Fundamentals of Fundamentals of Geographic Information Geographic Information

Systems and Spatial DataSystems and Spatial Data

Laurie Schretlen & Leah VanderjagtNetspeed October 20, 2005

GIS & Spatial Data - Today

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology: basics, applications, and directions

Spatial data: information resources for GIS research

Spatial data access – in Canada and in Alberta

GEODE

GIS Components

Map data Information about location

w/graphics

http://www.zoology.unimelb.edu.au/stats/Eworksheets/images/RandomCoordinates.jpg

GIS Components:

Attribute data Information

about what can be found at a particular location

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/images/5740f02.gif

http://utca.eng.ua.edu/projects/final_reports/02403fnl_files/image004.jpg

GIS as database

Spatial data examples

Road networks Vegetation inventories Soil inventories Census results Municipal boundaries Elevation values Climate readings Habitat ranges …

GIS Components Software

A technology for storing and analyzing location and attribute data

http://www.l.hsr.ch/skripte/gisscripts/media/softwarescreen1.jpg

GIS Components

Hardware Systems to support rapid graphic

analysis and processing

http://www.gdf-hannover.de/pics/gisrechner.png

GIS Personnel

PeopleProject coordinatorsData analystsProgrammersData and knowledge managers

Librarians

GIS Components

Methods The analysis to be performed on

the data

http://www.wwf.org.co/colombia/images/a28_c.gif

GIS Methods and Analysis

GIS is used to answer questions and support decisions

The quality of the answer depends on: The METHODS chosen The DATA (more on that later)

Data Layers

T o p o g r a p h y

H y d r o g r a p h y

C e n s u s

H i g h w a y s

P l a c e s

The ability to ‘stack’ layers in a GIS allows us to ask questions about the relationship between different objects of study

Image courtesy of Charlene Nielsen, Department of Biology, University of Alberta

Overlay

What two things occur at the same location?

http://www.orthogate.com/guide/workshops/images/image002.gif

Overlay – GIS

What residences lie beneath this toxic plume of ammonia?

Overlay GIS

http://www.saultc.on.ca/GIS/images/RedPineTraill_sm.jpg

Buffering What lots are located near this

road?

http://news.sina.com.cn/duihua/sars/LearnMoreAboutGIS/gis4.files/buffer.gif

Modeling

GIS is used to ask ‘what if?’

Testing scenarios and possible outcomes

Modeling

Image created by Leah Vanderjagt, 2005: Data: NRCan CDED; City of Edmonton 2001 Digital Orthophotos

Modeling - Site Selection

Combining best conditions from multiple layers to come up with the best location for a proposed facility

Eg. Good slope drainage + enough distance from streams + access to roads = Best site

Modeling

GIS Applications

GIS applications combine multiple analytical processes to support decision-making

Some examples from non-profit and government sectors:

Habitat tracking and analysis

maps.gov.bc.ca/imf406/imf.jsp?site=libc_habwiz

www.shim.bc.ca/atlases/shim/shim.htm

Health Care: Disease outbreak monitoring and modeling

Dispersion of Avian Flu in Thailand

Affected and at-risk poultry farms

Avian Flu

http://www.gisdevelopment.net/application/health/links/ma04184pf.htm

SARS Mapping

Distribution map

Outbreak model – Buffalo, NY

Facilities Management for Municipal Government

Route Optimization Modeling

Crime Analysis

Other uses

Many groups still need to create paper maps to support operations - nearly always GIS-based

GIS is also used for storage of information – there is an archiving function

Directions for GIS

WEB APPLICATIONS Standards Unlocking the GIS black box -

distributed experimentation and collaboration

GIScience

GIS in Academic Institutions GIS is used extensively in

science/ecology disciplines: Renewable resources management Forestry Biology (ecology) Geography Earth and atmospheric sciences Geology

GIS in Academic Institutions Also used in:

Civil engineering Business Economics History Psychology Health …

GIS and Libraries Community demographic

analysis

GIS - Bibliography

Spatial data access

‘Map’ + ‘Attribute’ data is usually referred to as spatial data

Locating the right spatial data and obtaining the rights to use it is a major component of every GIS project

Spatial data quality: Inconsistencies

Spatial data quality: Projections

http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/mapproj/gif/twoproj.gif

Spatial data access

Spatial data is expensive to create and update

Government agencies and large corporations can afford it

Data sharing is not necessarily a part of the plan

Spatial data access

If it’s shared, spatial data is either sold by the producer or by a designated value-added reseller

Public consultations have resulted in open sharing of more and more spatial data sets at the federal level

Some federal data is made available through the Depository Services Program

Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure

Spatial data access There is much more data available for

purchase

Therefore, there is a spatial data economy in Canada

This economy is driven by cost-recovery policies

Government agencies charge other agencies, corporations, and individuals for data access

Different models of access

United States – wide, very open access to drive commercial development

Canada – stewardship model of cost-recovery

Provincial economy examples: Manitoba Alberta

Alberta Policy Environment

Government agencies: cost-recovery sales

Third party vendors: data enhancers and resellers for profit

Data producers who do not sell or distribute their data

Challenges to Access

What is the result of Alberta’s policy environment?

Data creators don’t have sufficient resources to respond to individual researcher demand

Data suppliers do not document or support data products

Data suppliers’ primary business is not data supply, ie. creating happy data customers

Post-secondary Response

“Underground data economy” – have and have-not departments at one institution

Some data creators provide data in exchange for research results

Individuals or projects receive licenses for data; cannot be shared with institution

Academic libraries began to acquire data through license (database model)

Successful examples: NRCan, DMTI

GEODE

To address issues of access to spatial data in Alberta, the GEODE project was launched in 1999

Participating institutions: University of Alberta University of Calgary SAIT University of Lethbridge Miistakis Institute for the Rockies

GEODE

Access to Alberta-based spatial data Digital elevation models Topographic data Alberta Vegetation Index Census boundaries Landsat 7 imagery

Metadata development Data browser 10,000+ files downloaded

Benefits to GIS Researchers

Consortium-wide access to high quality data

Centralized price and acquisition negotiations

The opportunity to work with industry-standard Alberta data

Benefits to suppliers

One point of access for post-secondary institutions

Data support coordinated through library and departments

Institutional licensing Training of future employees

with industry standard data

GEODE’s Transformation

GEODE was reconceived in late 2004 as a consortium – to facilitate and promote access to spatial data for post-secondary education in Alberta

Objectives: Develop new funding strategies Enhance contents of collection Expand institutional membership

Benefits of institutional membership

Access to GEODE collections Training and assistance with

GEODE service delivery Advocacy and liaison with

vendors Cost-sharing Technology/infrastructure

guidance Collaborative development of

best practices

GIS for Post-secondary Education

For access to spatial data for GIS research and teaching to continue and thrive in Alberta, academic libraries need to collaborate to: Develop spatial data collections

according to shared research priorities

Lobby for access with producers and vendors

Share resources and expertise

Moving forward

Long-range technology goal: database-driven web service delivery of spatial data files

GEODE is seeking assistance with the development of a province-wide licensing model for spatial data use in research and teaching

Questions? Discussion?

Laurie Schretlen – lschretl @ ucalgary.ca

Leah Vanderjagt – leahv @ ualberta.ca

Web Citations

Google Local: www.google.ca Google Earth: earth.google.com BC Habitat Wizard:

maps.gov.bc.ca/imf406/imf.jsp?site=libc_habwiz

Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping: www.shim.bc.ca/atlases/shim/shim.htm