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Discover the Mappy Halloween Treasure Hunt and More

By iowaviewOctober 28, 2020Activity, Education, Event, Outreach, ResourceDiscover, ESRI Geography Treasure Hunt, Halloween Treasure Hunt, Mappy Halloween, Spirits in the Garden

ESRI has put together a fun Halloween themed Geography Treasure Hunt that uses their story map technology to test your halloween trivia and world geography knowledge. Good luck.

Another exciting Halloween opportunity for those in the Ames area is Reiman Gardens Spirits in the Gardens event. Participants will enjoy walking through a garden path of hundreds of beautifully carved pumpkins. It is a ticketed event, registration information here. IowaView staff member, Amy Logan, will be at the event on Sunday, November 1st from 5-7pm, discussing remote sensing and GIS and handing out goodie bags of Earthshot trading cards while supplies last.

Mappy Halloween!

Iowa Absentee Voter Return Map

By iowaviewOctober 21, 2020Education, Map, OutreachAdair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, blue, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Democrat, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremon, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Iowa absentee ballots, Iowa Absentee Voter Return Map, Iowa Counties, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, percentage of absentee ballots returned by party in Iowa, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, purple, Red, Republican, Returned absentee ballots, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth, Wright

Happy Wednesday! Here is a map from the Iowa State University Extension Community and Economic Development showing the percent of absentee ballots returned in Iowa by county. There is also a layer that shows percentage of absentee ballots returned by party. This map will be updated regularly as we move towards the election.

https://isugisf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=10a34b747f0f409a8c613ff869c933c9

New Video Tutorials Available from VirginiaView

By iowaviewOctober 19, 2020Announcement, Education, Imagery, ResourceCollege-level, Drones: Mastering the Aeronautical Charts, Professional-level, Remote Sensing with ArcGIS Pro, Remote Sensing with ArcMap, Using Lidar in ArcGIS Desktop, Video Tutorials, VirginiaView, Working With Lidar Using ArcGIS Pro

VirginiaView, in partnership with Virginia Tech and other partners, recently published a new video tutorial series called “Working with Lidar Using ArcGIS Pro”. This resource is appropriate for 2-year and 4-year college faculty who would like to integrate additional online (and self-paced) educational resources with their courses.

Previous tutorial topics have also been popular with geospatial professionals who are seeking a cost effective and self-paced opportunity to sharpen their geospatial skills. The new tutorial series (and other topics listed below) might be appropriate for professionals working with local/regional/state/federal governments, as well as in the private sector.

The following geospatial video tutorials are available at no cost, and can be accessed via http://www.virginiaview.net/videos

– New! Working with Lidar Using ArcGIS Pro (14 videos)

– Remote Sensing with ArcGIS Pro (28 videos)

– Remote Sensing with ArcMap (30 videos)

– Using Lidar in ArcGIS Desktop (13 videos)

– Drones: Mastering the Aeronautical Charts (6 videos)

Earth Science Week – Day 7: International Archaeology Day

By iowaviewOctober 17, 2020Activity, Earth Science Week 2020, Education, Observation, Outreach, Resource#EarthScienceWeek, #IAD2020, Achill Island, ArchaeoDoodles, Archaeological Institute of America, Dig sites, International Archaeology Day, Pompeii

Today we finishing out Earth Science Week by celebrating International Archaeology Day.

Consider exploring with archaeologists in field by touring at their dig sites at locations such as Pompeii, Italy or Achill Island, Ireland.

Participate in the ArchaeoDoodles Contest by choosing one of 15 archaeological terms and create a graphic or doodle based on the term

Visit the Earth Science Week website for additional activities and resources.

Earth Science Week – Day 6: Geologic Map Day

By iowaviewOctober 16, 2020Earth Science Week 2020, Education, Outreach#EarthScienceWeek, ESW Day 6, Gregg Hadish, Iowa Bedrock Map of Iowa, Iowa Geological and Water Survey, Iowa Landforms, Iowa Landforms Revealed

Today we are celebrating Geologic Map Day, to promote awareness of geologic mapping and its importance to society.

Here is a map of the Bedrock Geologic Map of Iowa created by a team at the Iowa Geological and Water Survey. For details about each of the geologic regions click here to read the report.

Which landform region are you living in?
Find your place on the map and learn more about each of the Iowa Landforms.

Visit the Iowa Landforms Revealed by Gregg Hadish. These images were featured in a series of blog posts on the IowaView website last fall.

Visit the official Geologic Map Day site for learning activities and resources.

Earth Science Week – Day 5: Geoscience for Everyone Day

By iowaviewOctober 15, 2020Earth Science Week 2020, Education, Outreach, Resource#EarthScienceWeek, American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG), Geoscience Is For Everyone, International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD), National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG), National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP), Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), Women in Coastal Geoscience & Engineering, Women in GIS

Today we celebrate that the geosciences are for everyone.

Below are links to organizations focused on encouraging all people to get involved in the geosciences.

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG)

Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN)

International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD)

National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG)

National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP)

Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

Women in Coastal Geoscience & Engineering

Women in GIS

Earth Science Week – Day 4: National Fossil Day

By iowaviewOctober 14, 2020Earth Science Week 2020, Education, Outreach, Resource#EarthScienceWeek, #NationalFossilDay, Cedar Valley Rocks and Mineral Society, Crinoids, ESW Day 4, Fossil and Prairie Park Preserve, Fossil Coloring Book, National Park Service

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/index.htm

Today we are celebrating National Fossil Day!

Check out this cool coloring book as well as bonus pages. Learn about ancient plants and creatures as you color your way through this booklet. What is your favorite creature?

Geologic Resources Division
Edrioasteroid
“Foerstediscus splendens” is an extinct echinoderm (a member of the group including sea stars, sea urchins, and sea lilies) known as an edrioasteroid (seated star) that lived during the Ordovician. Fossils of “Foerstediscus” have been found at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnesota.

Have you ever been fossil hunting? If you are interested in collecting fossils, you should plan an adventure to the Fossil and Prairie Park Preserve in Rockford, Iowa. It gives you a chance to find your own fossils.

Did you know that Iowa is only one of a handful of state’s that doesn’t have a state fossil? There is currently a proposal for the Crinoid to become Iowa’s State Fossil. Crinoids are a class of animals called echinoderms that first appears on the earth about 500 million years ago. They have two form, sea lilies (stalked form attached to the sea floor) and feather stars (free-living.) Learn more about the Crinoid at the Cedar Valley Rocks and Mineral Society website.

Check out the National Park Service – National Fossil Day website for more activities and information about fossils.

Earth Science Week – Day 3: Earth Observation Day

By iowaviewOctober 13, 2020AmericaView, Earth Observation Day, Earth Science Week 2020, Education, Environmental Change, Game, Landsat, Resource#AmericaView, #EarthScienceWeek, #Landsat, #NASA, Earth Observation Day 2020, poster, Remote sensing

Happy Earth Observation Day!

Today we are celebrating remote sensing, the study of the earth using secondary observations from instruments such as planes, kites, drones, satellites as an exciting and powerful educational tool to help us show changes over time.

This year the AmericaView/NASA team has put together a fun and beautiful educational poster!

Earth Science Week – Day 3: No Child Left Inside Day

By iowaviewOctober 13, 2020Activity, Earth Science Week 2020, Education, Event, Resource#EarthScienceWeek, ESW Day 3, Get outside, NoChildLeftInsideDay

Get outside today. Take a kid outside and enjoy the beautiful world around us.

Here are a list of suggested activities to help celebrate this day:

How Can You Test Your Soil Grades 5-9
Make Your Own Compass Grades 6-8
Plant an Ozone Monitoring Garden Grades 6-9
Sky and Cloud Windows Grades 3-8
Soil Properties Grades 5-10
Your Own Greenhouse Grades 3-5
Earthquake on the Playground Grades 7-12
Dig Into Soil Grades K-4
Look Up! Observing Weather Grades K-4
Streams and Water Quality Grades 9-12
Be a Paleontologist! Grades 3-12
Find Your Bearing: Mapping Grades 7-12
Building Geology: Rock and Mineral Hunt Grades 6-12
The Human Rock Cycle Grades K-5
Writing Earth Science Grades K-12
Earth Science Art Grades K-8

Check out the Earth Science Week No Child Left Inside webpage for additional resources and details.

Earth Science Week – Day 2: Minerals Day

By iowaviewOctober 12, 2020Activity, Earth Science Week 2020, Education, Event, Resource#EarthScienceWeek, ESW Day 2, mineral in your daily life, Minerals Day, Think about it

Today think about how you use minerals in your daily life.

Join the Earth Science Week team in raising awareness of and appreciation for minerals and mineralogy among the general public as well as K-12 and higher education students and teachers in both formal and informal educational settings.

Check out the Earth Science Week Minerals Day webpage for more resources.