April 20, 2006
Location
Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), 600 Broadway, Kansas City ,
MO
Attendance
Chris Audano, Chairman, City of Overland Park
Randy Ellis, City of Overland Park
Joyce Moss, City of Overland Park
Barbara Hensley, Mid-America Regional Council
Susan Waters, Mid-America Regional Council
Julie Wittman, Mid-America Regional
Council
Steve Gay, Mid-America Regional Council
Darrin Dressler, Mid-America Regional
Council
Karen Sorensen, Johnson County Waste Water
Bradley Hook, Kansas School of the
Blind
Kelli Behr, City of Gladstone
Kreg Cox, City of Gladstone
Sonya Fendorf, City of Shawnee
Roman Madrigal, City of Shawnee
Daniel Davis, Jackson County
Jim Clark, City of Smithville
Leslie Ensign, Clay County
Rich Lovett, City of Kansas City , MO
Bill Stevens, City of Topeka
Justin Chiles , City of Topeka
Justin Birdsong, City of Topeka
Approval of the Minutes
The minutes were approved as submitted.
Presentations
How to insert custom
Google maps into our Web pages – Bill Stephens & Justin
Chiles
Bill Stevens began by explaining how Topeka uses Google maps. One example is their display of local burning permits by location. The first step is to create a free account with Google. You can then download their developer’s kit to get started. A key code is supplied with a snippet of HTML code. Bill stated that Topeka supplies Google with a database of addresses, which have first been converted to latitude and longitude points; then Google returns the custom map drawn to include the points referenced.
When the user clicks on a given point, a popup appears with details about the point. These popups can include text, photos and links to more information. Two possibilities for converting the addresses to latitude and longitude for free are TerraServerUSA and GeoCoder. Unfortunately these have to be done individually, rather than in a batch.
Other examples of how the maps can be used include crime statistics, accident reports, sex offender locations, city facilities and locations of amenities in town. Bill explained that when using the maps to display the location of crime data, the points are shown by block rather than specific address to protect the identity of the victims. Likewise, when using the maps to display the locations of sex offenders, the developer needs to be sure their longitude and latitude points include as many decimal points as possible to avoid errors.
Bill showed some examples of the maps for the group. He also showed how Japan has taken a commercial approach by including the locations of various businesses such as Starbucks on their maps. The group discussed how the technology will eventually be commerce-driven, requiring that mapping without commercial data be purchased for a fee.
Bill said he would provide the SQL backend coding to run the database mechanism to whomever would like it. One of the members asked about the possible problem of Google’s logo being on the maps. Bill responded that Topeka ’s city attorney wasn’t concerned about it.
Susan Waters demonstrated how she used a WYSIWYG tool called Map Builder to create similar maps. The developer fills out the form and clicks Submit to receive the code. The map and keys can be customized. Susan used this tool to create a maps of the Senior Center locations.
Randy Ellis demonstrated how Yahoo maps displays Overland Park’s "Food Court" of restaurant locations. The process is similar to Google maps, using an Access database to select the points. One advantage of this program is that it does not require the use of latitude and longitude points. This saves the developer a large step in the process. He showed the group how each point on the map has different information displayed depending on whether the user hovers on the point or clicks on it. There is also a draggable viewing window.
Jim Clark then talked about Google Earth, which can display mapping in 3-D. The user can tilt the viewer and fly over the land. Larger cities who have supplied the elevation data to Google see 3-D views of the buildings. He demonstrated a flyover of downtown Kansas City . One disadvantage of this program is that the user needs to download the free Google Earth software in order to view the images.
NAGW Conference Update
Hotel room rates are $59 during the
week, and the early-bird registration fee is $150. Speakers will receive a
$25 discount on registration. The website awards will be on Wednesday at an
outdoor, BBQ-style event with a band, dinner and cocktails. The award criteria
are still being established. Also on Wednesday are four workshops covering
Cold Fusion, ASP.net, PHP and CSS, all at the beginner level. The workshops,
$50 each, are not included in the registration fee.
Chris asked the group if they would prefer to learn about SharePoint or Flash. The group was generally split. She said the workshops are each limited to about 15 computer stations, so the attendees will likely need to double up.
Upcoming Topics
May’s meeting will be at Overland Park
where Brad Hook will discuss accessibility. Dan Davis will speak at the June
meeting about Macromedia Breeze.
Susan reminded the group about the blogging session scheduled for June 20. Keith Kreeger will speak. Registration is open now.
Open Forum
Karen Sorensen informed the group about this year’s
upcoming SkillsUSA conference in June. She distributed handouts about the Web
competition event and invited the group to volunteer with some of the Johnson
County webmasters.
Next meeting
Thursday, May 18, 2006 , 10 a.m. at the Mid-America Regional Council
office, 600 Broadway
Minutes submitted by Kelli L. Behr, City of Gladstone , MO