Everythihg you wanted to know about GIS

[BSquared]

Ah, yes, Howard Weamer. I believe he was the hut caretaker the one time we went there (let me see... probably 1979 but possibly a year or two earlier). George, I think I mentioned this to you before, but I remember being stopped dead in my tracks by Howard during a conversation about careers. I was finishing up graduate school and wondering what in the world to do with myself (but of course whatever it was would involve papers, students, and *advancement*), and he had just explained that he did Ostrander during the winter and [actually I forget what; seasonal rangering in the Valley?] during the summer. I asked him something about a "career path." He looked at me blankly (but with a twinkle in his eye) and said, "what else would I want to do?" It was much too good a question for me to be able to afford to think about at that time in my life!

But really, his beard is far too neat for Old-John honors, don't you think?

[maverick]

Hi George,

When, if ever, is all this great info going to be available for Mac users?

[gdurkee]

Mav:

Alas, ArcGIS Explorer doesn't support Mac. Though someone around here (Bill??) recommended mapping software for the Mac. You can use a duel boot OS for Mac X (??) of course. And they're working on a runtime version of ArcGIS which should be platform independent.

Still, the basic stuff of our book -- coordinate systems; importance of GIS; and GPS are good as a basis for understanding. As a side note, I just got approval for a fully online class on GIS basics for Columbia College, Sonora, CA for next fall. I'll post details later.

but I remember being stopped dead in my tracks by Howard during a conversation about careers. I was finishing up graduate school and wondering what in the world to do with myself (but of course whatever it was would involve papers, students, and *advancement*), and he had just explained that he did Ostrander during the winter and [actually I forget what; seasonal rangering in the Valley?] during the summer. I asked him something about a "career path." He looked at me blankly (but with a twinkle in his eye) and said, "what else would I want to do?" It was much too good a question for me to be able to afford to think about at that time in my life!

I well remember sitting in the Hut in the mid-70s as HW was writing his thesis on Muir and Transcendentalism. Really terrific stuff. I'd read chapters hot off his pen and we'd talk about it. Great times. But, yep, the siren call of the mountains got him and he never finished.

"I am hopelessly and forever a mountaineer. -- Muir"

Michael Cohen's "The Pathless Way" is what he was writing about. An excellent book.

g.

[BSquared]

Amen, Maverick! It's really disappointing that ESRI just doesn't seem to be interested in developing for that platform, or for UNIX for that matter. As you probably know, there are several alternatives, open-source and not, for the Mac (though I haven't looked seriously at them), but since ARC-GIS is the de-facto standard, it'd be *really* nice if they deigned to port it for "the rest of us."

[maverick]

GDurkee wrote:
As a side note, I just got approval for a fully online class on GIS basics for
Columbia College, Sonora, CA for next fall. I'll post details later.

Is this a course geared more for folks interested in a SAr career or for a
basic understanding of GIS? http://www.gocolumbia.edu/vocational/ge ... fault.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Do SAR from NPS, NFS, County attend these classes at Sonora?

[gdurkee]

It'll be really general and intended for both emergency responders and recreational users (hmmm. Maybe not the phrase I want?)

But, yes, definitely general and geared for anyone who wants a better GIS background for phones, GPS and all the gizmos out there you can use to make a map. I just put together a short intro YouTube video and will post in the near future.

g.

[maverick]

GDurkee wrote:
I just put together a short intro YouTube video and will post in the near future.

Great! Will Mac users be able to take the on-line class?

[gdurkee]

I've been fiddling with different online map services. If nothing else I think I can adapt Google Earth to the class. Which is to say, yes, Mac users would also have tons of fun by taking it.

If anyone wants to get really geeky and try a dual boot on your Mac -- or check one of those PC emulator programs -- then load ArcGIS Explorer Desktop (AGX), I'd be really interested in your experience. I keep using other mapping programs and, for my needs, find AGX to be the best overall -- though all have advantages and disadvantages. But it would be nice if I could recommend an easy solution for Mac users.

Here's a very beta (as in first draft) YouTube video I made introducing the course:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Q8j4ZuX3g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Comments on video welcome (I'm not ready for my closeup....).

g.