The National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) summer 2019 imagery is now available statewide for Iowa through image services and through the Iowa Geographic Map Server web viewers. The imagery is available in natural color and color infrared. There is also a layer associated with flight dates (Iowa-Aerial Photo Dates).
Obscured from view by vegetation and built structures, Iowa’s often subtle landforms are revealed through a LiDAR-derived bare earth digital elevation model in a Geographic Information System. Geological and human made features can be seen in this series of LiDAR color hillshade maps from across the State.
Loess
Deep deposits of wind-blown silt define the Loess Hills region of western Iowa. Intricate drainage networks and agricultural terraces are visible in this map from along the West Nishnabotna River near Hamburg.
Obscured from view by vegetation and built structures, Iowa’s often subtle landforms are revealed through a LiDAR-derived bare earth digital elevation model in a Geographic Information System. Geological and human made features can be seen in this series of LiDAR color hillshade maps from across the State.
Algona
The elevated curved features in this map are glacial moraines deposited during the most recent period of glaciation in north-central Iowa. The largest in this view is called the Algona Moraine.
Obscured from view by vegetation and built structures, Iowa’s often subtle landforms are revealed through a LiDAR-derived bare earth digital elevation model in a Geographic Information System. Geological and human made features can be seen in this series of LiDAR color hillshade maps from across the State.
Oneota
Originally called the Oneota, the central river feature in this map is the Upper Iowa River. The well-defined drainage features are characteristic of the Driftless area of northeast Iowa.
Obscured from view by vegetation and built structures, Iowa’s often subtle landforms are revealed through a LiDAR-derived bare earth digital elevation model in a Geographic Information System. Geological and human made features can be seen in this series of LiDAR color hillshade maps from across the State.
Paha
The elevated linear ridges in this map are erosional geological features called Paha and are found primarily in east-central Iowa along major river valleys.
This spring, Gregg Hadish of USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and staff member of ISU GIS Facility put together a series of images called Iowa Landforms Revealed. The project looks at Iowa geological features using LiDAR. Gregg also used interesting color ramps to give these images an artistic component, inspired by the USGS Earth as Art project. The initial project includes a series of 4 images which debuted at the Iowa Technology And Geospatial (ITAG) Conference in West Des Moines, Iowa, this summer. We will be highlighting each image over the next several weeks as a special series feature on the IowaView blog. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestion for future landforms for us to explore.
Gregg Hadish gave a great presentation about the Iowa Geographic Map Server to celebrate Earth Observation Day. It was a hands-on demonstration of the Iowa Geographic Map Server ArcGIS App which meant participants could follow along as he explained the various features and functions of the map server. Gregg also showed participants how to leverage map server layers within their own ArcGIS Online organizational accounts and basics for creating their own apps.
Thank you, Gregg for a great demo!
Here are some pictures from our Earth Observation Day event.
Checking out the new statewide 1 ft color infrared imagery in the web app.
Gregg giving an introduction to the Iowa Geographic Map Server.
Showing a historical layer – 1880s Andreas Atlas.
This post will describe the second workshop the ISU GIS Facility and IowaView hosted as part of the 2017 Iowa 4-H State Conference, “Start Your Future Here.” The second workshop, “Start Your Open Street Map Adventure Here,” gave students a brief introduction to GIS and remote sensing as well as a short discussion of open street map and its interface. Then 4-Hers were asked to practice using the mapping interface through the TeachOSM application. The group started by mapping a small northwest Iowa town, George. As you will see from the screen shots, the 4-Hers made significant progress for this community, mapping over 400 buildings. Comparing the before and after pictures, notice the large number of buildings added in the central and northeast parts of town.
George, Iowa – Before 4-H Workshop
George, Iowa – After 4-H workshop 6/29/2017
For the second activity, students worked on a project sponsored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)’s Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to help map communities near active volcanoes. the 4-Hers mapped roads, buildings, and rivers in several small communities near Mt. Galeras in Columbia as part of their emergency preparedness. According to project description
, “Galeras is an active Andean stratovolcano that is located in the Narino department, near Pasto (population: 450,000 Colombians). Galeras is the most active volcano in Colombia and is known for regular eruptions, the most recent occurring in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2010.” The students did a great job mapping with both projects. Between the two projects over 500 nodes were created and over 3,000 nodes were created. Hopefully these activities will lead to future mapping interest.
Another way to connect with our world this Earth Week is to experience an ESRI Story Map. Story maps use maps, map animations, photographs, sounds, and video to tell compelling stories on all sorts of topics. The lastest maps on the Story Map website are beautiful and interactive applications for storytelling.
This month’s featured Story Map is called Embattled Borderlands. It begins by asking the question, “Will the border wall strike a fatal blow to one of the most imperiled wild regions in North America?” It tells the story of the US-Mexico border, taking participants to various locations along the border. The Story Map explains the unique ecosystems and creatures located along the border and how creating an intensified artificial barrier in this region could potentially impact these areas. There are also a series of vignettes about how human intervention has already had a negative impact on the land. This Story Map is filled with brilliant photography.
To experience this Story Map for yourself visit: https://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2017/embattled-borderlands/index.html
Don’t miss your chance. This is a unique opportunity to see a melding of art, science, geography, and technology here in the Ames community. Come see some great art.
Kids and adults can stop in to make a color wheel or model of a Landsat satellite or search the images to complete the scavenger hunt. The exhibit is running through Sunday, February 26, 2017.
Hours:
Thursday 4-7 pm; Friday 2-5 pm; Saturday 11 am -5 pm
Sunday Feb 19 & 26, 2-5 pm
Read more about the exhibit HERE.
