jtown & the GUG

This week i was invited to present my visualization work at the GUG. What is the GUG you might ask? Well the gug is a special group of geeks who all appreciate the power and beauty of GIS. They were particularly interested in my specialty -- 3d visualization -- and asked me to talk about some of the work that i do with the LAB. The meeting was in good old J-town - a cool 1 hour and 45 minute drive. The weather began sunny but post altoona, quickly turned into a monsoon. visibility was limited and speeds dropped quickly. Needless to say it was a long drive there.

The presentation went well. We talked about many different visualization options and even looked at Google Earth and SketchUp as it relates to GIS data! They loved it. I was scheduled to speak for 90 minutes but that quickly stretched over 2 hours! The facility - IEOC - in Johnstown - a city that obviously has Congressman Murtha in their back pocket. Picture any FBI or military movie that you have seen - with giant screens and computer displays at every table. 4 GIANT screens project individual displays including cnn news, fox, and other emergency response-related material on the screen. I projected up onto screen 2 from my laptop. The setup was IMPRESSIVE to say the least.

Post meeting, we got a tour of the building. Turns out is it DOD related - again impressive. Followed by lunch on the j-town incline. YUM. The view was phenomenal - we ate outside. I asked many questions and absorbed all I could about Johnstown's flood-prone history. Home i went after making some good contacts. And the ride home - oddly - turned out to be similar in view to the AM ride down.
MORE RAIN. The rain was so intense that i could barely see and contemplated stopping. Flashers were on. My cross ride - cancelled. Yuck.

All in all it was a LONG tiring day, but a fruitful one. Any group that is willing to listen to me babble on about visualization, is worth driving in the rain, 2 hours, to see. :)