Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Data Laurie Schretlen & Leah Vanderjagt Netspeed 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

GIS Components: Attribute data Information about what can be found at a particular location

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

GIS Components Hardware Systems to support rapid graphic analysis and processing

GIS Personnel People Project coordinators Data analysts Programmers Data and knowledge managers Librarians

GIS Components Methods The analysis to be performed on the data

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 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?

Overlay – GIS What residences lie beneath this toxic plume of ammonia?

Overlay GIS

Buffering What lots are located near this road?

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

Health Care: Disease outbreak monitoring and modeling Dispersion of Avian Flu in Thailand Affected and at-risk poultry farms Avian Flu

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

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 – ucalgary.ca Leah Vanderjagt – ualberta.ca

Web Citations Google Local: Google Earth: earth.google.comearth.google.com BC Habitat Wizard: maps.gov.bc.ca/imf406/imf.jsp?site=lib c_habwiz maps.gov.bc.ca/imf406/imf.jsp?site=lib c_habwiz Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping: