California Emergency GIS ArcGIS Online Group (Isaac Cabrera)
California Emergency GIS ArcGIS Online Group: https://arcg.is/1fyaCv (Please feel free to join!)
- Enables State, Counties, Cities and private to work and share authoritative data.
- 27 out of 58 Counties involved, we are looking for all 58.
- Allows executives at all levels to make decision using the same data
- Has Evolved into statewide effort
- CalOES is involved and contributing
- 27 out of 58 counties are involved already and the list is growing
- Has already proved successful and useful in the recent PSPS events
- Has received a CCISDA large CA Counties Innovation Award
- ESRI has pledged to help with this effort
What we are working on in regards to the Emergency GIS Group
- We need more participation, please feel free to contact Isaac Cabrera isaac.cabrera@doit.cccounty.us.
- Group Hierarchy is being established
- Standards and rules about data contributed
Questions from attendees
- Is there a plan to restart past CalOES coordination efforts of this type?
Answer: Yes, this group was created with the intend to create 58 (each County) GIS data ingestion points for CalOES to use. We also plan to include other private entities. - Who makes the decision to say what is authoritative data?
Answer: Data owners that actually create the data create and designate said data “authoritative.” This means if we are sharing parcels from Contra Costa County, the parcel data is flowing from the Contra Costa County Assessor’s department. - Alex from Nevada County asked if we can share Parcels / Center line sharing during non-emergent times.
Answer: Yes, we will allow all authoritative data to be shared at all times. User will just need to metatag things correctly, so in this instance use the #parcels and #nevada county, so that members can easily find Nevada County Parcels.
State Plane Coordinate System 2022 (Nathaniel Roth)
- NGS is preparing for update for both horizontal and vertical datum
- Will be full replacement for 1983 and 1988 standards
- New state plane zone will be defined
- We have opportunity to define how those zones will be developed
What should the Council’s response be?
- The work group had a meeting last Friday, there were 5 members
- The work group had a meeting last Friday, there were 5 members
- Patrick Tami will request to CA Land Survey Association for audit
- Agreed that NGS in drafting zone 5 and statewide zone is desirable, might have minor edits
- Will be less distortion in areas with higher population
- Nate will get in contact with NGS to see distortion with CA Albers System
- Theory primer and practical software training needed
- We will need ESRI to help implement the new standard in its platforms
- Scott from CalTrans will help but has chosen to be an observer to negate any bias.
- CRCC is currently the go-to org for coordinate systems and we wil be working with them to ensure consistency.
- NGS is preparing for update for both horizontal and vertical datum
Charter Review and Strategic Plan (Jane Schafer-Kramer)
- Has a charter drafted for this new work group and want to present to the Council
- Every 5 years the Council needs to be reviewed
- Will also prepare a strategic plan
- There are few ways the Council can go
- The work group plans to meet quarterly
- Success indicators: a draft plan will be developed and presented to the Council
- Steven will be a member and Jeff Capalous want to be additional member
- Shital suggested that the charter be presented before a day in the future to get constructive feedback
- Work group motions passed unanimously (Nate, Steven S.)
Public Safety Work group (Phil Beilan)
- The work group and public safety task is multidisciplinary
- Having people from all backgrounds is a good idea
- People need to be aware that the data already exist
- Webex participation, a work group meeting will be a good idea
- Early next year there will be a meeting, Phil will let us know
Elevation Work group (Nathaniel Roth)
- Several Lidar datasets are going to be publicly available through the National map
- Covers large swatch of Northern California level 2 data
- South Fork River is completed with nice Lidar
- Separate 47 acres sq miles area will be surveyed and processed, may be in the next 6 months
- Yosemite lidar collection sponsored by National Parks and Yosemite foundation
- Tuolumne and Stanislaus are also collecting Lidar
Survey conducted by Deberry is being reviewed - November 5th Kevin Gallagher hosted a gathering of departments using lidar data
Questions from attendees
- Relationship with 3DEP
Answer: Will meet and exceed 3DEP specification - Phil asked if FEEMA is a part of the work group
Answer: Nate replied they are contributing through multiple routes, They are a member of 3DEP NRCS is a contributor too
Hydrography Dataset Workgroup (Jane Schafer-Kramer)
- Working with Golden Gate Parks Conservancy, County of Marin, Quantum Spatial etc. for making hydrography data making it NHD ready
Next Gen 911 Task Force (Rachel Rodriguez)
- New slack channel added, contact Rachel to be added.
- Counties funding guideline is released
- No criteria for acceptance
- Council can recommend the criteria
Special Guests: Governor’s Special Advisor for Innovation and the CIO of the California Department of Technology
Michael Wilkening – Governor’s Special advisor for innovation
Amy Tong – CIO California Department of Technology (CDT)
Michael (Mike) Wilkening
- Involved with Open data portal while in health and human services
- Setting up innovation office for health and human services
- Nov 1st meeting with Jack Dangermond was quite productive
- Stated that ESRI’s Story Map can be used to tell a complicated story like Housing issues in California, to explain the problem and what they are doing to address it
- GIS tools have been improved so that most department can use them now
- GIS has elegant way to explain what is that we are doing
- When releasing data not looking for perfection because you never move forward when you look for perfection. This was meant to mean that we need functioning products first.
- We don’t need to be reckless but be more risk tolerant but this also means that we are going to fail once in a while.
- Chief Data Officer will be announced shortly
- This administration wants to interact with users using modern technology to get support, increase the interaction between Californians and the State and re-imagine how state department operates
- Wants to reengage GIS Community (State, Local, private)
- Doesn’t like silo approach
- Doesn’t want duplicate effort and collect data that’s already there
- Wants to create one stop search for everyone to access data
- Portals of Portal, a federated approach to leverage good work that has already been done.
Amy Tong says
- Her focus is on how data can be shared better
- Story telling using data, analytics and GIS is exciting
- Were looking for tools that are already available
- Recent State GIS listening session was very productive
- An attendee mentioned to Amy that one of the things that hold us back and kept us struggling is the lack of a State Geographic Information Officer (GIO).
- Speaking in regards to the GIO position, Amy wants to separate, analyze and re-define the current GIO roles, but this requires the right thinking
- Wants to create strong GIS governance feedback loop
- Amy plans is to integrate GIS not only horizontally but vertically as well. Amy noted that the GIS integration approach would be the same as the State’s approach to Cyber Security integration.
Mike and Amy will join CalGIS 2020, Long Beach and will be available for fireside chat.
Open Floor discussion with Michael and Amy
State Geographic Information Officer (GIO) discussion:
- Nate asked if there be GIO for State only or for everyone
- Steve Steinberg noted that local government are clamoring to work with State with technology like NG911
- Isaac added that the GIO position can help negotiate the cooperation between State and Local Goverments
- Other GIO Comments included:
- It was stated that some believe the GIO will need a team for outreach and other stuff
- Having GIO also as a chair of GIS council might not be a good idea.
- This will be discussed further and is not something set in stone (Isaac Cabrera)
- Nate mentioned that there is a sunset clause for GIO in Hoover’s Commission
Other comments
- CA GIS Council should be formalized by lawmakers
- Michael Wilkening noted that the Little Hoover report along will generate some legislative interest and that there will be discussion around the Council.
- May be look into CA Spatial Data Infrastructure plan that’s already available?
- As pointed out by Jane from Merced County, the CA GIS Council would benefit by growing its membership in academic, private and tribal (Isaac added this one).
- Phil called for a need to clean the membership list, Phil noted certain people in today’s membership list have worked for 20-30 years
- Christiana said there are core people online that cannot come to meetings, there were only 20 people in the last meeting, but today there are almost 100!!! people.
- There is an ‘Accessibility for Map’ training by URISA next year
- Isaac wants to promote the Co-Chair and have them more involved ongoing. Jane is doing a phenomenal job and helping to grow the Council each month!