RIGIS announcements now available via RSS

RIGIS and the URI Geospatial Extension Program are pleased to make available a RSS feed to the RIGIS users community. This new service offers an easy way to stay informed about RIGIS data updates, public forums, and training opportunities.

RSS stands for RDF Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication. It serves as a method of sharing website updates and news directly to users' desktops using specialized RSS news readers, or aggregating software. It cuts eliminates the need to visit each of your favorite websites to check for changes and announcements - a great time saver to say the least! Much more information about RSS feeds is available in Wikipedia, and via Internet search engine searches.

You will need software to access any RSS feed. Mozilla Firefox natively handles RSS feeds, as well as many excellent RSS news readers. My current favorite is "RSS Bandit," available via Sourceforge.net. A few other RSS readers are listed here and needless to say, internet searches will reveal many other possibilities. If you're a Mac user, give NetNewsWire a try. Websites, such as Google, offer registered users the ability to add RSS feeds to their custom homepages.

Once you have your RSS news reader software configured per the software's instructions, try adding the RIGIS RSS feed by clicking on this button: . If your feed reader doesn't automatically add the feed, try adding the URL manually: http://geospatial.uri.edu/rigis.xml.

After seeing how great the RIGIS RSS feed is, you'll surely want to add others ! Most popular websites these days offer RSS. Look for the symbol on the websites you like to browse. For news closer to home, check out RI.gov's index of RSS feeds available from federal, state, and local government.

We at RIGIS and the URI Geospatial Extension Program hope you enjoy this easy way of keeping up-to-date on the latest RIGIS news. Please email Greg Bonynge, RI Geospatial Extension Specialist, should you have any questions.