September 2009
The Soil Survey Division-NGDC sponsored JTX Workshop, August 11-13th
The Soil Survey Division-NGDC sponsored a JTX Workshop (“Introduction to Job Tracking (JTX) for ArcGIS”, August 11-13, 2009 in Ft. Worth, TX). Total of (12) classroom students, representing MLRA SSA, DU, MO1, MO9, NCGC, and NGDC, staffs participated in the 2 day session. In addition, during the first day, about 16 individuals joined remotely for the general Introduction to Job Tracking. These included DU staff representatives from KS, MI, MO, MT, and WI along with NGDC staff, the National SSURGO Coordinator, and MLRA SSO staff. This workshop introduced the key concepts of Job Tracking, defining and linking jobs into workflows, assigning users to groups with privileges and also assigning jobs to individuals within groups. This workshop is a good example of how NSGD Team members are gaining new skills to help prepare and document workflow systems to make our field scientists more efficient and productive as they create more consistent MLRA soil survey products.
JTX was developed out of disaster-relief needs (NIMA following 9/11) for a workflow management tool that directly supported GIS operations and has since developed into a fully functional management and job-tacking application used for GIS intensive operations. Participants learned standard definitions for a “job” (unit of work performed by one or more people) and “workflow” (logistical organization of the job’s tasks determining what work needs to be performed in order for a job to be considered a success). “Workflow management” is the organization of tasks to ensure no step is missed was also covered along with many details that effectively “automate” repetitive tasks to improve productivity. Participants learned that JTX workflows can also include non-GIS jobs such as reviewing written documentation, etc.
Some comments from the class participants included “attempting to prepare work flows really forced us to understand what a job is and the sequence of jobs performed and by whom, from beginning to end…” “ JTX reminds me of MSProject, but with spatial data…” “ JTX operates a lot like the ArcGIS Model Builder…”
Jennifer Sweet served as the technical point of contact for the JTX Workshop and made sure the class was successful for the participants.
Developing the NSGD supports NRCS and USDA goals of contributing digital soils information into a common Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) where reliable soils information services can be consumed into many programmatic applications, such as the FOTG more efficiently than is possible with current systems.
May 2009
May 26th, 2009: Presentation on the National Atlas for Ecosystems Services Project by Anne Neale
There will be a presentation by Anne Neale, Physical Scientist with the US EPA Landscape Ecology section at the National Research Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009. It will be a presentation on the National Atlas for Ecosystem Services project who’s overarching objective is to provide easily accessible nationwide maps of ecosystem services that can be used to inform and influence environmental decision-making in the conterminous US.
Congratulations to the West Virginia University Soils Team!
Congratulations to NGDC-WVU Co-Director Dr. James Thompson and NGDC-NRCS Cartographic Technician Katey Buckland in their placement at the National Collegiate Soils Contest in Springfield, MO. The WVU Soils Team traveled to Springfield, Missouri for the National Collegiate Soils Contest. Despite having only two students with previous experience at the national level, the Team performed well. All four individual judgers finished in the top third of the field, with Katey Buckland, an NGDC-NRCS Cartographic Technician, placing an overall 32nd. The Team also placed fifth in the group judging event, which is the Team’s best finish ever in that part of the competition. Based on the strength of both the individual and group judging, the Team finished third in the overall contest. WVU was the highest placing team of all the schools from the Southeast Region.