Regional GIS User Groups: How-To's and Best Practices

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Regional GIS User Groups How-To's and Best
Practices
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Northwest Indiana GIS Forum

• An ad-hoc, informal users group for GIS
  professionals
• Provide a forum for people to network and learn
  from each other
• Report on what were doing and track the status
  of GIS in the Region
• Encourage data sharing and technology transfer
  among the membership

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LeadershipCo-ChairsTim Sutherland, Interim
Director, IUN Library sutherla_at_iun.eduBecky
McKinley, GISP Hammond Sanitary District GIS
Manager bmckinley_at_hammondsd.comPast
Co-chairMilo Anderson, EPA Region 5, Chicago
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Core Members

• Cele Morris IUN
• Lauren Rhein Northwest Indiana Regional
  Planning Commission
• Kevin Miller IDEM

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Our Mission

• Catalog Spatial Data in N.W. Indiana
• Metadata workshops
• Online Metadata Compilation Tool
• Support LakeRIM GIS Revamp
• GIS Education and Training
• Free Intro to ArcGIS Training
• Workshops and Seminars
• Coordinate with IGIC and others to bring training
  to NW Indiana (i.e. Roadshows, HAZUS training)
• Promote the Free Exchange of Ideas about GIS and
  Data Sharing
• Open, free membership
• Keep members informed about IGIC initiatives and
  point out how they will effect us locally

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Sample of Membership (over 300 on our listserv)
Federal Army Corps of Engineers US-EPA USGS Nation
al Parks Service Department of Justice NRCS-USDA
U.S. Attorneys Office
County Regional Lake County Porter
County LaPorte County St. Joseph County Elkhart
County Kane County, IL NIRPC
Academia IU Northwest Purdue Calumet Purdue North
Central Valparaiso University Purdue, West
Lafayette IUPUI
State Dept. of Transportation Dept. of Natural
Resources Dept. of Environmental Mgmt. Homeland
Security Indiana Geological Survey
Municipal Hammond Gary East Chicago Dyer Schererv
ille Whiting Munster Chesterton South
Bend Mishawaka and many more
Private Sector Woolpert The Sidwell
Company Trimble Pangaea ESRI DLZ NIES
Engineering Lawson-Fisher NIPSCO
Not-for-Profits Save the Dunes The Nature
Conservancy Association of Cities
Towns Geographers Network of Indiana
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Accomplishments

• Celebrating our ten year anniversary
• Boast over 300 members in our listserv
• Trained over 200 people in Intro to ArcView and
  then ArcGIS
• Won IGICs Achievement in GIS award in 2006
• Awarded a grant from the US-EPA Region 5 and two
  FGDC CAP grants
• Hosted dozens of workshops and seminars
• Using TIGER and Census Data
• HAZUS
• 2005 Ortho Photography
• Vendors demos
• Many others

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Where to Begin

• Identify (or become) a champion who will keep
  the group going
• Involve local colleges/universities
• Don't limit your membership
• Take advantage of free resources
• Have fun!

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Collaborations are Important!

• Benefits for Indiana University Northwest/Data
  Center and NWI GIS Forum
• Community Involvement
• Administration Assistance
• GIS Outreach and Training

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IUNs Involvement

• The University Promotes Collaboration with
  External Partners
• Initial Data Center/SPEA Support
• Geoscience
• Div. Business Economics
• Div. Education

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Administration Assistance

• IUN Helps to Provides a Home
• Website - http//www.iun.edu/gisnw/

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Administration Other Support

• Meeting and Training Space
• 18 seat GIS Lab
• Meeting Notes
• Creation of Listserv
• Great Means of Communication

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Funding the Mission

• Cataloging Data Means Metadata
• Content, Quality Condition of Spatial Dataset
• Initial Funding from EPA
• Metadata Training Begins
• With the Help of the Indiana Geological Survey an
  Award Winning Online Metadata Tool !

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TBA - An Improved Online Metadata Tool
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• 2005 2007 Federal Geographic Data Committee
  Funding
• Participation with IGIC Road Shows
• More Metadata Outreach
• LakeRim Update

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Other Ways IUN Helps

• GIS Classes offered by IUN Dept. of Geosciences
  and SPEA
• Resources through IU Bloomington
• Advantage of Software Licensing
• Educational Opportunities
• Collaborations with Indiana Geological Survey,
  IGIC, IDEM, NIRPC..

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The Northwest Indiana GIS Forum Thanks IGIC for
Encouragement and Assistance!

• Becky McKinley
• bmckinley_at_hammondsd.com
• Cele Morris
• cmorris_at_iun.edu