Search Results for: exit 23 albany i 787

Daily Update – November 1, 2022

Good morning! Happy November Twenty Two. πŸ¦ƒ

I like November especially if it’s free of snow and road salt. GIS Month, elections come and mostly go away, a lot of paid holidays and Thanksgiving. Cheesy Christmas music.

Rain and 57 degrees at the Exit 23 – Albany (I-787). β˜” Calm wind. The dew point is 55 degrees. The skies will clear around 6 pm.

Traffic is moving a bit slow πŸš™πŸ›»πŸššπŸšπŸšŒ on the Southern Boulevard due to the rain and people learning how to drive in it and the express bus is a bit late as the driver had to do the school 🚸 run first. But it’s not raining hard so I walked laps in the the parking πŸ…Ώ lot waiting for the earlier express bus which was only eight minutes late and the driver entered in the correct block number πŸ”’ so I could watch him approach.

Looking forward to the time change πŸ•’ when I once again can walk 🚢 in the morning in Delmar before work at 6:45. While it will get darker come December in the morning I’d rather walk closer home than the Plaza. 🏑 It’s an easier walk, πŸ‘£ and I get more steps in and no homeless people to yell at you for walking past them more then one. 😠

Started to work on the 30 Day Map Challenge. πŸ—Ί I don’t know if I will participate all 30 days but it will be a fun way to improve my ability to make maps and plot data in R. I think there is a lot of interesting possibilities for maps, especially if I’m forced to come up with new concepts every day.

Thought about Early Voting πŸ—³ yesterday, as the line was short but I think I will wait until later on Election Day to vote, just because I’m undecided.

Daily Update – August 12, 2022

Good morning! Happy Friday.

Only get to say that two more times in August. A beautiful morning on my ride to the bus downtown. But I am so tired and worn out from this week. Just everything seems to be frying me, but I’m hopeful for a quieter weekend ahead.

Mostly sunny and 65 degrees at the Exit 23 – Albany (I-787). 😎 There is a north breeze at 6 mph. πŸƒ. The dew point is 55 degrees.

Tomorrow I will probably catch the Nature Bus up to Thacher Park. 🚌 Always a fun and relaxing day hiking and hammocking at Thacher Park. Pack a nice lunch, and it should be clear and not too humid. I still have a few books to finish up since vacation. I like the Nature Bus as it’s free and it means I am on a schedule so I get a nice early start.

Yesterday it was bringing more work home πŸ’» and working down at the library. This year work from home is something that I do after hours. Things have just been crazy at work and things just piled up further and further while I was on vacation.

What they don’t tell you about making more money is that the work levels also increase. πŸ’΅ But I’m still trying to save whatever I can for a better tomorrow but it’s hard with inflation and the markets in the capper. Interest rates on savings are up though and the market is up somewhat. But despite the extra money the future just seems further away.

Daily Update – July 6, 2022

Good morning! What day is it? A muggy and Gray Hump Day, of course.

Came early this week with Monday being Independence Day. I should take off next Monday too for another four day weekend.

Mostly cloudy and 70 degrees at the Exit 23 – Albany (I-787). πŸŒ₯ There is a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. πŸƒ with gusts up to 21 mph πŸ’¨πŸ’¨πŸ’¨. The dew point is 66 degrees. The muggy weather ends around 5 pm. πŸ˜“

Remarkably humid this morning. πŸŒ… Then again we got a fair bit of needed rain yesterday so it’s not all bad. The air conditioning on the bus feels pretty nice.

Again somehow I manged to stay up too late πŸŒƒ and I’m dragging my ass to work, barely catching the later express bus 🚍 downtown. I was so good until the late nights at work and the holiday weekend. Ands despite being dog 🐢 tired yesterday.

Yesterday I was still a bit tired 😴 after getting home late after hiking down the mountain β›° after watching the Independence Day fireworks πŸŽ‡ from the undisclosed location. By afternoon it poured β˜” and I had to take the local bus 🚍 home. Later in the evening it cleared up a bit, and I got my steps in πŸ‘£ walking down to the park 🏞. Made it through Tuesday. Did get kind of wet walking 🚢 home in the rain.

Finally started to break in my new boots. πŸ‘’ The old ones I got on West Virginia in early November are pretty worn out – I ordered the replacement ones two week ago and they arrived the next day. I’ve yet to find much difference between cheap and expensive boots.

Like so many other times, 🏑 I clicked through to an article that wades into the debate if it’s better to buy or rent property. While I tend to agree that for two properties of the same size, it’s better to buy, especially with cash. But if you live in a small apartment on the bus line, it’s probably cheaper than buying a much larger home than you need, especially if it’s not your forever home.

It’s not that I don’t want to eventually own my own land, 🚜 but just not a generic house in the suburbs in a liberal pukey state like New York. The internet is a constant reminder that there are other ways of living with lower taxes and fewer restrictions than New York.

Daily Update – March 18, 2022

Good morning! Made it to a Friday!

No nuclear war with Russia yet. Odds seem good we will make it to the weekend and if luck has it maybe even spring.

🌹🌻🌼Only 2 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

Moderate fog 🌫 cloudy and 44 degrees on the express bus 🚍 downtown near Exit 23 – Albany (I-787). ☁ Calm wind. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Wednesday around 2 am. β˜ƒοΈ

Yesterday I got in 18,400 steps which is good. 🚢 I figure when the evenings are nice and there’s daylight in the evening get out and walk. Not so hopeful for Saturday getting my steps in πŸ‘£. Next week with session, I’ll try to do my morning walk most days but probably the 10k goal πŸ₯… will be elusive but I guess it depends on when I get home. I made Macaroni and Cheese πŸ§€ for dinner.

Kind of a damp start to what promises to be a nice day β˜€ later on. But it was good sleeping 😴 last night with the windows open. Slept like a baby. Good times though tomorrow I’ll probably have to close things up with colder weather and rain β˜” for tomorrow.

This afternoon will likely push 70 degrees later on with sun β˜€ a true sign that spring is coming. 🌷 Yesterday I saw they were busy planting tulips at Washington Park and getting ready for those colorful days in early May. I’m looking forward to more color returning to the world.

It looks like OGS is busy disassembling the the skating β›Έ rink and they’ve brought out the picnic tables and the trash cans. That said it will probably be a few weeks before the refill the reflecting pools. Knowing how these things go, I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s on godly hot β˜€ on the Empire State Plaza but I usually do my walk 🚢 early enough that I’m not concerned as it’s rare that the early mornings are very muggy. 😰

I might actually break out those hot dogs 🌭 that I spent way too much money on the other day and have one or two for dinner and stretch them out with extra baked beans πŸ₯« and frozen corn 🌽 that hasn’t gone up quite as much in price.

I would like to go to the park 🏞 after work but I think the sunset πŸŒ‡ is still a bit too early and the trails will probably be quite muddy. Still only March.

Then rain expected for Saturday 🌨. At least this time it won’t be snow. I might actually get down to the library πŸ“š this weekend if it’s not raining too hard. Sunday morning in thinking of getting up early and walking out to Five Rivers 🐦 to look at the birds.

Trash can lid repairs went well πŸ—‘, I’m going to add a little extra expoxy to make sure no leaks before the rain. I’ll just make sure not to use that lid for the paper and other burn stuff lest it get wet. πŸ“„

I’m thinking with April just around the corner 🎣 I should plan some fishing and camping trips. Not totally sure where though with the high cost of fuel β›½ maybe not so far from home. Maybe take a few days off from work.

I Can Help You Make a Map

Geographic Information Services (GIS)MapsCartography πŸ—Ί

I am an amateur cartographer who designs maps and does a wide variety geospatial analysis using free and open-source geographic information software (GIS) and public sources of data to design quality maps, graphs, charts and datasets. I am looking for new and interesting projects to improve my skills, make connections and expand my portfolio.

Are you looking for my personal blog with it’s hiking, camping and outdoor recreation maps, along with a variety of charts, photos, and stories? Please visit andyarthur.org.

Mapping Avaliable

  • Tax/Property Mapping
  • High Resolution Aerial Photography
  • Recreational Maps – Hunting, Camping, Hiking
  • Georeference addresses using State Address Mapping service, plot them on a map
  • Wetlands, Topographic Contours, Land Cover
  • Compare historical aerial photos or maps to current photography
  • Web mapping using leaflet (HTML/Javascript file to embed on a website or use at home)

Example maps can found below.

Services Available

  • A list of property owners within 1,000 feet of a proposed development
  • How many cars per day pass a business?
  • How many people who live within 5 miles of a business or park?
  • How many African Americans and Hispanics live within 10 miles of Albany Pine Bush?
  • What are wealthiest election districts?
  • How many people ride public transit in a neighborhood?
  • How much of an area is wetland or farm field?
  • How big an interchange?
  • What is the average slope and elevation of an area or trail?

Example data can found below.

Pricing and Cost

For most projects, there is no fee. I am looking for experience, references, mentors and connections in the geospatial community.

If you have a large project, let’s talk about it. I might be willing to do it for free, if it’s something really interesting
or important like fighting suburban sprawl and pollution. I don’t a business or taxes set up, so I can’t really charge at this point.

How to get started?

Please send me an email describing the mapping or data project in as much detail as possible.

My email is andy@andyarthur.org

Data Avaliable

  • US Census – 2019 American Community Survey, 2020 US Census
  • NYS Tax and Assessment Rolls (2020)
  • NYSDOT Traffic Counts and Road Data
  • Historical Aerial Photography (primarily 1952, but earlier and later exist)
  • ArcGIS REST/Services and WMS Services from state and local agencies
  • LiDAR Elevation Profiles
  • USGS Topographic Maps, historic and modern – with overlays if requested
  • Data Repositories like CUGIR, DataNY.gov and NYSGIS
  • Recreation data from NYSDEC

Software Used

  • Quantum GIS (QGIS) including 3D Mapping
  • Geodata Abstraction Library (GDAL, ogr2ogr)
  • Python, including the data-science libraries PANDAS and GeoPANDAS
  • LeafletJS Web Mapping Services

Geographies Avaliable

  • Primary Capital Region and also much of New York State, also some for Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia
  • State, county, municipal, school districts – Most data sets
  • Parks, highways, buffer (distance to) – Most data sets
  • Election districts – Roughly 75% of NYS counties
  • Census Tract or Blockgroup – 2019 American Community Survey
  • Tabulation Block – 2020 US Census

Are printed maps avaliable at this time?

Not currently. I can send you a file based on your specifications to print at your local print shop.

How long do mapping projects take?

Depends on complexity of the project. Many projects only take minutes, however if a project requires georeferencing, data cleaning, or custom shapes or layouts, it might take significantly longer. More revisions lead to better quality output.

Do you make maps professionally?

No! This is just a hobby. But I’m interested in expanding my skills. I do a lot of mapping for my blog and in support of community organizations like Save the Pine Bush.

Are my maps of good quality?

Thats for you to decide. I don’t have formal education in map making, and I don’t have professional tools. But do take a look at the work I’ve done below.

Examples of Maps


This shows a 3D rendering of the Buckville Canal north of Hamilton


This map shows the use of 2020 PL 94-171 data to calculate population density in City of Albany.


This 1985 aerial photo shows Crossgates Mall prior to it’s expansion.


This GIF image shows the change in unemployment during Coronavirus panademic.

This image shows hiking trails near Brooktrout, Falls Pond and Deep Lake.


Peebles Island, a Comparison 1952


3D Interactive of campsites at Moose River Plains.


Sample tax map in Albany.


Election results – 2020 Presidential Election, Onondoga County.


Map showing where sparklers are legally sold in New York.


Downtown Plattsburgh 1866 Beers (1866 Beers vs. 2020 OSM)


3D Rendering of Canandaigua Lake


Map showing Buffalo Mayoral Primary results and campaign donors.


Overlay of Proposed Retail Core in 1963 Plan for the Capital City.


Map showing Local Area Unemployment Statistics – April 2020.


Interactive tax map in Delmar


State Land in Stockholm, NY – Buckton State Forest.


Empire State Plaza take area, 1952


3D Rendering of the 1898 Watkins Glen Topographic Map

Examples of Data and Code

Properties in Albany Pine Bush Study Area,Excel Files: Various Tax Rolls,Find coordinates and political districts,Look Up State Tax Records and aScript for Processing RPTL 1520 PDFs.

Querying state property database, political enrollments, PL 94-171 Census files, calculating population statistics, what address is a district in, converting old districts to new districts.

Miles from Albany millions population
50 1.002
100 1.750
150 3.511
200 17.102
250 17.725
300 18.699
350 19.411
400 20.187
450 20.201
import pandas as pd
import geopandas as gpd
 
# path to overlay shapefile
overlayshp = r'/tmp/dis_to_albany.gpkg'
 
# summary level -- 750 is tabulation block, 150 is blockgroup
# large areas over about 50 miles much faster to use bg
summaryLevel = 150
#summaryLevel = 750
 
# path to block or blockgroup file
if summaryLevel == 150:
    blockshp = r'/home/andy/Documents/GIS.Data/census.tiger/36_New_York/tl_2020_36_bg20.shp.gpkg'
else:
    blockshp = r'/home/andy/Documents/GIS.Data/census.tiger/36_New_York/tl_2020_36_tabblock20.shp.gpkg'
 
# path to PL 94-171 redistricting geoheader file
pl94171File = '/home/andy/Desktop/nygeo2020.pl'
 
# field to categorize on (such as Ward -- required!)
catField = 'Name'
 
# geo header contains 2020 census population in column 90 
# per PL 94-171 documentation, low memory chunking disabled 
# as it causes issues with the geoid column being mixed types
df=pd.read_csv(pl94171File,delimiter='|',header=None, low_memory=False )
 
# column 2 is summary level 
population=df[(df.iloc[:,2] == summaryLevel)][[9,90]]
 
# load overlay
overlay = gpd.read_file(overlayshp).to_crs(epsg='3857')
 
# shapefile of nys 2020 blocks, IMPORTANT (!) mask by output file for speed
blocks = gpd.read_file(blockshp,mask=overlay).to_crs(epsg='3857')
 
# geoid for linking to shapefile is column 9
joinedBlocks=blocks.set_index('GEOID20').join(population.set_index(9))
 
# store the size of unbroken blocks
# in case overlay lines break blocks into two
joinedBlocks['area']=joinedBlocks.area
 
# run union
unionBlocks=gpd.overlay(overlay, joinedBlocks, how='union')
 
# drop blocks outside of overlay
unionBlocks=unionBlocks.dropna(subset=[catField])
 
# create population projection when a block crosses
# an overlay line -- avoid double counting -- this isn't perfect
# as we loose a 0.15 percent due to floating point errors
unionBlocks['sublock']=unionBlocks[90]*(unionBlocks.area/unionBlocks['area'])
 
# sum blocks in category
unionBlocks=pd.DataFrame(unionBlocks.groupby(catField).sum()['sublock'])
 
# rename columns
unionBlocks=unionBlocks.rename({'sublock': '2020 Census Population'},axis=1)
 
# calculate cumulative sum as you go out each ring
unionBlocks['millions']=unionBlocks.cumsum(axis=0)['2020 Census Population']/1000000
 
# each ring is 50 miles
unionBlocks['miles']=unionBlocks.index*50
 
# output
unionBlocks

Land use in town of Berne (from 2016 National Land Cover Dataset)

Most highly assessed properties in Albany County …

from arcgis.features import FeatureLayer
lyr_url = 'https://gisservices.its.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NYS_Tax_Parcel_Centroid_Points/MapServer/0'
layer = FeatureLayer(lyr_url)
query_result1 = layer.query(where="COUNTY_NAME='Albany' AND FULL_MARKET_VAL > 100000000", 
                                    out_fields='PARCEL_ADDR,CITYTOWN_NAME,FULL_MARKET_VAL,OWNER_TYPE', out_sr='4326')

df=query_result1.sdf.sort_values(by='FULL_MARKET_VAL', ascending=False)
df['Full Market Value'] = df['FULL_MARKET_VAL'].map('${:,.0f}'.format)

df
 OBJECTIDPARCEL_ADDRCITYTOWN_NAMEFULL_MARKET_VALOWNER_TYPESHAPEFull Market Value
112665264 Eagle StAlbany12042549252{β€œx”: -73.75980312511581, β€œy”: 42.650469918250…$1,204,254,925
391501200 Washington AveAlbany8862987152{β€œx”: -73.81092293494828, β€œy”: 42.679257168282…$886,298,715
4102081400 Washington AveAlbany6423982872{β€œx”: -73.82369286130952, β€œy”: 42.685845700657…$642,398,287
0885251 Fuller RdAlbany4400428272{β€œx”: -73.83559002316825, β€œy”: 42.690208093507…$440,042,827
518164632 New Scotland AveAlbany3775682018{β€œx”: -73.80381341626146, β€œy”: 42.655758957669…$377,568,201
1906141 Fuller RdAlbany3211991432{β€œx”: -73.83323986150171, β€œy”: 42.693189748928…$321,199,143
19108087See Card 1067Watervliet2808988761{β€œx”: -73.70670724174552, β€œy”: 42.719628647232…$280,898,876
1565380737 Alb Shaker RdColonie2639161003{β€œx”: -73.80365248218001, β€œy”: 42.747956678125…$263,916,100
921923304 Madison AveAlbany2342654182{β€œx”: -73.76227373289564, β€œy”: 42.648000674457…$234,265,418
2907201 Fuller RdAlbany2034261242{β€œx”: -73.83362605353057, β€œy”: 42.692609131686…$203,426,124
1669999515 Loudon RdColonie1660656008{β€œx”: -73.74958475282632, β€œy”: 42.719321807666…$166,065,600
72059247 New Scotland AveAlbany1622763388{β€œx”: -73.77597163421673, β€œy”: 42.653565689693…$162,276,338
620574132 S Lake AveAlbany1462963602{β€œx”: -73.77970918544908, β€œy”: 42.654390366929…$146,296,360
820597113 Holland AveAlbany1434985012{β€œx”: -73.77306688593143, β€œy”: 42.650762742870…$143,498,501
1778203MannsvilleColonie1425704001{β€œx”: -73.71245452369443, β€œy”: 42.718124477080…$142,570,400
18955091 Crossgates Mall RdGuilderland1305547008{β€œx”: -73.84702700595471, β€œy”: 42.687699053797…$130,554,700
102452186 S Swan StAlbany1284364032{β€œx”: -73.75980563770365, β€œy”: 42.653931892804…$128,436,403
13468831916 US 9WCoeymans1100000008{β€œx”: -73.83388475575597, β€œy”: 42.488730743021…$110,000,000
1235152380 River RdBethlehem1052631588{β€œx”: -73.76445503554325, β€œy”: 42.595925419330…$105,263,158
146509715 Wolf RdColonie1019672138{β€œx”: -73.81423716588279, β€œy”: 42.709939498581…$101,967,213
Categories:

June 20, 2016 Evening

Good afternoon! Partly cloudy and 89 degrees in Albany, NY. There is a south-southwest breeze at 9 mph. The dew point is a somewhat sticky 62. Not a terrible summer afternoon, even if summer doesn’t technically occur until 6:34 pm.

With this long and hot day,Β I’m going to head out kayak fishing on Lawson Lake this evening once I getΒ home.Β I’ve heard there are some decent sizedΒ large mouth in that lake, and I am hoping to get some bites in the deeper parts of the lake, as it starts to get dark and cools off a bit. Dusk is at 9:11 PM, so I figure I’ll have some time, especially if I have a quick micro-zapped dinner. It will be cool on the lake, especially once the sun drops behind the mountain.

I was going to go out fishing last night after I left my parents house,Β but I accidentally left my tackle box at home after unpacking from camping. I was also pretty tired last night. But I left my kayak on the roof of my truck, in preparation for going fishing tonight. I usually go down to the Hudson River, but I figure if I get out on Lawson’s Lake, I might catch something actually worth keeping.

The express bus driver is taking us over through the south end to help us avoid delays on the 787, which is good because I really want to get fishing. The bus is frigid tonight, so it will feel extra hot once I get home.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after midnight. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. Increasing clouds, with a low around 65. Seven degrees above normal. South wind 9 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Seven degrees above normal. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1970.

June Solstice (Summer Solstice)Β officially starts at 6:34 PM tonight in Albany. At 15 hours 19 minutes 23 seconds, this day is 6 hours, 17 minutes longer than on December Solstice.Β Earliest sunrise is on June 14 or June 15. Latest sunset is on June 26 — a few seconds later.

Tonight the sun will set at 8:36 pm with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 14 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight is June’s Strawberry Full Moon — the first full moon on the Summer Solstice since the Summer of Love in 1967. Β July’s Buck Moon is on Tuesday, July 19th.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny, with a high near 80. One degree above normal. West wind 10 to 14 mph. The record high of 97 was set in 1938.

So far it looks like a warm and sunny weekend. Saturday, sunny, with a high near 88. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Typical average high for the weekend is 80 degrees. I am undecided about whether I’ll spend the weekend in Schoharie County at the Mine Kill State Park or go up Stewart Landing, camp, fish, and paddle West Canada Lake, and possibly visit the Potholers. If it’s really hot the Potholers would be wonderful.

In four weeks on July 18 the sun will be setting at 8:28 pm, which is 8 minutes earlier then today. The average high is 83 degrees, and the record for that date is 100 degrees was set back in 1953.

Grocery shopping last night I kind of forgot about buying coffee, so I’m almost out. There are few other things I need to get, that somehow fell off my list.Β But I should be good for a few more days,Β until I need more coffee. I’ll just re-heat what is in the pot, which is what I normally do in the summer months. Probably will need more supplies by then at any rate. I did pick up some sparkler fountains, and will probably buy more in the coming weeks, so I can have lots of fun this Fourth of July.

I took off July 1st along with the last week of July. For the Independence Weekend, I’m heading up to Moose River Plains. Probably will be modestly on call that weekend, so I’ll probably end up heading out to Inlet to make phone calls and check my email a few times during the weekend. But I haven’t been up to the Plains since last autumn, so it will be nice to get away for the holiday weekend — hopefully early enough to get a nice campsite.

That last week of July will be spent out in the Finger Lakes, probably most of pool side at Watkins Glen State Park Pool.Β I really like thatΒ pool with the wonderful Adirondack chairs and free entrance and exit to the pool. Bring a snack, sit out in the sun, go for a swim on the hottest day of the year. Pretty close to paradise in my book. Maybe end my trip in Erie, Penna. and go swimming at the amazing Presque Isle State Park.

Did I mention I am a bit of a fan of the summer months?