Month: December 2016

Few are likely to forget the conveyor belt of storms that battered the UK during the winter 2013/2014 and which left the Somerset Levels underwater for weeks. Nor will many more forget the winter of 2015/2016, the wettest on record in some parts of the UK and one of the warmest on record for England and Wales. While thousands in communities across the UK struggled to cope with their homes and livelihoods being damaged by water, the extreme weather conditions have given rise to criticism about the lack of defence communities have against floods.

Flood Zones

While funding for flood defences is an issue that is largely out of the average individual’s hands, there is now much more guidance on what to do if you live in a flood zone. There’s practical advice from sites like the British Red Cross which give guidance as to what to do before, during and after floods, from sandbagging your toilet to assembling an essential emergency survival kit, and what to do if you need to evacuate your home. Government sites provide links to useful areas where you can check your flood risk over the coming days. The Environmental Agency superimposes flood-risk areas over Ordnance Survey maps on its website to indicate which homes are most likely to be at risk of flood.

Flood Risk Assessment

If you’re already living in a flood zone and were thinking of making alterations and improvements to your home, you would first need to contact your planning applications office to see whether your application would need to include a flood-risk assessment. This may need to be carried out by a flood-risk assessment specialist, although in some circumstances you might be able to carry this out yourself. You would need various maps, such as a flood map showing flood zones, defences and areas the areas that benefit from the flood defences. You may also need a basic and/or a detailed flood-risk assessment map, which include everything from flood zones to the extent of historical flooding events. Depending on the size and purpose of your development, you may need more documentation besides.

Fortunately, there are specialists on hand who can pull together all this information, from the required Ordnance Survey maps with the correct annotations and scale to maps containing EA flood zones and any other required flood-risk assessment documentation that is needed. Once compiled, they are presented in the correct format, giving your planning application the best chance of being reviewed and approved.

Preparing a planning application can be a daunting task on its own, without the additional requirements for proposed developments in flood-risk areas. They are often rejected for reasons such as the map being in the wrong scale or for missing a document altogether.

The process is costly, both in time and money, especially where flood-risk assessment may be involved, so it’s important to ensure that your planning application is accepted for consideration first time. A vital part of this is to include all of the required maps in the correct format in your application.

Geographic information science (GIS) optimizes geographic data by combining it with specialized computer software. The GIS software takes spatial information and makes a link between maps and georeferenced data. The database will have a georeferenced system of spatial coordination to link various sources of information together.

The GIS Process

Data is sourced and loaded into the GIS system from such resources as surveys, maps, and aerial photography. This data is stored in a format so it is able to be queried, analyzed and modeled in a geospatial format. Reports can then be pulled from the data in the form of maps, plans, and statistics.

An Integrative Technology

GIS has developed over time from a wide variety of disciplines. Among the fields that have contributed to GIS are geography, civil engineering, computer science, cartography, statistics, and surveying. In practice, GIS combines layers of geographic, infrastructure, and demographic data to create new and more meaningful data sets for companies and governmental entities.

Because GIS has been built utilizing a variety of technologies from several fields, it is a powerful tool for geographical data integration. This comprehensive functionality binds together data sources that would normally be considered separately. This integration facilitates wide-ranging decision-making.

Specialized Databases

Databases can include information from a variety of data subsets. Here are some examples of specialized databases. Human geography data is highly demographic in nature such as birth and death statistics, population distribution, and disease incidence. Political jurisdiction data indicates countries, states, capitals, and political district representation.

Data about the natural environment concerns geology, soil types, precipitation levels, and hydrography. Natural resources data provides information on animal species, their population, and habitat ranges, wetlands, bodies of water, forests, and special use areas such as parks. Data about economic infrastructure and activity shows the location of such things as roads, pipelines, industrial complexes, and utility networks.

The Power of Layering

Where can the pipeline be routed to avoid wetlands and endangered species? Where are rural areas that are largely Democrat? These are just two of the infinite amount of questions that can be answered by a GIS report through the layering of data. Urban planning, transportation forecasting, and business location planning can all use data from GIS reports.

Each set of data is fully geolocated and can function as a layer with other sets of data about a particular geographic location. This type of locational reference system is what adds value to all of the seemingly disparate data sets. The ability of GIS to separate, manipulate, and combine data is what gives it the power to be a superior tool for planning.

A Rapidly Growing Field

Because GIS is such a powerful tool for a wide variety of planning needs, the GIS field is an in-demand career specialty. Jobs in GIS include programming, surveying, and cartography. Get more information from USC on their online GIS certificate program and find out about the opportunities that are available.

GIS makes a significant impact on emergency and transportation planning, environmental conservation efforts, and business location planning. It is a useful tool to help many fields make better decisions about land and resource management.

These days, technological advancements are empowering business owners to run their companies more effectively and expediently. In recognizing this reality, many corporate leaders and small business owners are ready to begin integrating technological strategies into their company’s daily operations. If you’re ready to start advancing your company’s interests through the use of technological strategies, this article is for you. Begin implementing some or all of the techniques outlined below so you can keep your organization growing in a dynamic way:

1. Update Your Phone Equipment.

One of the best technological strategies you can implement to keep your organization growing is updating your phone equipment. This technique is powerful because it will help you optimize inter office communication while also enhancing your ability to converse with prospective customers. Make sure you keep all of your personal phone equipment updated as well. If you’re in need of a new Sierra Wireless Airlink gx450 Gateway product, you can obtain it from organizations like Wireless Phone Gallery.

2. Invest In Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Products.

In addition to regularly updating your phone equipment, it’s important for you to invest in customer relationship management (CRM) products. These products will help you keep careful, detailed track of each of your clients. They will also empower you to enhance your lead generation and sales processes. Some of the features you should look for when you start shopping for the ideal CRM software include:

• Ease of integration
• List management
• Remote access
• Simplicity
• Mobile access
• Integrated analytics
• Stronger multichannel support
• Campaign management
• Lead generation
• Flexibility
• Customization

3. Use Digital Advertising Services.

One final technique you can deploy to ensure that your organization keeps growing and growing is utilizing digital advertising services. These services ensure that you can represent your brand to online audiences in an exciting, organic, dynamic way. In some cases, business owners who attain excellent online advertising services find that their companies go global. Also note that many digital advertising firms are now functioning as full-service agencies, meaning that they provide an amalgam of services. This can include anything from traditional advertising to PR assistance. Some of the services that a digital marketing company might offer include:

• Web Strategy
• Social Media
• Brand Strategy
• Direct Marketing
• Strategic Marketing
• Market Research
• Web Development
• Content Development
• Mobile Development
• Content Management
• Motion Graphics / Video
• Interactive Design
• SEO Optimization
• Brochures
• Software Development
• Invitations
• Packaging
• Infographics
• Posters
• Tradeshows
• Signage
• Company Naming
• Research
• Identity/Logo
• Style Guide

Don’t Delay: Start Growing Your Organization Today!

If you want your organization to grow in a dynamic way, you can begin the expansion process immediately. Use some or all of the strategies outlined above to start moving forward now!

As the end of the year approaches, numerous best-of lists start popping up to illuminate the cream of the crop in DSLR technology. Unlike, say, top 10 lists for books, music, movies, video games or any other number of things, the way they’re done for digital cameras seems to be a little different.

The majority of year-end round-ups that I came across tended to be less defined by the previous twelve months and more focused on a cumulative approach of the best DSLRs on the market right now, regardless of when they were launched to the public. Of course, this includes numerous models that were released within the past year, but in many cases, cameras that have been around for 2 or even 3 years make the cut. Frankly, it’s an approach that works for cameras, since, theoretically, a well-built camera should stand the test of time for at least a few years before something better comes along. So having said all that, what are the best DSLRs on the market today?

Across the board, Canon still seems to hold the crown for top DSLR manufacturer, with numerous models appearing on best-of lists. The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV takes the top position for many experts with the conclusion that it’s one of the most complete DSLRs ever made. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise considering the 5D series has always been something of a gold standard, but this year’s Mark IV model really takes the cake, with a 30MP full-frame image sensor and a 61-point autofocus to up your photography game. 7fps continuous shooting, 4K video capabilities and a stunning optical viewfinder are only a few other things that add to the quality.

Since the 5D Mark IV is generally for more expert photographers and can be quite expensive, the Canon EOS Rebel T5 18-55mm SLR shows up on several lists as the camera that can give you the best bang for your buck. Introduced a couple of years ago, the Rebel T5 is noteworthy for being a perfect entry point for beginners while keeping a consistent level of quality. The 18MP sensor gives you crisp imagery that is usually only seen on higher-priced models. It also boasts a user-friendly design and ways to adjust ISO, shutter speed, aperture, exposure and much more with ease.

If another company were to seriously compete for Canon’s dominance, however, it would be Nikon. They also have a number of cameras that pop up on best-of lists, particularly the newly released Nikon D5. Introduced back in the summer, the latest top-tier camera from Nikon has a 20MP full-frame image sensor and a fast 153-point autofocus system. It’s got a large body but you can be guaranteed that it’s tough and will stand the test of time.

Otherwise, if you’re looking for something a little less daunting, the more compact Nikon D500 shows up as well. Released at the beginning of the summer, it still has a solid build with a high ISO image quality. There’s also an advanced edge-to-edge autofocus system and a large buffer for extended shooting. It’s definitely the go-to this year for a top-notch APS-C SLR.

Beyond Canon and Nikon, Sony also shows up on a few lists with their Alpha 77 II from a couple of years ago. If you want a fast autofocus system, the Alpha is the way to go, with the added bonus of shooting at 12fps.

If you’re looking into getting a new camera, now is certainly the most informative time of the year to do so. Look up some lists yourself and keep an eye out for models that start popping up more than once.

Source: PC Mag, Tech Radar, Best Reviews