1. Preservation of State and Local Government Digital Geospatial Data: The North Carolina Geospatial Data Archiving Project Steven P. Morris, James Tuttle, and Robert Farrell North Carolina State University Libraries
IS&T Archiving 2006
May 24, 2006

2. Geospatial data types: Vector data Parcel Boundary Changes 2001-2004
Time series
Parcel Boundary Changes
North Raleigh, NC
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

3. Geospatial data types: Aerial imagery
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

4. Geospatial data types: Aerial imagery
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

5. Geospatial data types: Aerial imagery
85+ NC counties with orthophotos
1-5 flights per county
gb per flight
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

6. Geospatial data types: Tabular data (w/vector)
Economic, infrastructure,
and ethnographic data
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

7. Today’s geospatial data as tomorrow’s cultural heritage
Future uses of data are difficult to
anticipate (as with Sanborn Maps).
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

8. Geospatial Data: Risks
Producer focus on current data
Future support of data formats in question
Shift to web services- and API-based access
Inadequate or nonexistent metadata
Increasing use of spatial databases for data management
Many digital archiving challenges …
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

9. Challenge: Vector Data Formats
No widely-supported, open vector formats for geospatial data
Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) not widely supported
Geography Markup Language (GML) – diversity of application schemas and profiles threatens permanent access
Spatial Databases
The sum is more than the whole of the parts, and the sum is very difficult to preserve
Can export individual data layers for curation
Some thinking of using the spatial database as the primary archival platform
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

10. Challenge: Cartographic Representation
Counterpart to the map is not just the dataset but also models, symbolization, classification, annotation, etc.
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

11. Challenge: Geospatial Web Services
How to capture records from decision-
making processes?
Possible: Atlas collections from automated
image capture
Web 2.0 impact: Emerging tiling and
caching schemes (archive target?)
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

12. NC Geospatial Data Archiving Project
Partnership between university library (NCSU) and state agency (NCCGIA), with Library of Congress under the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP)
One of 8 initial NDIIPP partnerships
Focus on state and local geospatial content in North Carolina (state demonstration)
Tied to NC OneMap initiative, which provides for seamless access to data, metadata, and inventories
Objective: engage existing state/federal geospatial data infrastructures in preservation
Serve as catalyst for discussion within industry
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

13. Different Ways to Approach Preservation
Technical solutions: How do we archive acquired content over the long term?
Cultural/Organizational solutions: How do we make the data more preservable—and more prone to be archived—from point of production?
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

14. Technical Approaches
Receive data as is – variety of distribution methods
Migration of some at-risk formats
Metadata remediation, standardization, and synchronization
Distilling complex objects into repository ingest items (not easy)
Using DSpace for demonstration purposes
In the development: use METS record as dormant item “brain” within the repository
Some unsustainable activities – for learning experience
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

15. Cultural/Organizational Approaches
Feedback to metadata outreach program
Feedback to coordinating bodies on adherence to content standards
Engage existing spatial data infrastructure in archiving and preservation
Engage software vendors and standards community
Cross-fertilize with other national archiving efforts
Current use and data sharing requirements – not archiving
needs – drive improved preservability of content and
improvement of metadata
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

16. Cultivating a commercial market for older data.
Project Status
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question

17. Questions? http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/ncgdap Contact: Steve Morris
Head, Digital Library Initiatives
NCSU Libraries
ph: (919)
Note: Percentages based on the actual number of respondents to each question