GeoMattix is pleased to post our December, 2009 newsletter.  We are preparing to leave for a few weeks and wanted to take a moment to wish you happy holidays and to share a little of what we’ve been up to and what we’ll be doing this spring.  Enjoy!

Custom Training

Lots of Training – We’ve been doing a lot of training lately – all over the place!  Though certified training has not been as popular this year, custom training has been popular for topics ranging from getting started with GIS to advanced GPS techniques.  

AGIC GPS Workshop a Success

AGIC Conference – Thank you to all who stopped in at my ArcPad workshop at the AGIC conference in Tucson this November!  This year we taught a half-day Intro to ArcPad 8 workshop and used Trimble Juno units to collect GPS data with ArcPad.  The weather was great in Tucson and it was fun see everyone at the conference.

Michele Mattix to Teach GPS Course for ASU MAS-GIS Program

Arizona State University’s geography department has a 1 year Master’s of Advanced Study in GIS certificate program.  Students can keep their day job and attend night classes to learn about the latest in GIS.  GeoMattix’s Michele Mattix is a faculty member of the program and will be teaching a GPS course in late January for this year’s group.  For more information, visit http://geoplan.asu.edu/mas-gis.

GeoMattix goes to Greece 

I will be on vacation for honeymoon (we did it!) and holiday travel December 14 – January 5.  I will check email intermittently during this period but will not be available for phone consultation. 

Start planning for the spring conferences now! 

MicroComputers in Education Conference

MEC 2010 will be held in Tempe, Arizona, on the Arizona State University campus, March 15-17, 2010.   MEC 2010 is hosted by ASU’s Applied Learning Technologies Institute in partnership with The Arizona Department of Education.  GeoMattix will be there to offer a hands-on workshop on how to create a GeoTreasure Hunt.

Happening March 30-April 1, 2010 in San Jose, CA, Where 2.0 is one of the world’s foremost events dedicated to exploring the emerging technologies in the geospatial industry. At Where 2.0, you’ll discover the tools pushing the boundaries of the location frontier. Register now and save at http://en.oreilly.com/where2010.

May your holidays be joyous and your new year full of sweet surprises!

We are very pleased to publish our first newsletter to keep you, our valued customers and friends, up to date on our geospatial activities.  Let us know what you think!

First GeoTreasure Hunt a Success!

GeoMattix kicked of a series of GPS for Fun events with a Sedona GeoTreasure Hunt.  What the heck is a GeoTreasure Hunt?  It’s a seek and find we’ve created especially for GPS explorers in Sedona.  Equipped with Garmin eTrex GPS units, visitors and residents alike participated in the fun which included a 20 minute getting started training on how to enter and navigate to waypoints using GPS.  GeoTreasure hunters used GPS to guide them in answering fun and historic questions about Sedona landmarks.  The winners received gift certificates to Coldstone Creamery — just the thing for a summer evening!  Visit http://geomattix.com/gps-for-fun for upcoming events.

ESRI 2009 User Conference

Once again, Michele offered a hands-on GPS workshop at the ESRI UC in San Diego this summer.  This year’s topic was ‘Introduction to ArcPad 8′.  The 3 hour workshop was completely full and gave participants an opportunity for some hands-on time with Magellan’s MobileMapper GPS units.  We went through a simple workflow involving data check-out, field data collection, and data check-in.  Everyone loved collecting GPS data in the cool sea breeze.  We’ll be offering this same workshop at the AGIC conference later this year.

Integrating GPS with GIS

Our back-to-back GIS and GPS training class combo continues to be popular in Sedona.  We recently offered a 2-day GIS training class following by another 2-day GPS Mapping with ArcPad class.  Students came from all over the region to learn how to use ArcGIS and how to integrate GPS field data collection with your geodatabase.   Sedona’s red rocks make great practice features!  GeoMattix is all about combining the business side of GIS/GPS with the fun side.

Online GPS Training

Can’t make it to one of our classes?  No problem.  We now offer online training classes that you can watch on your own or via a virtual classroom.  Check out the samples at http://geomattix.com/gis-gps-training/online-training and let us know what you think.  Need training for your group?  We can custom produce training to meet your specific needs.

Business Partner Update

GeoMattix is proud to be an ESRI business partner.  In addition to working with ESRI on key projects, GeoMattix is able to sell GIS hardware and software products offered by ESRI and their partners.  Some of our favorites include the Ricoh 500SE GPS camera with ArcPad photo-link software and the Trimble Juno SB/SC GPS units with integrated cameras.  Contact us for more information about these and other field data collection products.

Geospatial Blunders

Ever find glaring errors in GIS and GPS references?  I recently found one in a book that combines two of my favorite things — vampire stories and GPS.  The book is Peeps by Scott Westerfeld and though it’s for young adults, it’s a fun vampire story (but aren’t they all?!!).  When our vampire hunting hero catches a vampire he’s been chasing down deep underground in some abondoned New York subway tunnels, he handcuffs him to a pole then tags him with a GPS marker.  Miraculously the GPS marker is read by headquarters way up on the surface almost immediately.   Now that’s a strong receiver!

Wedding Bells

Michele Mattix, founder of GeoMattix, LLC, and Gregory Emmanuel, her boyfriend of nearly 4 years, are finally getting married later this year.  The wedding will  be held in Sedona, Arizona.