Current News 2009 2008 2007
Taylor County Moving Geographical Information to the Web
The Bedford Times - August 4, 2010
Taylor County’s geographical information will soon be accessible on the Web. The county is working with Midland GIS Solutions out of Maryville, MO to develop a geographical information system (GIS). In the spring of 2009, the county had aerial photography taken of Taylor County and the mapping project began back in November 2009. Midland will be working on the GIS map and the development stage will be completed in May 2011.
Midland GIS Solutions is using aerial photography, original tax maps, survey records and property ownership databases from Taylor County to create a digital map containing all property ownership information. When this is finished the county will have a website set up and all county departments will have access to the information.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 96 KB)
August 11, 2010
Katie Shepherd sworn in as President of the Missouri Mappers Association on July 30, 2010
Katie Shepherd, Marketing Director for Midland GIS Solutions was sworn in as President of the Missouri Mappers Association on July 30, 2010 at the organization’s 26th Annual Conference in Lake Ozark, MO. Katie has been an active member of MMA since 2005, serving as the Annual Conference Coordinator in 2006 and 2007 and also on the Executive Committee as Treasurer for two consecutive terms and President-Elect for in 2009-2010.
As President of MMA for the 2010-2011 term, Katie will oversee the Executive Committee, various standing committees and coordination of the 2011 Annual Conference.
Missouri Mappers Association is a non-profit organization to bring together people involved in property mapping in state and local governments and private industry. For more information on becoming a member of Missouri Mappers Association, please visit www.missourimappers.org or contact Katie at shepherd@midlandgis.com.
August 6, 2010
Eight Cities On Board For G-MAP
In addition to Arma, which was the beta test site for G-MAP almost a year ago, seven cities have signed up with Midland GIS Solutions to participate in KMEA’s G-MAP program. They are Baldwin City, Chetopa, Gardner, Hugoton, Lakin, Oberlin and Osawatomie. Baldwin City is the furthest along in the process, with all components located and mapped. The city is currently reviewing digital files - once the files are approved, Midland will produce wall maps and truck books.
Midland will be in Gardner starting the mapping process the week of July 12 and in Osawatomie later in July. Dates are pending for the other cities to begin the mapping process.
To date, 44 KMEA cities have requested proposals for G-MAP, which enables municipal electric utilities to use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to map components of their systems in a standardized format.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 84.4 KB)
July 23, 2010
Matt Sorensen Elected to Iowa Geographic Information Council
Board of Directors
Matt Sorensen, Vice President of Midland GIS Solutions was recently selected by his peers in the Iowa GIS community to serve on the Iowa Geographic Information Council (IGIC) Board of Directors for a two year term (2010-2012). Matt has over 15 years of mapping and GIS experience and has served as the project manager for numerous successful county and municipal GIS programs throughout the Midwest.
In addition to overseeing project development and client relations, Matt actively participates in conferences and seminars throughout the region, presenting on the development and benefits of GIS and Web GIS programs. Most recently, Matt presented on ArcServer Web GIS technology at the Iowa Counties Information Technology Conference (ICIT) on June 16th in Des Moines.
July 8, 2010
St. Joseph, MO Moves Forward With MS4 Project
In April 2010, Midland GIS Solutions was selected to complete Phase II of the City of St. Joseph’s MS4 Project. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) requires industries have MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) Permits for storm water runoff that is not treated prior to entering a public waterway.
Midland GIS Solutions was selected in 2009 to complete Phase I of the city’s MS4 project, which included the development of 3D terrain models to accurately depict storm water run-off areas within the drainage basin areas and on individual industrial site locations within St. Joseph’s Southwest Industrial Park along the Missouri River.
Pictured right - Part of St. Joseph’s Southwest Industrial Park is shaded in green to identify the industrial sites within the project area.
Phase II of the MS4 Project will begin this summer. Midland GIS will field verify and GPS locate, with survey grade GPS equipment (+/- 2 cm accuracy), all storm water structures and tributaries within the Southwest Industrial Park area.Phase II will also include the development of 3D terrain models for the Mitchell Woods and Highway 169 Industrial Sites. Midland GIS Solutions will utilize the city’s existing LiDAR and contour data to develop 3D terrain models. Midland will also work directly with city staff to define and map the drainage basin boundaries within the storm water project areas.
Upon completion of Phase II, Midland GIS Solutions will complete all GIS data installation and training. Midland will set up and install all necessary GIS software for the City of St. Joseph to maintain their MS4 GIS data, allowing the city to efficiently report MS4 permits to the DNR. Midland GIS will also be performing an Impervious Surface Pilot Project for the city to identify all impervious surfaces, such as pavement and building structures within 1 square mile of a defined project area.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 110 KB)
June 8, 2010
We Want YOU to Get More Out of Your GIS Program!
Register today for Midland’s 4th Annual GIS Users’ Conference
Midland GIS Solutions is excited to announce that registration is now open for the 4th Annual GIS Users’ Conference. The conference will be July 14th & 15th in Maryville, Missouri and will feature two days of GIS training in state-of-the-art GIS facilities. New this year, our courses will include Parcel Maintenance and Advanced Editing. There is something for everyone!
Conference highlights include a presentation from ESRI, the World Leader in GIS software, about the release of ArcGIS 10 and a first look at Midland’s new ArcServer Web GIS product and Mobile Applications. Of course, the Annual BBQ will be great this year, with excellent food and a 4th of July theme! This conference is a unique opportunity for our valued county clients and those interested in GIS to participate in actual hands-on GIS training and it is free for all attendees!
“Midland GIS Solutions holds one of the best user conferences I have attended. Their staff is always organized, friendly and informed. The conferences always have interesting topics and speakers and I feel my time there is well spent. Each time I attend I come away with new ideas and solutions to day to day problems.” - Doug Bowerman, Lawrence County, MO Assessor
Click here to register for the 4th Annual GIS Users' Conference.
If you have any questions, please contact Katie at shepherd@midlandgis.com or 660.562.0050. GIS training courses will fill up fast, so register today!
May 28, 2010
Unionville, MO
In 2009, Midland GIS Solutions was hired by the City of Unionville, Missouri to develop a cadastral GIS program and accurately developed parcel and ownership data layers. Recently, the city selected Midland GIS Solutions to develop a comprehensive GIS mapping program for their sanitary sewer network. Midland GIS will locate all public sanitary sewer facilities and features contained within the city limits utilizing RTK GPS methods.
The GPS located sanitary sewer features will then be incorporated into the City’s GIS program. In 2011, Unionville has plans to include all field collected attribute data from manhole inspections into the GIS program.
May 24, 2010
Six KMEA Cities Contract for Mutual Aid GIS Mapping Program
Midland GIS Solutions has recently contracted with 6 Kansas Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA) Mutual Aid Cities to provide electrical network feature collection and GIS development. Midland GIS was selected by KMEA in 2009 for their GIS Mutual Aid Program (G-MAP) to help member cities digitally map their electrical systems to increase efficiencies in asset management and improve upon responses to power emergencies.
The cities of Oberlin, Lakin, Baldwin City, Chetopa, Hugoton and Gardner, the largest KMEA Mutual Aid City, range in population from 1,200 to 17,462 and are located throughout Kansas, spanning all four corners of the state.
Midland GIS Solutions will GPS field locate the above ground utility features for the electric networks in each city. Midland will collect all electric attribute data with the assistance of City staffs and will incorporate the data into a GIS mapping program for each City.
For more information on the KMEA Mutual Aid Program, contact Tim Taylor with Midland GIS Solutions at 660-853-9573 or email Taylor@midlandgis.com.
May 21, 2010
Adrian, Missouri
Development of a new waterline system in Adrian, Missouri isn’t the only thing that the City has planned for this year. Once the engineering of the water network is complete, Midland GIS Solutions has contracted with the City of Adrian to provide GPS field locations for all water network features utilizing RTK GPS methods.
To enhance the GIS program, Midland GIS will scan the City’s existing hard copy water and sewer plans, including utility maps, as-built information, and historical utility drawings, and hyperlink the research to corresponding features in the GIS program for easy retrieval and reference.
May 18, 2010
Bethany, Missouri
Midland GIS Solutions has contracted with the City of Bethany, Missouri to develop a comprehensive utility infrastructure GIS program. The utility networks that will be GPS located include the City’s sanitary sewer, waterline, electric, and gas networks. All utility features within each network will be GPS located and integrated into the City’s GIS program. Detailed inspections will also be conducted for the City’s sanitary sewer manholes.
This state-of-the-art GIS program will provide the City of Bethany with the tools it needs to manage and maintain their utility infrastructure, as well as help meet state and federal environmental regulations.
May 18, 2010
Centerville, Iowa
The City of Centerville, Iowa has selected Midland GIS Solutions to develop a comprehensive GIS program for the city’s sanitary sewer network. Midland GIS will locate all sanitary sewer manholes, force mains air release valves and lift stations utilizing RTK GPS methods, and incorporate all field data into a comprehensive GIS program. Detailed inspections of all manholes will be conducted and incorporated into the City’s GIS program, along with aerial photography and existing cadastral mapping layers.
The City of Centerville will utilize their GIS program to increase efficiency in management and maintenance of their sanitary sewer network and the program will also assist the City with meeting various regulations from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
May 18, 2010
Cities Crunch the Numbers to Bring G-MAP to Their Towns
The more cities learn about G-MAP, the more they are setting the stage to participate in KMEA's Geographic Information System program, which will provide standardized digital maps of the components in their power systems.
KMEA launched the G-MAP program in 2009 to help members map their electric systems digitally, thereby improving efficiencies, asset management and, most of all, responses to power emergencies. Now that a bet test in Arma has been completed, other cities are putting pen to paper to bring the program to their towns.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 250 KB)
April 13, 2010
McKissick’s Island Survey Featured in National Archive Museum
The National Archives Museum in Kansas City, MO is currently featuring a gallery of maps from collections of the Missouri State Archives and the National Archives at Kansas City. The “Mapping Missouri” exhibit has been open to the public since February 9th and will remain open through May 29th.
Included in the exhibit is the historical survey of McKissick’s Island in Atchison County, Missouri. A border dispute between the state of Missouri and Nebraska developed when the flood of 1867 changed the flow of the Missouri River in far northwest Missouri. In 1999, Midland Surveying, Inc. was selected to retrace the long-time disputed boundary. That survey resulted in the Missouri-Nebraska Compact.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 108 KB)
March 30, 2010
Cooper County Web Tool Displays Land-Parcel Data
Boonville Daily News
Internet surfers can check out aerial pictures of Cooper County locations using a new public Web tool, the county’s assessor said last week.
“The main reason we checked into this was that our old photos were flown in 1981,”Jim Lachner said of the new online geographic information system, available at coopercogis.com. The aerial photos now online were taken in February 2006, he said.
The public site is aimed at giving users limited information about county land parcels. A separate paid version of the site is available to businesses or private individuals for $120 a year, or to taxing entities such as schools or towns for $300 a year, Lachner said. Midland GIS worked to train staff at the assessor’s office and continues to provide technical support, said Matt Sorensen, the company’s vice president. The company has provided its mapping services to more than 30 counties and at least 20 municipalities in Missouri, he said.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 601 KB)
March 3, 2010
ACDC Provides Funding For GIS Mapping
Since its inception in 1978, the Atchison County Development Corporation (ACDC) has fueled a progressive county-wide economic community within Atchison County. In one of its most recent efforts to boost economic development in Atchison County, ACDC has contracted with Midland GIS Solutions out of Maryville, MO, to locate, inventory and map the major utility infrastructure of Rock Port, MO, Tarkio, Fairfax, MO, and the Atchison County Public Water Supply District (PWSD) #1.
Midland GIS Solutions will utilize survey grade GPS methods to locate the public sanitary sewer facilities and public water features within the 3 major cities of the Atchison County Development Corporation (Rock Port, Tarkio and Fairfax). All water features will be located within the project limits of the Atchison County PWSD #1. The City of Rock Port will also have its electrical network features located. A comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping program will be developed for all sanitary sewer, water and electrical infrastructure features collected throughout the project. Zoning data from Tarkio and Fairfax’s existing zoning map will also be integrated into the GIS program.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 57.4 KB)
February 23, 2010
Midland GIS Presents at Iowa Rural Water Association Annual Conference
As an exhibitor and two-time presenter, Midland GIS Solutions was an active participant in the Iowa Rural Water Association’s (IRWA) Annual Conference in Coralville, Iowa on February 15th – 18th. Matt Sorensen, Vice President and Kirk Larson, Vice President of Operations attended the IRWA Annual Conference that was attended by nearly 450 municipal officials and operators throughout Iowa. Kirk Larson gave two presentations that focused on GIS for municipalities.
The first presentation included a demonstration of the Sanitary Sewer ArcEngine Application developed by Midland GIS Solutions for the reporting and management of sanitary sewer overflows (SSO’s) and the second presentation was a case study on the City of Ute, IA. The case study on Ute, IA (population less than 300), reflected on the state of the art GIS program that the city utilizes on a daily basis.
February 23, 2010
Midland GIS Solutions Now on LinkedIn and Facebook
Do you have a Facebook page? How about a LinkedIn profile? Midland GIS Solutions has taken an important step forward in social networking and we invite you to join us on Facebook and LinkedIn! It’s easy to become a fan or follower and you can network with Midland GIS Solutions, our valued clients and other GIS industry professionals. You can also stay up to date with the latest news on Midland GIS Solutions and be the first to hear about upcoming events hosted by Midland. We love to hear from you so let us know what you would like to see on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. If you are new to these social networking sites, below are links to both.
View Midland's LinkedIn profile at www.linkedin.com
To join Facebook, go to www.facebook.com and register in just a few short steps. Then search for Midland GIS Solutions!
January 21, 2010
Arma, KS First City to Adopt KMEA's G-MAP
A city of 1,500 with 735 housing units, Arma decided to embark on the G-MAP beta test in August to address the virtually non-existent maps of their electrical system according to John Gorentz, Arma Director of Public Works and member of the G-MAP Committee.
"We had a pencil drawing of where some of the switches and three-phase wire went, but it hadn't been updated since probably the 1960s," John said. "In the case of a tornado or other emergency when someone would have to come in and help us, we would have nothing to give them to tell them where any power components had been."
Certainly all cities are feeling the pinch of the current economic downturn, but John said the benefits of G-MAP far outweighted the costs for Arma, who mapped the location of poles, transformes, pad-mount transformers, phasing switches, substations and critical points through G-MAP.
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 436 KB)
January 19, 2010
Benton County, MO Getting Ready for Their GIS Mapping Program
GIS Specialists, Ryan Schieber and Buster Schrage traveled to Warsaw, MO on January 14th to provide Benton County, MO with on-site training and technical support to prepare them for the operation and maintenance of their GIS program, currently under development by Midland GIS Solutions. This training comes in the middle of their GIS development to allow the County staff adequate time to become familiar with the GIS program. When the project is complete, Midland GIS will provide Benton County with additional on-site installation and training. Midland GIS will continue to provide outstanding technical support and training at the County’s request.
January 19, 2010
GIS Mutual Aid Program (G-MAP) Becomes a Reality for KMEA Cities
Utilizing the services of Midland GIS Solutions, the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA) has developed the G-MAP program which will create a uniform, Agency-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. It will allow interested member cities to adopt the technology, at a significantly reduced cost, to better oversee their electrical systems. GIS is a technology Midland uses extensively to help local governments manage utilities, integrate hardware, manage software and data, and analyze and display geographically referenced information.
GIS technology can help cities in a variety of ways, according to Kirk Larson, Vice President of Operations for Midland GIS Solutions. "It provides accurate locations and good depictions, which help the city with asset management, capital planning and maintenance...plus, if the town has an emergency, they don’t have to rely on paper maps or the memory of staff members."
Download the Full Article (PDF file - 463 KB)
January 4, 2010