ArcGIS Desktop Classes Available for Winter 2021

The support team has worked diligently to provide GIS curriculum in 2021. We have made adjustments to fully provide our courses virtually. These virtual classes will have two instructors (primary and support) to ensure a positive experience!

Registration is now open through ELM in Self Service. Please discuss training with your supervisor before registering. A purchase order is required to attend these courses. Please refer to the GIS Support intranet web resources for more information on the courses and the registration process. 

Fundamentals of ArcGIS Desktop (1 Day, $100)

• January 12th, 2021
• February 17th, 2021
• March 4th, 2021

Introduction to ArcGIS Desktop (2 Days, $200)

• January 14th and 15th, 2021
• February 3rd and 4th, 2021
• March 10th and 11th, 2021

Editing in ArcGIS Desktop (2 Days, $200)

• January 28th and 29th, 2021
• February 24th and 25th, 2021
• March 25th and 26th, 2021

GIS Support Tip: Getting a new computer?

If you are a GIS user and getting a new computer soon (or already have!), please take a moment to review the GIS Section support tip sheet for GIS users who are Getting a New Computer? There are many things for you to consider and review before you switch your machines!

ArcGIS Desktop Tip: ArcMap Slow?

There are a few support documents you may be interested in! These are available on the GIS Section Intranet resources. We are here to help, remember we're using ArcGIS from home too!

• Using ArcMap from home (out of the office) Be sure to reference this document if working with an external drive or other source for Quick Layers
• Where should I save my data? Desktop Best Practices
• What should I do before I get a new computer? Tips for before, but also after you get your new computer.
• ArcMap is running slow! Optimize GIS Performance. A ten-page tip sheet of things to consider when trying to speed up your ArcMap speed.
• I need to work with network drives! You may qualify to access our remote GIS desktop if your workflows require network drives. Please email a request to GIS Support with "RDP GIS" in the subject line. 

New LiDAR for Northeastern Minnesota

The Lidar Acquisition Team of Minnesota’s 3D Geomatics Committee is happy to report that the first lidar acquisition block (LAB) under the Minnesota Lidar Plan is occurring in Spring 2021 (illustrated blue in image). This will be a spring, leaf-off acquisition of USGS Lidar Base Specification Quality Level-1 (QL1) high density lidar data and a lidar-derived digital elevation model (DEM).  

The Lidar Acquisition Team on behalf of local funding partners submitted the Lake Superior Block to the USGS for 3D Elevation Project (3DEP) funding as a 2021 acquisition proposal (illustrated pink in image). If accepted as a 3DEP project, this acquisition will complete the Minnesota Lidar Plan’s Northeast Minnesota Forested Lidar Acquisition Area. Result of this proposal will be known in January and shared at a future DNR GIS User Group meeting. 

Data Update: 2019 FSA imagery now available as a web service

Statewide NAIP 2019 imagery from the Farm Service Agency is now available on the Minnesota Geospatial Image Service. This leaf-on, 1-meter imagery has separate layers for color and color infrared.

The MN DNR tile cache for these 2019 Image also available in Quick Layers. The cached images will draw faster, but have less detail than the MNGeo WMS layer. Look for the MNGeo WMS layer in Quick Layers soon.

Easy Access to New Data with the WHAF Map

The Watershed Health Assessment Framework (WHAF) staff collaborated with other agencies to bring new data into the WHAF online map.

New to WHAF? Review the WHAF Map Tools reference guide for information on using the map.

Stream Protection Priorities for WRAPS

The WHAF Team collaborated with MPCA and BWSR to create a data layer representing Stream Protection Priorities for WRAPS. This year the priorities were updated with new data supplied by MPCA. This addition nearly doubled the number of streams represented by the data layer.

• View an example in the WHAF map of Stream Protection Priorities for the St. Louis River Watershed near Duluth.
• See this additional information on the Protection and Prioritization analysis.
• You can also find this data as a layer in Quick Layers in ArcMap by searching for WRAPS Stream Protection Priorities.

Groundwater Restoration and Protection Strategies (GRAPS) Data

In collaboration with MDH, the WHAF Map added suite of 12 data layers related to groundwater and drinking water concerns. This data supports discussions during GRAPS (Groundwater Restoration and Protection Strategies) conversations with other agencies and local partners.

• In the WHAF Map, use ‘Add Data’ to search for GRAPS to view in the map
• Choose one of the GRAPS layers to make it active and add it to the map.

Climate Data and Climate Reports

WHAF staff also leveraged MNIT’s investment in historic climate data to look at change occurring at the major watershed scale. This work create three new products:

• Major Watershed Climate Summary Report
• In WHAF Map, use ‘Add Data’ to search for Climate data to view in the map
• Animated Maps showing the change in precipitation and temperature from 1896-2018