Minutes from ASGIS User Group Meeting October 2, 2003

Exit Summary Presentation: Kevin Cronk

It is unfortunate but Kevin left October 3rd and presented a exit report and summary of what he has been doing for the last 2 years in American Samoa. The presentation is available by clicking here. Tofa soifua Kevin and best of luck!

Kevin’s Replacement

The NOAA CSC will be hiring a new GIS assistantship that will be housed in the DOC GIS room. ECO, which was selected to hire the new assistantship, will accept applications until October 10th. NOAA will then select the top 3 for each Island (Guam, CNMI, HI, and AS) at the end of this month. The top candidates will be flown to each respective Island the first week of November. The new assistantships will then begin in January with a training session in Hawaii and migrate to each of their Islands.

Landcover Maps: Sheri Mann

Sheri Mann brought a large print out of the land cover map that is being completed by Joe Donnegan and Lisa Levien. The Land cover map covers the time periods of 2002 and 1984. Currently the paper version is available for viewing and a digital version will eventually be available. The land cover classes include barren, forest, mangrove, grassland/fernland, urban, and water. The map can be viewed in the DOC GIS laboratory. Comments on the land cover map can be directed to Sheri or Lisa.

GIS Webpage

The website for the American Samoa User’s group has been transferred to the DOC server. The webpages have been updated and there are new pages on the All Islands Conference, News, Links, Data, meetings, and NOAA CSC trainings. All power point presentations from the NOAA trainings and the All Islands Conference are available through the new website: http://doc.asg.as

Additionally there is a new FTP off of the DOC server that contains the current American Samoa GIS Databank: ftp://doc.asg.as The Databank is available in a compressed format (RAR) and an uncompressed format.

SDI - Executive Order: Troy Curry

A draft EO was submitted to Jr. Seui in the Governor’s Office for review before the Governor signs and stamps the EO. The submitted EO can be viewed on the DOC GIS website: http://doc.asg.as/news.htm The only change thus far identified is the change of membership from TEMPCO to the Department of Homeland Security.

Current Research: Eric Treml

Eric Treml, a PhD. Student who attends Duke University in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, gave a presentation on his dissertation work that is currently taking place on Island. His work encompasses the creation of a spatial model of the ecology of coral reefs looking at the connectivity between and within coral reef systems. Eric will be on Island until the beginning of November. Questions concerning his research can be directed to his email at: eat4@duke.edu