The UDOT Conference, which took place November 1-3, was quite the event, filled with fun, friends, and fantastic food. Our Meridian team benefited greatly from the available classes, and we were able to catch up with old colleagues and make some new ones as well.
Here are some photos of the event. We’ve already got big plans for next year!
UDOT Conference Recap
Right before the hustle and bustle.
Tyler, Jeff, and Mike, looking great as always.
Mike Timothy made some fashionable glasses using a 3D pen.
Jason Henley spent three hours constructing this masterpiece.
Playing with the sandbox.
Vic Saunders was a balancing champion.
My eyes said yes but my stomach said oh, no.
Some of us got our groove on.
Nichole briefly participated in No Shave November.
…so did Jennifer Avila.
Mike Timothy came back for round two, this time to make a monocle.
Doesn’t Dian McGuire look awesome in her new glasses?
On August 31, 2016, Utah GIS users lost their connection to the State of Utah ArcGIS networks. After many long hours of making phone calls and exerting technical genius, Meridian’s GIS Project Manager Adrian Welsh has a working alternative to help Utah GIS users access this crucial data. The following are his instructions.
How to utilize parcel data from the AGRC with ArcGIS Pro
If you have used ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) for utilizing Parcel data from the AGRC (Automated Geographic Reference Center), then you have probably come across this article describing the deprecation of SDE server connections (here: http://gis.utah.gov/sde-application-server-connects-deprecation/). It is past August 31, and that means the server connection is gone (for GIS users outside the State of Utah networks). While the above article goes on to show how to utilize AGRC’s GIS data from ArcGIS Online into ArcMap, this blog post will show you how to utilize this online data (particularly Parcel data) in ArcGIS Pro.
Open up ArcGIS Pro and load a new map (or use an existing one). Under the Map tab at the top, click on the Add Data button:
On the left hand side of the Add Data dialog box, look under the Portal category and choose the All Portal option:
In the search box, type in “AGRC Parcels”
Choose the newly created “Utah Statewide Parcels” Feature Layer and then click on Select:
Because there are hundreds of thousands of Parcels in the State of Utah and this layer contains them all, it is a good idea to zoom in to a specified location in order to minimize drawing time. While this is different than how it used to be (each county was once its own layer), you can now utilize the entire state at one time which is helpful when your data spans across counties.
After it is loaded, you can treat it like you would treat your regular data:
One additional note about adding ArcGIS Online data: Oftentimes it is unclear what kind of data is being displayed in the Add Data dialog box. Here is a tip on how to know what the data types are. Open the Add Data dialog box, click on All Portal in the left hand side, type in SGID (or whatever) into the search box, then click on the three lines icon at the top, and choose Gallery:
In the list of layers, now you can see what the data types are (examples include: layer, feature layer [hosted or otherwise], map image layer, layer package, tile layer [hosted or otherwise], imagery layer, etc.).
Special thanks to Matt Peters at the AGRC for getting this layer put together.
Brad T. Mortensen, PE, PLS recently joined Meridian Engineering as our QC/QA Manager. Brad has experience with all aspects of Transportation and Infrastructure design ranging from geodetic control, mapping, roadway design and construction of freeways and state routes, as well as state, municipal, utility and commercial/retail capital improvements. Additionally, Brad is experienced with Right-of-Way and Boundary analysis and design. Brad has worked with private entities, municipalities, and state DOTs to complete many projects throughout the western United States. He has demonstrated in these projects, that he understands our clients’ needs and will proactively work to find solutions. Recent Projects: US-189, State Park to Rock Cut Passing Lanes, Heber Co., Utah; SR-132, Salt Creek Canyon, MP36.5-37.7, Juab Co., Utah; SR-68 Redwood Road, 400 South to Stillwater Drive, Saratoga Springs, Utah; US-89, 300 South, 200 W – 700 E, Provo, Utah.
We welcome Brad to Meridian as another well-qualified professional ready to serve your needs!
Our Transportation Manager, Ryan Nuesmeyer, performed a study (while with his previous engineering firm) to help Sandy City quantify the reduction of vehicle crashes along one of their major arterial roads. Since Ryan joined Meridian, the article has been published in the April 2016 ITE Journal, pages 34-39. Click the link below to see the study.
Abstract: Crash analyses are often completed prior to the design and construction of safety improvement projects to help identify the most appropriate safety improvements based on the crash history. The effects of those safety improvements are rarely quantified by transportation engineers following the completion of construction. However, Sandy City, a suburb of Salt Lake City, UT, USA, wanted to forgo the usual and instead conduct a before and after crash analysis to better understand the return on investment of the safety improvements that they constructed along one of the city’s major arterial roadways, 1300 East (see Figure 1). The findings of the study showed that the addition of raised medians, median barriers, right-turn lanes, street lighting, pedestrian access ramps, signs with improved retroreflectivity, bicycle lanes with bicycle safe catch basin grates, and more visible signals, among other improvements, reduced the severity and number of crashes by 40 percent per year along the 5-mile corridor.
Last month, a couple of Meridian Engineering employees attended the 2016 UGIC (Utah Geographic Information Council) Conference in Bryce Canyon to further their GIS skills and get in touch with some vendors and clients. During the conference, there was a geologic tour and hike of a popular hiking trail, the Queen’s Garden. Take a look at how you can turn some geotagged photos, from a smartphone, into a nicely presented Story Map using the tools of ArcGIS Online from Esri.
To see this map in a separate browser tab, click here: http://arcg.is/1Wt7nPX. How can GIS help your organization become more transparent and help present ideas in a more spatial way? Please contact us!
