Good evening! Partly clear and 31 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ There is a west-northwest breeze at 14 mph. 🍃. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 1 pm. 🌡️
22,000 steps or 11 miles today which isn’t too bad. 👣 Been averaging 9 miles walked per day which is pretty good. 🍏 I’ve also added a lot of apples and oranges and other fruits to my diet and keep trying to bolster the amount of vegetables that I’m eating at every meal.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 21 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Maximum wind chill around 13 at 6am; Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 30 degrees. The record low of -13 occurred back in 1940.
Sunday lunch at the Vietnam 🇻🇳 Restaurant for my dad’s birthday 🎂 was good. Seemed healthy but tasty too. I was able to bring home a portion that I can reheat later in the week. It also inspired me to buy some rice 🍚 to cook at home as it’s a healthy meal. 🍴
Tonight will have a First Quarter 🌓 Moon with 47% illuminated. At 8 PM, the moon was in the west-southwest (247°) at an altitude of 54° from the horizon, some 244,291 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by August 31st. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Worm 🐛 Moon is on Tuesday, March 7.
Earlier on this evening 🌃 Venus and Jupiter were in a perfect line and bright in the sky. I could see them clearly under the bright lights of the Delaware Plaza when I did my weekly shop 🏪 mostly for fruits and vegetables. I also dropped off my laundry at the laundromat 👚 and got that done. Big Red is parked for the week. 🛻 I might clean the snow off him tomorrow night just so there is less snow to deal with come Sunday.
The darkest hour is at 12:09 am, followed by dawn at 6:09 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:37 am in the east-southeast (101°) and last for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 34 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:16 am with sun in the east-southeast (108°).Tonight will have 12 hours and 50 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 50 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will have increasing clouds ☀ 👉 ☁, with a high of 35 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 13th. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1997. 3.6 inches of snow fell back in 2019.❄
In four weeks on March 26 the sun will be setting in the west (274°) at 7:15 pm (Daylight Savings Time),🌄 which is one hour, 33 minutes and 16 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had cloudy skies, warm conditions, mist and temperatures between 75 and 44 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 49 and 29 degrees. The record high of 75 degrees was set back in 2021.
Looking ahead, Daylight Savings Time 🌆 is in two weeks, Last Day of Winter 🏂 is in 3 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 6 weeks, Average High is 60 🌷 is in 7 weeks, 8 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 10 weeks, Mothers Day 👩 is in 11 weeks, Fathers Day 👨 is in 15 weeks, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 20 weeks, National Dog Day 🐩 is in 6 months, 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 is in 28 weeks, Constitution Day 📜 is in 29 weeks, October 🎃 is in 31 weeks, Average High is 65 🍂 is in 32 weeks, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 41 weeks, Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 43 weeks and Boxing Day 🥊 is in 10 months.
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Partly cloudy and 31 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. ⛅ Breezy, ️22 mph breeze from the northwest 🌬 with gusts up to 32 mph 💨💨💨. The current wind chill is 18. There are 3 inches of ice and snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at Sunday around vyv v vga11 am. 🌡️
Once again I chickened 🐥 out and decided to go in early and walk the Concourse with the muzzle on. 😷 I did walk down to the Park and Ride and am trying to walk faster so hopefully I can avoid walking outside in the evening. It actually wasn’t too bad down to the Park and but when I first got up boy oh boy 🧒 was that wind roaring. Ideally I would have my steps before the end of the work day so I can do them inside but I don’t know if that’s possible. 👣 I’m thinking of walking down to the library 📚 in the evening if necessary to complete today’s walk program.
Today will be partly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 21 by 5pm. ☀ 💨 Blustery, with a northwest wind 18 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 74 was set in 2017. 8.0 inches of snow fell back in 1962. ❄
Amazing how fast the fruits 🍏 🍊🍌 have disappeared from my office 🏢. Same thing with the frozen ones at home. I don’t know if I’ve actually lost any weight, my scale at home is broke but I feel a lot more full and eat less at dinner which saves money 💵 and feel less light headed at times.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 37.9° from the due south horizon (-33° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:00 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (251°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (258°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:39 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 58 seconds with dusk around 6:06 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the southwest (233°) at an altitude of 50° from the horizon, 238,269 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:40 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 21 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 7. ☃️ Breezy, 17 mph breeze ⛅ from the northwest. Today will have 11 hours and 2 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.
Exploring the Concourse 🏢 I’ve discovered new places to walk 🚶 like the South Swan Tunnel which has an interesting set of photographs 🖼 of the Empire State Plaza construction 🚧 and other colorful locations in New York State. I’ve also done the Well of the LOB, Capitol Building and under the Egg. I should think about the forth and fifth floor of the Capitol, if memory serves me right there is an interesting mix of tunnels, stairs and walkways up there. Rainy but mild days I could do the walkway to the Knickerbocker Arena.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 5 degrees at 4am. 15 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around -4 at 5am; North wind 7 to 16 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -14 occurred back in 1914.
Tomorrow will have a chance of snow showers, mainly after noon. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 25 degrees at 3pm. 14 degrees below normal. North wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 70 was set in 2017. 16.8 inches of snow fell back in 1966.❄
Looking ahead to Sunday, a slight chance of rain showers after 1pm, mixing with snow after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Typical average high for the weekend is 39 degrees.
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 when the sun will be setting at 7:05 pm with dusk at 7:31 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2022, we had cloudy and temperatures between 45 and 28 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 45 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 1990.
Good evening! Clear and 58 degrees for evening walk in Delmar, NY. 🌃 There is a south breeze at 11 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 41 degrees. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around 4 pm. ☃️
Not a half bad evening for February. 🌟 The skies are full of stars and it’s quite mild. It was nice having the windows open today and enjoying some fresh air before it gets cold again after the rain tomorrow. ☔ Then cold come Friday but bouncing back to normal by the weekend. After my walk I’ll sit out back until nine. 🛏 Going to close my windows then bed time.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 41 degrees at 6am. 23 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 25th. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Too good to be true, won’t last. In 2022, we had light snow in the evening, which became mist by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1943.
Still enjoying the almost door to door service 🚏of the express Voorheesville bus. 🚍 Great on session days but also like tomorrow evening when it rains. ☔ That said, I do worry about not getting in as many steps 👣 without walking to the Park and Ride but on nice days I still can. I was happy 😊 to see somebody on the bus today actually coming from Voorheesville as I know the bus I take isn’t as popular as earlier but I hope it doesn’t get canceled right away as long as there are other riders.
Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 22% illuminated. The Worm 🐛 Moon is on Friday, March 3. The darkest hour is at 12:10 am, followed by dawn at 6:25 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:54 am in the east-southeast (107°) and last for 3 minutes and 1 seconds.
It was a quiet 🤫 half of the day at work until a big project came in mid afternoon. Sometimes it’s so quiet and then so busy, 🖥 but when I have down time I try to use it well to analyze data, and learn new data science methods and sources of data. I’ve learned a lot of clever techniques to automate or at least speed up things at work. 👨⚖️ I might not be a PhD in data science but I’m learning some valuable techniques using R to mine a lot of value out of data.
Sunrise is one minute and 23 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:33 am with sun in the east-southeast (114°).Tonight will have 13 hours and 20 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over last night.
Today was such a nice day 🏢 but I was stuck in my office all day except when I went to the farmers market to get mushrooms 🍄 and did a short walk 🚶 on the Plaza. Got home and spent more time reading 📖 up about machine learning. 🤖 Too bad the weekend isn’t as good looking.
Tomorrow will have showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds 🌞 👉 🌥 , with a high of 55 degrees at 1pm. 19 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 6th. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, which became mist by afternoon. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 2006. 17.3 inches of snow fell back in 1958.❄
I decided that I can do my state taxes on paper 📄 to avoid paying to file. There is a few different open source things to compute my federal taxes, and then once they are done the state is easy to do. I like paper in the sense it’s easier to carefully review. I feel like the online services you spit too much of your information into a black box 🗃 and it spits it back out and you don’t really know if it’s done right. I can compare to last year – forms are the same but the numbers 🔢 now are just slightly higher or maybe not if I reduced things down enough by retirement plan deductions.
In four weeks on March 15 the sun will be setting in the west (268°) at 7:02 pm (Daylight Savings Time),🌄 which is one hour, 34 minutes and 29 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had cold, mostly sunny and temperatures between 30 and 11 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 26 degrees. The record high of 72 degrees was set back in 2019.
Looking ahead, March 🌨 is in two weeks on Wednesday, Ides of March ✝ is a month away, Tax Day 💰 is in 2 months, Average High is 70 🐮 is in 12 weeks, Pack Rat Day 🐀 is in 13 weeks, Summer ️⛱️ is in 18 weeks, Hottest Time of the Year 😅 is in 20 weeks, Dog Days of Summer 🌻 is in 20 weeks, Cow Appreciation Day 🐂 is in 5 months, Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ is in 28 weeks, More Night then Day 🌌 is in 32 weeks, Last Sunset After 6:30 PM 🌆 is in 33 weeks, Average High is 55 🍂 is in 37 weeks, November 🥧 is in 37 weeks, Day After Election Day 🛀 is in 38 weeks, Saint Nicholas Day 🎅 is in 42 weeks and Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 10 months.
Geographic Information Services (GIS) – Maps – Cartography
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)
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.
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.
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 …
A hot and humid afternoon. Partly sunny 🌞 around 93 degrees in Albany, NY. There is a south breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 70 degrees. The heat index is 99. The muggy weather ends Saturday around 3 am. 😓 Yes, it’s a hot day.
For the first time since I’ve been working downtown, I went for a couple laps around the Empire State Plaza Concourse. ❄️ Parts of concourse are frigid today, while other parts are quite warm. It was nice to get at least a mile in walking laps in the plaza, because it was too hot and I was too drowsy to go for my morning walk before work, after taking a sleeping pill last night 💊 so I could sleep well. Kind of nice things are getting back to normal.
Tonight though with the heat, I am not sure what the plans are. 📚 It might be nice to go down to the library, or I could go to the park if the heat breaks a bit by seven o’clock, although I don’t really have any good books to read — maybe I should go to the library. No masks are required in the library, and the desks are back and things are mostly back to normal.
Here’s an idea of where the government can make more revenue: tax other layers of government.
Right now, state and local government enjoys paying zero taxes on property and buildings it owns, on energy it consumes, on facilities it operates. City halls, government buildings, prisons, parks, even enormous the beautiful buildings owned by the police and owned the Pentagon are currently untaxed. There is an enormous amount of government property thatshould be taxed, but currently isn’t — because of antiquated laws that prohibit government from taxing other layers of government.
Imagine for a minute if the State of New York was required to pay both local and federal taxes on the Empire State Plaza. For one thing, such a lavish building complex would have never been built. But even if was built, they would have used much cheaper materials, to avoid paying so much in local and federal taxes. Likewise, imagine if the City of Albany had to pay state and federal taxes on City Hall — it would have been long ago sold off to private developers — who would turn this beautiful old building into a hotel, conference center or dinning hall. Government would move to an efficient, non-descript building in a lower-cost part of the city.
Likewise, imagine if the City of Albany had to pay state and federal income tax on fines, property tax payments, other forms of revenue. The City of Albany would likely find it necessary to cut services, and find economies — as they would be making less money on each dollar they brought in. Yes, local property taxes and fines might increase to cover some of the cost of paying taxes to other levels of government — but also local government would shrink. Correspondingly, the state and federal governments could cut their taxes, because the federal and state governments would be collecting income tax on the city’s fines, taxes, and other sources of revenue.
Taxes are a proven method of reducing spending. At first it might seem silly for government to tax each other layer of government, but taxes on government spending will discourage more government spending, leading to a smaller, more efficient government. No more lavish government buildings, no more lavish spending on politicians or bureaucrats, just a government that is a lean servant of the people. The more you think about it, taxing government could not only lead to more revenue, but also less government.
While we are still about a month from a full outbreak of spring weather in the city, I thought I post some tulip pictures to get us into the spring feeling as we wrap up March.
At Washington Park.
At the State Capitol.
Tulips and the Egg on the Plaza.
A burst of color in front of the Moses statue.
I hope you enjoyed this brief intermission of color.
