Kevin: January 2006 Archives

I had the opportunity this week to join the Indiana Geographic Information Council, which I'l excited about. In my work the ability to access GIS data brings such another layer of precision and knowledge to our projects, marketing materials, and discussions that to be on the cusp of what's happening at the state level is a simple conclusion.

Here's what the INGISI says about itself:

What is IGIC?

The Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to lead the effective application of geographic information in Indiana. Our membership includes individuals from all levels of government, private industry, educational institutions and other nonprofit groups. Through our membership and elected board of directors, we strive to make a real difference in Indiana GIS - both for those who use it and those who benefit from it.

What We Do

IGIC coordinates geographic information resources in Indiana - we take the lead in getting people and organizations working with each other toward common goals. Our activities include:

• Data Standards
• Statewide Basemap Initiatives
• GIS Tools and Resources
• Outreach Events & Publications
• Annual Conference
• Data and Information Access

In small group I have been using NOOMA videos to fill on Sundays when we're between topics, need a break, etc. Since the first video I watched I have been amazed by the depth of topic and presentation that each 10 minute video covers. So far, each message has been given by Rob Bell, a man I knew nothing about until today. But I should say this: the videos work because it doesn't really matter who Rob is or whoelse is giving the message on these videos. Each one will suceed or fail based on the message, and each one I've watched (to varying degrees) has suceeded.

That being said, Rob Bell is a pastor at the Mars Hill Bible Church. Some call Mars Hill "The Willow Creek of the 21st Century" which I think is great. It is easy to see that the Lord is working through these urban churches and it is no doubt His inspiration that gives these pastors the ability to coordinate and create an atmosphere of worship with a congregation so large.

Something that I really like is that the messages from each Sunday are available for free MP3 download from the site. I just downloaded the last 12 weeks worth and will enjoy listening! Note to self: I need to arrange a time for Jill and I to run up to Grand Rapids and take in a worship service at Mars Hill.

The Fort Wayne Farm Show was this past week and at the show there was a Grain Market Outlook pamphlet that was given out by Ford & Young Futures and Central States Enterprises. I was curious as to where the corn production data came from and finally tracked it down: the USDA Crop Production 2005 Summary.

Here's the thing, in verifying whether or not the Grain Market Outlook was drawn from the same data, I noticed that whomever produced the report is mixing and matching data in tables. That is, they are comparing apples to oranges and passing it all off as apples. I can't understand why these folks wouldn't check the data they're putting into papers such as this or (which I doubt) would intentially mislead the end users they were targetting. The errors are there, either way.

Page 3 of the Grain Market Outlook is entitled Final Corn Crop Production Numbers as of January 12, 2006 and goes on to list the 2004 and 2005 values for the Total US, Indiana, and Ohio in the following categories: Harvested Acres, Yield, and Production. For the Harvested Acres they used the data from the USDA Summary Corn: Area Planted for All Purposes and Harvested for Grain by State and United States, 2003-2005 table on page 4 which, as you might expect, shows data for both Area Planted for All Purposes and Area Harvested for Grain. Here's the rub: for the Total US and Ohio they are using the Area Harvested for Grain whereas for Indiana they are using Area Planted for All Purposes. Obviously this will inflate the Indiana numbers slightly compared to the others. On the same page of the Grain Market Outlook, they just plain get wrong the 2005 Total US Production value, which comes from page 5 of the USDA Summary.

I haven't yet checked the rest of the document, but that much alone encourages me to want to do my own homework when it comes to data from a third party.

A good friend of mine has an opportunity to work with the Halliburton Company (KBR division) as a field mechanic in the Middle East. The pay sounds pretty good and, although I don't know that this is entirely true, apparently a year long stint overseas means that he'll pay no tax on the income so he was told. If I were a single guy, interested in seeing all there is to see in this world perhaps I would go for it. But I'm not, and after reading the following screening questions I don't really know who would be, save for the young and the restless.

At my behest -- because I keep up with the online world mostly through Bloglines and its aggregation of syndicated feeds -- the Schrader Real Estate & Auction Co website now has an RSS 2.0 feed of the upcoming auctions. How does this work/why do you care?

Let's just say that you are interested in Schrader Auctions but don't want to have to scan through the website's front page each time you visit to try and decide which auctions are new and which were on there the last time you visited. In the peak of our schedule, the list is pretty long, which makes this more of a hassle than you'd like. Enter the RSS feed. Using an aggregator, you'll automatically be notified of any addition or change to the list.

Mark one up for efficiency.