GeoPDFs will be easily ingested into ArcGIS! Stay tuned on this! See below for an image showing the next-gen USGS GeoPDF quadsheet as displayed by Jaymes Pardue of TerraGo Technologies. For more information on working with USGS Quadsheet GeoPDFs see this article Locate and Download free USGS GeoPDF maps using the Map Downloader - see also http://store.usgs.gov/locator and http://www.terragotech.com/support