GIS Day is November 20

Have you recently thanked your GIS professional?  This year, November 20 is a day set aside to celebrate the importance geographic information technology (GIS) to the communities in which we work, live and play. GIS Day is always held the third Wednesday of November each year during Geography Awareness Week, which is an initiative sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

Take a moment this week to thank your GIS professional for they take complex data to create databases and maps that benefit communities. GIS maps can show land usage, infrastructure location, public utilities, emergency services, road type and pavement condition, tax rate and other parcel information, lot measurements; permits issued, FEMA DFirms and much, much more. GIS is an important asset management tool that helps governments and businesses solve local problems.

The history of GIS Day dates back to 1999 and has grown into a worldwide educational event.

Leonard Barnhill is a certified GIS Professional (GISP) and has been
an advocate of GIS technology for nearly 20 years.
Thank you Leonard!

In Honor of All Veterans

Thank you to the brave men and women currently serving and to those that have served our great country. We are truly grateful for your service.

At GBA, we have the honor of having employees themselves who served or have many family members that served, dating back to the Civil War. During the week of November 11-15 we will have a display with images of each of the family members honoring their service. It is a small way to show our appreciation and never forget their sacrifices.

What's Your Impact?

Measuring your greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions is a critical first step in sustaining the environment for future generations. Unfortunately, you cannot manage what you cannot measure. While it seems like a daunting process, completing a GHG Inventory to benchmark your contribution to global climate change could make a world of difference. Although inventories vary in complexity, they center on three themes including the identification of emission sources, gathering data on those sources, and calculating GHG emissions also known as a footprint. Not sure where to start? The overview below outlines the levels you can achieve in completing a greenhouse gas inventory: 

Scope I: Under this parameter, direct greenhouse gas emissions will be identified. This is essentially the combustion of fossil fuels on your property.

Scope II:  At this level, indirect greenhouse gas emissions from consumption of purchased electricity, heating/cooling or steam will be analyzed.

Scope III:  Additional indirect emissions, such as electricity transmission and distribution losses, business travel and contracted waste disposal will provide a better look at your greenhouse gas outputs.

Feeling inspired? Take the lead to conduct a greenhouse gas inventory at your home or business. Additional details about the effects of greenhouse gases are summarized here: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/ghg/. With your benchmark complete, you can now set your own reduction goal and implement strategies to reduce your contribution to emission generating activities.

As always, we welcome your opinions and comments below!

GBA Headed to Silicon Valley for IMN

On behalf of the Critical Facilities Group (CFG), Heidi Thummel is attending the 4th Annual Financing, Investing, and Real Estate Development for Data Center Conference in San Jose, CA, October 28-29. With two days of sessions covering in-depth market analysis and best practices, our goal is to meet the next data center client for GBA.

CFG brings specialized experience with data centers and telecommunications facilities. Work is performed on mission-critical systems that require 24/7 uptime, and we’ve become experts at designing and commissioning renovation projects. Since the group’s establishment in the early 1990s, it has grown in both size and capability to meet changing client needs and technology. GBA serves clients from across the U.S. and abroad.

Providing fully integrated design teams allows us to efficiently serve our clients in the following industries:

· Data centers

· Co-location and web hosting centers

· Telecommunications

· Operations and control facilities

· Office and support facilities

· Technical labs

Since 1994 IMN's Real Estate division has earned an outstanding reputation for the quality of content exchanged at its events, with an understanding of the complex nature of the markets. IMN consistently delivers programs that lead the way in business intelligence and bring together key buyers and sellers, both domestically and from around the globe. 

GBA’s race-day work at the Kansas Speedway

Spending the day watching cars go lightning speeds at the Kansas Speedway spells f-u-n for more than 75,000 people in the stands at each race.

Not so fun? Going a snail’s pace when trying to leave after a race.

To keep the post-race frustration of speed-lovers in check, a squad of GBA traffic engineers is behind the magic curtain, making sure you get home in a safe and efficient fashion.

Our engineers are able to control the signals along State Avenue, adjacent to the track from the roof of the grandstand with the drivers’ spotters, using signal timings developed specifically for this event. Standing on the roof also allows our engineers to have a bird’s-eye visual of the traffic situation as it unfolds and spot potential sticking points before they become problems.

Tab Boyd, spotter for racer Joey Logano, says that GBA’s traffic control work is extremely helpful not just for the fans, but for the racing crews, too.

“The huge crowds at a NASCAR race can prove very challenging while leaving the race track. Many places it is difficult getting out of the facility and negotiating weird traffic patterns. Kansas Speedway has a seamless traffic pattern post-race,” Boyd says. “We never stop when we leave the tunnel until we reach the interstate. It’s nice after a hard weekend at the track to have such an easy ride to the airport!”

After traffic has calmed to normal levels—usually 90 minutes to two hours after Sprint Cup races—GBA engineers return the traffic signal timings to their normal settings.

All work is done in conjunction with the Kansas City Kansas Police Department, Unified Government Traffic Engineering, Unified Government Street Department and BPU Traffic.

Fan Scott Mallin says he really appreciates the work GBA and local agencies do to keep things moving.

“As a Harley Triker, getting in and out of the track in short order is important to keeping my engine and me cool. I have been to races at Charlotte, Atlanta, Bristol and Kansas. I am certain, that at those first 3 tracks, I would have to pull over to allow my engine and me, to cool off,” he says. “At the Kansas Speedway, I was in, AND out of the grounds and on the highway within five minutes! I live in Shawnee off I-435 and Shawnee Mission Parkway. I was home and comfortable in 15 minutes after the finish of the Sprint Cup race! I was in the pits and saw the celebration in Victory Circle. When I got home ... I felt like the traffic folks deserved a trophy as well!”

Happy Boss's Day!!

We would like to thank all of our bosses today. Thank you for your guidance each day, the knowledge you bestow and the leadership you provide. At GBA we believe we are very fortunate to have an outstanding leadership that has brought us through the decades to where we are today.

Thanks to all our bosses!!

 

 

 

 

"I like working for Mike Smith because he believes in training, including management and life skills that so important to success and understanding."

- Anonymous

 

"One of the reasons why I love working with GBA is because I have great Bosses! Dennis, Dan and Jim.

They are very supportive in many ways either professionally or even personal matters.  Yes, they are very demanding when it comes to getting things done at work with high expectations but they are very supportive and fair to all of us that is how they make GBA a remarkable and fun place to work to."

- Lea Murray, Administrative

 

"A big thank you to Kim Pearse for serving as a team player, an effective listener, and a boss who consistently provides recognition and career development opportunities. I’ve really enjoyed working with him during my time at GBA. He’s also quick with a smile, a joke and most certainly a sketch!"

- Katie McKenzie, Marketing

 

"I appreciate Craig’s insight into building client relationships and project history.  No matter what may come across my desk, there is always valuable advice to be had from his years of experience in building design and construction.  Thanks for always giving me your opinion."

- Suzanne Berkey, Architect Life Sciences

 

"I am lucky to have a boss that always has my back and shows complete confidence in my abilities. He’s also a lot of fun to go to happy hour with."

-  Anonymous

 

"I appreciate the fact that my boss and I can communicate sometimes without using complete sentences…which can be frustrating for others in the conversation."

- Anonymous

Meet the Expert

With more than 35 years of professional experience, Bill Carter, vice president and principal of GBA’s Water Environment Group, has been tapped to provide his insight at the WEFTEC conference this week at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago.  Bill will be available from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9 at the Learning Lounge for a Question and Answer period.  Stop by and try to stump this expert!

http://www.weftec.org/meettheexperts-collectionsystems/