ESRGC Newsletter - Fall 2024

Welcome to the Fall 2024 Edition of the ESRGC Newsletter!

As the fall semester unfolds and we approach the 3/4 mark, we’re excited to keep the campus community informed about some of our recently completed and ongoing projects.  Our team has been busy supporting both University and community-driven projects, providing GIS services for the Delmarva region. 

At the ESRGC, we’re proud to continue our mission of providing valuable GIS internship opportunities to University students. This past summer, we placed interns with both on-campus and regional partners, offering hands-on experience in the field of GIS. These internships not only enhance students' skills but also open doors to career opportunities.

Today, Wednesday, November 20 is GIS Day! This year’s theme is Mapping Minds, Shaping the World: 25 Years of GIS Excellence. GIS Day offers an exciting opportunity for everyone to recognize the impact of GIS technology on local communities and the world at large. We encourage you to explore the GIS Day website for more information about how GIS is shaping various fields and see how you can get involved.

Project News

Housing Study

This summer, the ESRGC collaborated with the cities of Salisbury and Fruitland to conduct a comprehensive second round of data collection for all structures within city limits. Salisbury University student interns were able to collect over 12,000 surveys using tablets loaded with ESRI FieldMaps and a Survey123 customized survey of risk variables with a goal of identifying contributing factors leading to property degradation. These risk variables include infrastructure damage, property accessibility for emergency services, and various site attributes and conditions such as property vacancy, litter and vandalism. These interns not only provided a valuable service to the city, but they also gained practical experiences in field work and data collection. Since 2016, with funding provided by the Mid-Shore Regional Council, the Tri County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore and the Upper Shore Regional Council, through the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund and Rural Maryland Council, the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative has employed Salisbury University student interns to complete these housing study data collections in over 40 jurisdictions across the region.

Blue Catfish StoryMap

The ESRGC recently released the Invasive Blue Catfish: From Problem to Plate StoryMap, showing the impact and response to the invasive blue catfish in our local waterways. A StoryMap is a dynamic, web-based tool that combines maps with multimedia content – such as text, images and videos – to tell interactive and visually engaging stories. The blue catfish is a non-native species causing serious disruptions to our waterways, outcompeting native species and altering the delicate balance of our aquatic environments. This StoryMap illustrates the threats to native species and the ecosystem, while also showcasing how seafood processors are helping to restore balance in our waters. Explore the Invasive Blue Catfish: From Problem to Plate StoryMap to learn what you can do to support these efforts – from participating in local removal initiatives to choosing sustainable seafood. Both the Mid-Shore Regional Council and the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, with support from the Rural Maryland Council’s Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund, have partnered with the ESRGC to develop this StoryMap along with other tools and resources custom built for the residents, businesses, and community organizations on Maryland's Delmarva Peninsula.

Maryland Commerce Dashboards 

Building off the success of the Eastern Shore Resiliency Toolkit, the ESRGC has recently released a new suite of data visualization tools focused on economic resilience. Funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and administered through the Maryland Department of Commerce with representation from organizations across the State, this project allowed partners to continue to build resilience tools for the State of Maryland.  

These free and publicly available dashboards are designed to support the economic development community, governments, business leaders and decision-makers through simple and effective data visualization and analysis solutions. The dashboards offer deep insight into Maryland’s manufacturing sector, workforce and overall economic performance.  The tools are highly interactive and include maps, graphs, charts and filters that allow users to compare across different variables and geographies.  Multiple years of data is also included, helping users identify trends. 

Visit the Delmarva Index and select Maryland Resilience Dashboards to learn more and interact with these resources! 

MUST Website

The ESRGC, in partnership with the Mid-Shore Regional Council and the Maryland Upper Shore Transit (MUST) Committee, recently launched the new MUST website. The MUST website offers information and resources to public transit riders on Maryland’s Mid and Upper Shore.  Riders can easily access trip tools such as route maps and schedules and check for any service alerts that may affect their travel. The website offers information for first-time riders and those who may require adaptive services such as deviated route service, mobility-on-demand (MOD) and other specialized services.  Riders can also find information on fares and passes, safety, and more. 

Beach to Bay StoryMap

The ESRGC, in partnership with the Beach to Bay Heritage Area, recently released the Beaches, Bays and Waterways StoryMap. This product is a guide for visitors and residents to learn about the Lower Eastern Shore's cultural, historical and natural assets, and to help plan an excursion. Interested in a walk in the woods or a paddle along one of our region's waterways? Would you like to stop by a museum to learn more about our area's rich history? Or maybe you'd prefer to visit an art gallery and spend some time at a winery?  The Beaches, Bays and Waterways StoryMap covers all of these interests – and more!  Explore the resource to find some of the gems, on and off the beaten path, that make the Lower Eastern Shore an incredible place to live and visit.

ESRGC Notable Achievements

The Maryland State Geographic Information Committee (MSGIC) recently held their annual elections, and we are excited to share the following appointments:

• Mary Buffington, MSGIC Co-Chair Emerging Professionals
• Ryan Mello, MSGIC Co-Chair Regional Caucus
• Erin Silva, MSGIC Co-Chair Elevation Work Group

This semester, our own Anastassiya Suprunova is teaching GEOG 320: Cartographic Visualization GIS. This course covers design principles and techniques for creating maps with modern mapping tools, including ArcGIS Pro. Anastassiya hopes that with this the students will be introduced to interactive geo-visualization and (geo)visual analytics.

ESRGC Spotlight: Michael Gingrich

Our Fall 2024 Spotlight is current SU student and ESRGC intern Michael Gingrich.  

The ESRGC at Salisbury University regularly features a current or former intern for our Intern Spotlight.

Outreach

SDMS Career & Health Expo

The ESRGC is attending the annual Career and Health Expo at Stephen Decatur Middle School on November 20, which coincides with GIS Day 2024. ESRGC staff will engage with nearly 700 students on real-world careers and opportunities in the GIS field.

High School Recruiting Event

The ESRGC supported a high school recruiting event at SU on November 7.  Some of our staff talked to high school students about their experiences in the GIS industry, how SU prepared them for a career in GIS and how their work supports organizations and projects across Maryland.

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SU is an Equal Opportunity/AA/Title IX university and provides reasonable accommodation given sufficient notice to the University office or staff sponsoring the event or program. For more information regarding SU’s policies and procedures, please visit salisbury.edu/equity.

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