Lecture 6U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure

Partnerships in Action

Longley et al. Chapter 20

PartnershipsOften fraught with hazards – can take longer and create friction

BUT

Often there is no real choice for they can bring:New staff skillsAdditional technologyMarketing skillsBetter brand imageNew insights on user needsNew productsCost- and risk-sharing

Local partnerships: an example

Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA NMS

SB County Planning & Develop

Island Packers

Blue Planet

Commercial Fisherman of SB, Inc

Ventura College

UCSB

Channel Islands National Park

Calif Coastal Commission

Many, many others …

SSE

CIPE

Local to global partnerships: an exampleGIS Day is an annual grassroots event which began in November 1999, designed to promote geographic literacy in schools, communities, and organizations. GIS Day GIS users and vendors open their doors to schools, businesses, and the general public to showcase real-world applications of the technology.

News of the event is spread by use of the Internet and by advertising. Any organization can host such an event: 2,400+ organizations hosted GIS Day events in more than 91 different countries in 1999 (see map). About 2.4 million children and adults were enlightened on GIS technology on that day

National partnerships via NSDIsThe problem:

Data duplication commonplace – so waste occurs

Ad hoc data sharing has many difficulties

Data often tailored to one application

Best data often collected in greatest detail at local level but not accessible to regional or national folk

Indexes/metadata to available GI unknown until recently

No general protocols for any of this until NSDI..

What is a National Spatial Data Infrastructure?

‘the technology, policies, standards, and human resources necessary to acquire, process, store, distribute, and improve utilization of geospatial data’

Source: Presidential Executive Order #12906 (1994): 'Co-ordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure' W Clinton.

BUT what does it mean in practice?

Initial elements of the US NSDI

Defined standards (mandated on federal agencies and encouraged for others) Minimizing inconsistency

Clearinghouse – metadata descriptions of existing data. Advertising what is available

National geospatial data framework - a common ‘template’ on which to assemble other data

The NSDI is composed ofThe NSDI is composed of

MetadataMetadata

Geospatial dataGeospatial data

ClearinghouseClearinghouse

StandardsStandards

Partnerships

The data provide a core...The data provide a core...

Geospatial DataGeospatial DataGeospatial DataGeospatial Data

Categories of Geospatial DataCategories of Geospatial Data

Community-developed data sets single purpose potential re-usecommon content specification “Framework” data

GEOdataGEOdataFrameworkFramework

Categories of Geospatial DataCategories of Geospatial Data

Framework provides. . .Framework provides. . .

a base to compile other data on top of

context to orient link results of analyses to

landscape

Digital orthoimagery

Elevation and bathymetry

Boundaries

Railroads

Geodetic

FederalState

LocalPrivate

Utilities

Spatial Analysis Base for Other Data Finished Maps

Roads

Cadastral

Hydrography

Framework DataFramework Data

Spatial Analysis Base for Other Data Finished Maps

GEOdataGEOdataFrameworkFramework

MetadataMetadata

Describing your data...Describing your data...

Metadata: “nutritional” label for Metadata: “nutritional” label for GIS data setsGIS data sets

Internally - saves 4 hrs research 10 times a year = (4x10x$50) = $2,000 (time it takes to look up or contact someone for information about a dataset)

External Questions - refer 30 inquires/year (1hr/inquiry) = (30x1x

$50)=$1,500 (time it takes to answer calls from people who want to use the data or

find out more about it) Future reuse/enhancement -$5,000 to $25,000Liability (lawyers, courts) - $$$$

The uses of metadataThe uses of metadata

Provides documentation of existing internal geospatial data resources within an organization (inventory)

Permits structured search and comparison of held spatial data by others (advertising)

Provides end-users with adequate information to take the data and use it in an appropriate context (liability)

GEOdataGEOdataFrameworkFramework

MetadataMetadata

Making data discoverable...

Clearinghouse (catalog)Clearinghouse (catalog)

Clearinghouse provides...Clearinghouse provides... Discovery of spatial data Distributed search worldwide Uniform interface for spatial data

searches Advertising for your data holdings

Clearinghouse operates as...Clearinghouse operates as...

Entry point to constellation of servers Collection of distributed Z39.50

servers A virtual “Google” for geospatial data

WebWebClientClient

Gateway

ClearinghouseClearinghouse““Nodes” orNodes” or

ServersServers

This is all “Clearinghouse”This is all “Clearinghouse”

NOAANOAA

OregonOregonUSGSUSGSNMDNMD

NGSNGS

GEOdataGEOdataFrameworkFramework

MetadataMetadata

Clearinghouse (catalog)Clearinghouse (catalog)

StandardsStandards

Consistent approaches...

Who builds standards?Who builds standards?

ISO - Intl Standards Organization FGDC Standards working group in

partnership with . . . FGDC Thematic subcommittees Concerned organizations Producers and users of geospatial

data

Types of standardsTypes of standards

Data content—Common classifications—Common collection criteria

Data managementMetadataSpatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS)

Standards under developmentStandards under development Base Cartographic Cultural and Demographic Metadata Geodetic Control Networks Transportation Network Profile RiverReach File Version 3.0 Earth Cover Classification Geologic Facilities Shoreline

Partnerships

GEOdataGEOdataFrameworkFramework

MetadataMetadata

Clearinghouse (catalog)Clearinghouse (catalog)

StandardsStandards

Lots of people involved…Federal government (many agencies)

State government

Local government

Private sector – contractors, value-adders, exploiters

Not for profit organizations

Citizenry

Others…

No one is in charge…

The Geospatial One-Stop at geodata.gov

Growth in use of US NSDI ClearinghouseNote:

•Rapid growth

•International use almost as big as national

Source: Henry Tom

An example of a global partnership

OSU Transboundary Waterswaterpartners.geo.orst.eduwww.transboundarywaters.orst.edu

Governments and the private sectors

National governments own and control national mapping agencies

All such mapping produced to national specifications until recently

New private sector providers:Produce imagery for anywhere in world

Produce road databases

How do we get these to work together?

A Global Spatial Data Infrastructure?

Difficult enough to get national players to work together…

Is GSDI a process, a general framework or a product?

Who are the stakeholders?

Who needs it? (military doing what they need themselves?)

A Research Agenda

Future of the Spatial Information Infrastructure

Information policy• Intellectual property rights, privacy,

liability

Digital government researchLocal generation and integration of data• Public participation GIS

Other Research Priorities(Long Term)

Geographic RepresentationScaleSpatial Data Acquisition & IntegrationSpatial CognitionSpatial Ontologies

Space and Space/Time Analysis & ModelingUncertaintyVisualizationGIS and SocietyGeographic Information Engineering

Short Term Research Prioritieswww.ucgis.org priorities-->research

Institutional aspects of SDIsGI PartneringGI Resource MgmtGradation, Indeterminate BoundariesGeospatial Semantic WebSpatializationPervasive Computing

Location Based ServicesSpatial ClusteringGeoslavery & SecurityGeospatial Data FusionGlobal Representation and ModelingData Mining and Knowledge DiscoveryDynamic Modeling

Education Priorities www.ucgis.org priorities-->education

Model CurriculaEmerging Technolgies

Distance Education

Supporting InfrastructureAccess and EquityProfessional Education

Alternative Designs for Curriculum Content and EvaluationResearch-based Graduate EducationLearning with GISAccrediation and Certification

Life, partnerships and GIS

When do you work in partnership with other people or organisations?

What makes it worthwhile?

The same applies to GIS partnerships:

Commitment to a cause, wish to improve matters?

Personal ambition? Influence? Fame? Status?

Money?

Summary - 1

Partnerships versus competition

Local

National Spatial Data Infrastructure

• Geodata, Framework, Metadata, Clearinghouse, Standards, Partnerships

Global Spatial Data Infrastructures

Political power in partnerships

Bringing it all together: the GIS game

Summary - 2Partnerships potentially very powerful so look beyond the normal..

Nothing is without cost…

Choose GIS partners carefully, nurture relationships…