Abstracts Index
1996 ESRI User Conference
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
May 20-24, 1996
Use this index to identify paper abstracts of interest, and note the title and author. Then, use the Paper Title and Paper Author indexes to locate papers. Not all abstracts have an associated paper.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in the Electrical and Gas Industry
Carol Neishi
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Building and Land Services Dept.
P.O. Box 770000
San Francisco, CA 94177
Telephone: (415) 973-5786
Fax: 415-973-9250
E-mail: cfn4@pge.com
Jody Cummings
Marvin Penner
Chris Warner
Gas Supply Operation and Maintenance GIS
This paper will discuss the development of PG&E ís
Gas Operation ís GIS and the various applications that
are critical to gas transmission operations and maintenance.
The discussion will include 1) management and development issues
within PG&E, 2) the impact that this GIS has had within the
department and company-wide, and 3) the integration of Oracle,
Microstation, GPS, ARC/INFO, and ArcView. One of the Gas Operations
applications will be demonstrated. It is a customized ArcView
application that is used in conjunction with the Underground
Service Alert program. This application uses a coordinate designated
by the user to define an area and identify facilities within
the area, as well as produce a map providing the user with information
for fieldwork.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in the Electrical and Gas Industry
Peter Di Turi
Seattle City Light
Key Tower
700 5th Ave., Ste 2940
City of Seattle, WA 98104-5031
Telephone: 206-684-3926
Fax: 206-684-3423/684-3339
E-mail: pdituri@nwlink.com/peter.dituri@ci.seattle.wa.us
Serving GIS Data to Electrical Distribution Analysis
Seattle City Light has made an intensive investment in its GIS
database. Information from this database, normally derived for
cartographic production, is given new life as part of a simulated
model which analyzes City Light's primary distribution system.
The ability to integrate the database design of the GIS to a
vendor's turnkey software design is of great benefit, but is a
highly challenging task. In comparison to developing an application
proprietary to its own GIS, City Light determined that exporting
data to a distribution analysis software package is a much quicker
and cost-effective solution.The development of applications to
extract, manipulate, relate, and format GIS data for a software
package can only do so much to simulate a real-world scenario.
The software requires detailed information for each distribution
system component. Assumptions are made upon available data, electric
utility standards, and software development limitations where
they occur. The benefits of automating updates to the distribution
analysis software database helps ensure the design engineer that
data is as timely and exact as what exists in the GIS. The electrical
design engineer becomes more productive, and the distribution
system benefits from an implementation of a highly efficient,
computer-assisted electrical design.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in the Electrical and Gas Industry
Roger Fletcher
TELLUS INC.
OBC-5s
P.O. Box 97034
(or 411 108 Ave, N.E. for courier)
Bellevue, WA 98009-9734
Telephone: (206) 462-3360
Fax: 206-462-3436
E-mail: fletcherr@puget.com
A Dynamic Electric Utility GIS Database
Electric utilities have been around for over 100 years, but changes
are always occurring. Some changes are due to deregulation and
others due to technology. Due to change the utilities Electric
GIS object types and associated information needs also change.
This paper presents a database design which allows new object
types and associated information needs to be configured dynamically
as needed. Changes to the database structure and or software
are not required.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in the Electrical and Gas Industry
David Schirmer
Ernest T. Morales
Habibur Boruah
On the Integration of GIS within an Electric Vehicle Program
for Predictive Analysis
As regulatory agencies seek to improve air quality through legislation
requiring zero-emission vehicles, Southern California Edison (SCE)
is aggressively preparing for the eventuality of increased numbers
of electric vehicles (EV's). Introduction and widespread use
of EV's throughout SCE's service territory could potentially produce
significant impacts on the electrical distribution infrastructure.
SCE is currently developing methods and technologies that will
enable Edison to anticipate and proactively design the distribution
infrastructure to support the expected introduction of EV's within
the service territory. Chief among the tools being developed
is a geographic information system (GIS) that allows for the incorporation
of a comprehensive EV purchase behavior model, electric load forecasting
methodology, and an EV charging site optimization model. Data
yielded from these models may then be further integrated with
electric utility infrastructure data, and other cartographic data
bases to create a powerful locational decision support system
that will enable infrastructure planners to set sound and defensible
policy with respect to generation planning, distribution engineering
and planning, as well as small area or service planning (Morales,
1995).
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in Wastewater Collection
Andy Moore
Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board
22 Bibb Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
Telephone: 334-206-1605
Fax: 334-261-3448
E-mail: amoore@mwwssb.com
Aubie Oslin, Ph.D.
CH2M Hill
5339 Alfa Road
Dallas, Texas 75240-7352
Telephone: 214-980-2170
Fax: 214-385-0846
E-mail: aoslin@dfw.ms.ch2m.com
Using GPS/GIS Tools for Operations and Productivity During
the Conversion Project
The business objective of the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary
Sewer Board (MWWSSB) GIS/FM Project is to automate in an integrated
system the Board's business functions, which in turn allows them
to provide the most efficient water and sanitary sewer services
to their customers in the Montgomery, Alabama, area. The nucleus
of this distributed system is the Board's ARC/INFO- and Hansen
IMS-based GIS/FM system, which will manage the utility infrastructure,
primarily water and wastewater conveyance networks, under routine
planning and O&M operations as well as in emergency conditions.
The MWWSSB GIS design fits within the "80% similar–20%
dissimilar" guidelines for water and wastewater system databases.
Departure from the guidelines is primarily associated with the
Board's desire to automate the transfer of attribute information
from the ARC/INFO conversion coverages to the FM system, where
attribute data will be maintained.One objective of the implementation
project is to use the GIS in a productive manner during the conversion
process, so the MWWSSB staff can become familiar with the new
system. The presentation will focus on the integration of a field
operations procedure which uses GPS and GIS tools. GPS is used
to determine vertical and horizontal position of utility fixtures.
GPS data is downloaded directly into ArcView. Programs are written
to manage the incoming positional data so that fixture locations
(represented as nodes in the line coverages) are adjusted and
attributes are updated in the FM system.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in Wastewater Collection
Mehmet "DJ" Kutsal
Brown & Caldwell
P.O. Box 8045
Walnut Creek, CA 94596-1220
Telephone: 510-937-9010
Fax: 510-210-2462
Andy Lukos
Brown & Caldwell
100 west Harrison Street
Seattle, WA 98119
Telephone: 206-281-4000
Fax: 206-286-3510
The Use of GIS as a Platform for a Collection System Facilities
Plan
A facilities plan for a wastewater collection system forms the
basis from which all of its planning is made. As a result, facilities
plans must be both comprehensive and timely. The first of these
issues is just a volume issue; in other words, it means a lot
of information must be dealt with. The second one of timeliness
is more difficult to grasp and resolve. The comprehensive nature
of the data is slightly compounded with the fact that the data
we are talking about is spatial. Therefore, not only the knowledge
of the location of facilities is important, but their spatial
relationship to other facilities is also important. This is the
first reason why the use of a GIS is key.The timeliness issue
stems from our fixation with preparing reports on paper. The
problem is that development and other changes out in the real
world do not stop once a plan is committed to paper; they continue
on. As a result, a facilities plan begins going out of date the
minute it is printed on paper. Understanding that the collection
and management of the data is best done on a GIS, it is natural
to extend that thought to maintain the facilities plan on that
same system so that it is continuously up to date. This makes
even more sense once we consider the fact that a lot of the supporting
data, such as population, land use, and employment, etc., are
data maintained on GIS. Brown and Caldwell has been building
such systems for our clients for over ten years and recently we
were assigned to build such a plan for a large wastewater concern
in the State of Washington. Since the clients' current operating
platform is PCs, we chose to use ArcCAD and ArcView as the platform
to build the on-line facilities plan with. This paper will detail
out the conceptual pieces that go into a project like this as
well as the specifics with respect to the actual application referred
to above.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in Wastewater Collection
Michael Sweeney
Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater
1600 Gest Street
Cinncinnati, Ohio 45204
Telephone: 513-244-1336
Fax: 513-244-1359
Robert Babbs
Jim Carroll
Mark Kron
Tom Brown
Don Sander
James Watson
Richard Allen
Barbara Quinn
Using GIS as the Data Integration Strategy at the Cincinnati
Metropolitan Sewer District
The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) is
a large operation delivering wastewater collection and treatment
services to 800,000 customers living in thirty-five municipalities
throughout Hamilton County, Ohio. With over 3,000 miles of sewer
lines, twenty-three treatment plants, and a comprehensive $320
million capital improvement program, MSD is committed to its mission
of protecting and enhancing water quality. The advantages of
GIS as a data integrator to further empower its mission have been
known to MSD since the mid-1980s. As a member of CAGIS (Cincinnati
Area Geographic Information System), a consortium of public and
private utilities and other government agencies, MSD shares a
vision of improved service delivery through widespread use of
GIS and a framework of open and integrated distributed data sharing.
To help realize the vision, virtually all CAGIS members have
migrated to the ESRI suite of GIS software products. This has
facilitated the search for ways to achieve a progressive functionality
even while still in the midst of completing its data conversion.
Though data conversion was in the final phases, MSD pursued early
applications that delivered rapid and measurable benefits. These
quickly demonstrated the utility of an integrated data framework,
exercised the database design, provided a focus on data quality,
and exposed and trained our personnel in various GIS techniques
with "real" data. Working prototypes for new applications
were developed that pushed the data framework to encompass a wide
range of shared applications including capital improvement and
customer service. This paper presents a case history that focuses
on the approach to database design, conversion, maintenance, current
and projected application development, and prototyping techniques.
Examples and implementation recommendations are given.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Applications of GIS in Wastewater Collection
Wes Graf
RJN Group, Inc.
2102 Business Center Drive, Ste 210-A
Irvine, CA 92715-1012
Telephone: 714-253-4141
Fax: 714-752-9413
The Evolution of GIS in the Maintenance Management Process
Voice communication whether by radio or in person, has been the
norm in directing maintenance activities. With the advent of
automation, the process of tracking activities and creating an
historical database has been enhanced. To do this, however, required
the unnatural process of recording all information in a text based
system. The use of automated mapping provided an avenue to updated
information but was still limited in its ability to impact the
maintenance management process. Now, with the advent of Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) organizations have the ability to change
their process so that effective planning and tracking of maintenance
activities can be accomplished in every day operations.
The planning and tracking of all maintenance tasks is a daunting
process even for the best organizations. Effective planning requires
the knowledge not just of what needs to be done, but the best
time to do it. Tracking maintenance and knowing what’s being
done as well as what has been done requires detail in a manageable
form. The maintenance management process is evolving from the
use of automation to enhance a current business practice to an
actual change in methodology that will make an organization more
efficient with more access to more information. This change reflects
the use of GIS in a real time mode as well as a planning tool
through the use of historical data.
This presentation will highlight the use of ArcView 2 in the process
of generating, tracking and planning maintenance activities.
The Long Beach Water Department will be used has an example for
the implementation and application of ArcView 2 within the maintenance
process.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Facilities Information Systems
Kyoo-seock Lee
Dept. of Landscape Arch.
Sung Kyun Kwan Univ.
Seocho-dong, Seoul, Korea
Suwon 440-746 Korea
Telephone: 82-331-290-5835
Fax: 82-331-292-8799
E-mail: leeks@yurim.skku.ac.kr
Hahk-kee Sohn
Byung-chol Lee
Jay Yoon
Development and Application of the Parcel-Address Based
Electrical Facilities Information System
Electrical Facilities Information Systems require efficient management,
fast and highly advanced data processing. To respond these
requirements promptly, it is essential to operate proper information
systems. To implement these tasks, the user needs assessment
were done using the study site data, Sohngpa-ku, Seoul. Based
on these analyses, the parcel-address based electrical facilities
information system was developed using the Arc Macro Language
(AML) in ARC/INFO. The parcel identification number is the
very important key item in municipal administrative system
in Korea. The system was tested at the study site, then, the
technological and institutional problems to be solved were discussed
for the successful electrical facilities information system.
* This study was partially supported by the Korean Academic-Industry
Cooperative Foundation
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Facilities Information Systems
Aldo Castellano
Empresa de Engergia
Av. Eldorado # 55-51
Bogota, Columbia
Telephone: 571-221-5169
Fax: 571-222-5873
Experiences of the "Empresa de Engergía de
Bogotá", in the Implementation Process of Your AM/FM/GIS
Objective: Shows the experience of the "Empresa de Energia
de Bogota", in the implementation process of your AM/FM/GIS,
the impact in the information management process, consult and
automated mapping information of primary distribution system and
the associate applications. Development: In this process, the
company uses utilities of AM/FM/GIS with software ARC/INFO and
the programming language was AML.
Result: In this moment the company has incorporated in GIS all
the distribution feeders in the urban area of Bogota city. This
information includes transformers, cables, switches and customers
which allow topology analysis of the feeders, consult, mapping
an analysis of energy balance to detect technical and non-technical
losses.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Applications in the Pipeline Industry
Betty Bonn
Michael Baker Jr., Inc.
3601 Eisenhower Ave.,Ste 600
Alexandria, Virginia 22304
Telephone: 703-960-8800 ext 5349
Fax: 703-960-9125
E-mail: bbonn@bakereng.com
Myles E. Powers
Michael Baker Jr., Inc.
3601 Eisenhower Ave.,Ste 600
Alexandria, Virginia 22304
Telephone: 703-617-6231
Fax: 703-960-9125
David J. Greenwood
Michael Baker Jr., Inc.
3601 Eisenhower Ave.,Ste 600
Alexandria, Virginia 22304
Telephone: 703-617-6217
Fax: 703-960-9125
Wilbert O. Thomas Jr.
Alan Gregory
Modeling Riverbed Erosion Hazard for Pipelines
A recent pipeline failure in the San Jacinto River Valley, Texas,
was caused by riverbed erosion. As a result the Research and
Special Programs administration Office of Pipeline Safety, United
States Department of Transportation (USDOT), began researching
the effects of natural hazards on pipelines. Through interagency
cooperation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and
its contractor, Michael Baker Jr., Inc., provide research services,
data, and facilities to USDOT. Risk assessment of natural hazards
will enable the USDOT to direct its efforts to those parts of
the national pipeline infrastructure where they will have the
greatest impact.
The purpose of this study is to identify ten priority areas of
the national pipeline infrastructure that present both high probability
of failure due to natural disasters, and high consequences in
the event of failure. This paper presents the results of a nationwide
riverbed erosion risk assessment study, using a potential scour
depth model, developed by Williams et al (1992).
ARC/INFO is used to perform the analysis. Potential scour depth
is computed using the 100-year peak discharge, sediment size,
and a factor describing stream characteristics. This factor is
derived from the length of the stream and the Euclidean distance
between the nodes. the scour depth is converted to a continuous
surface raster file with a one-square kilometer resolution. This
is overlaid with another raster file that contains streams and
three classes of annual flooding probability. The results show
erosion hazard defined as potential scour depth within streams
and flood plains, associated with annual flooding probability.
By overlaying the erosion hazard with the pipelines, pipeline
segments that present a high erosion risk are identified.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Applications in the Pipeline Industry
Kjell Ole Pedersen
Geodata As
Statoil Gas
P.O. Box 308
5501 Haugesund
Norway
Telephone: +47 2290 1800
Fax: +47 2290 1890
Johannes Stavland
Anna Marie Skaar H.
Sitras 2—Pipeline Information System
The paper presents SITRAS 2 system functionality, current user
experience, and future plans. The system is made to help organize,
analyse, and manage the vast amount of data for Statoil's offshore/onshore
pipeline network. SITRAS 2 provides an integrated solution where
the end user is given a total operational overview of the condition
and observations of all pipelines. Further, the system is a tool
which will help the exchange of experience between current operations
and new pipeline projects. The system plays an important part
of the company's contingency planning and as a management decision
tool for optimal inspection/maintenance programs and future investments.
The system uses ArcView as the main user interface, Oracle database,
Oracle Grafh for report generation, ARC/INFO for generating the
geographical database, and IEF from Texas Instruments for mass
registration and maintenance.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Modeling and Model Integration in Water/Wastewater
Analysis I
Stephen P. Phipps
Woolpert
Geographic Information Services Division
409 East Monument Avenue
Dayton, Ohio 45402-1261
Telephone: 513-461-5660
Fax: 513-461-0743
Clarence Robbins
Woolpert
Water Resources Division
8731 Red Oak Blvd., Suite 101
Charlotte, NC
Telephone: 704-525-6284
Fax: 704-525-8529
Integrating GIS for Better Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling
Mr. Phipps will present a method of storm water infrastructure
inventory that can be integrated with ARC/INFO software. This
presenter will show how to integrate today's technology to collect,
store, and analyze the vast amount of data that is needed to complete
a successful hydrologic and hydraulic modeling program to support
the dynamic task of basin master planning.This paper will explain
proven techniques for storm water structure attribute collection
including open channel as well as piped systems. Methods of using
digital topographic data with observed channel type sections to
enhance modeling estimates will be explored. Demos of custom
GIS user applications that aid in the input of attributes for
lag-time coefficients will be explained. An explanation of inventory
storage and techniques to analyze the data with different off-the-shelf
modeling packages including HEC-1, HEC-2, and XP-SWMM will also
be included. Other integration issues including the output of
floodplain plots using ARC/INFO will be demonstrated.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Modeling and Model Integration in Water/Wastewater
Analysis I
Bruce Davidson
Turner Collie & Braden Inc.
5757 Woodway
Houston,Texas77057-1506
Telephone: (713)267-2959
Fax: 713-780-0838
E-mail: tcbwrp@onramp.net
Alan Potok
Bill Thaman
Katrine Wu
Discussion on the Storm Sewer Analysis Application
This paper will provide a discussion on the Storm Sewer Analysis
application written by Turner Collie & Braden. A brief history
of why the application was developed as well as the data sources
used for the original application. Other topics discussed will
include experiences: converting an existing BASIC program to Visual
Basic; customizing ArcView; developing Avenue scripts to work
with the Visual Basic program, using DDE to communicate between
ArcView and Visual Basic. The paper will end with a statement
of where we plan to go.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Modeling and Model Integration in Water/Wastewater
Analysis I
Duncan S. Rowe
Black & Veatch. Consulting Engineers
8400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64114
Telephone: (913) 339-3425
Fax: 913-339-3626
E-mail: roweds@bv.com
Kent L. Lage
Questionnaire Distribution Analysis of the Potential for
Stormwater Master Planning
Black & Veatch has completed a stormwater masterplan for the
City of Ann Arbor that utilized geographic information systems
(GIS) technology. Critical to the success of the project was
the public input gained by incorporating a questionnaire on recent
flooding events. Greater value was added to the questionnarie
data set by incorporating address-matching procedures. With
this, the spatial distribution of the questionnaire responses
could be visualized in geographic context to the modeled storm-system
and other geographic data sets.
The set of techniques known as Point Pattern Analysis have long
been employed to study the spatial distribution of phenomenon.
Typically, the phenomenon is not subjective nor is the data
captured of nominal form. In this study, the questionnaire responses
had both these characteristics. Quadrant analysis was used to
explore the possible existence of clustered flooding events that
were reported and captured by the questionnaire as point phenomenon.
A control group was used to test the validity of clusters uncovered
by the Point Pattern Analysis. Lastly, the proximity of clusters
to system components modeled as inadequate for design rainfall
events was analyzed, and correlations were investigated by considering
the land characteristics.
In this paper, the conclusions from this approach will be presented,
and the limitations and benefits obtained from completing this
analysis in an operational environment will be discussed.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Modeling and Model Integration in Water/Wastewater
Analysis II
Sten Lindberg
Danish Hydraulic Institute
Agern Alle 5
DK-2970 Hørsholm, Denmark
Telephone: 45 45 76 95 55
Fax: 45 45 76 67 25
E-mail: sl@dhi.dk
Henrik Giørtz Müller
Urban Drainage Modeling, GIS, Asset Management Systems
Two widely used software tools in the management of urban drainage
systems are:
•asset management systems
•numerical hydrodynamic and water quality modeling systems
The asset management systems are used in the daily management
of inspections, permits, billings, etc. and most often they contain
information about the physical systems at very detailed levels,
reflecting the complexity and details of the real systems. Numerical
modeling systems, on the other hand, require a much less detailed
description of the physical system when applied for analysis and
planning of extensions and other modification to the drainage
system.
Keeping the information updated and consistent at these two different
levels of detail is no trivial task. Normally, the responsibilities
lie within different departments, and there are no formal procedures
established to ensure that changes in the layout or dimensions
in the sewer system are implemented both in the asset management
systems and in the models. Hence there is a great risk that further
evaluation of the existing, but recently changed, systems capacity
and performance will be incorrect.
The proposed paper describes an ArcView application which bridges
the gap between asset management systems and the advanced numerical
modeling system MOUSE. The application allows the user to extract
data from a number of different asset management systems, condense
the network automatically—while maintaining consistency in
the description of the physical system—and finally store
the data as a model for further analysis in MOUSE. All decisions
in the simplification process made by the program are based on
user specified criteria. All changes are recorded on a separate
file, which later can be replayed if an when the user wants to
repeat the process, e.g. after changes in the asset management
system.
Further, the application enables the user to analyze results from
the MOUSE simulations within the ArcView program. CSO points and
volumes, exceedence of critical levels, etc., can quickly be identified.
By virtue of the direct access to the asset management system,
the simulation results can also be visualized in combination with
parameters describing the actual conditions of the sewer system,
e.g., CCTV information.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Modeling and Model Integration in Water/Wastewater
Analysis II
Mark Andre
The City of Arcata
736 F street
Arcata,CA 95521
Telephone: 707 822-8184
Fax: 707-822-8018
E-mail: msaarc@aol.com
Judy Wartella
Development of Stormwater Drainage Master Plan for a Small
Municipality
The purpose of Arcata's recently developed comprehensive stormwater
drainage master plan is to identify, quantify and determine the
existing stormwater drainage and discharge system including creeks,
channels, culverts and pipes and consider various maintenance,
repair and design alternatives to maximize the capability of the
system at the lowest cost. The plan was designed to provide realistic
technical solutions that are economically, socially, environmentally
and institutionally acceptable to the community. PC ARC/INFO
was used to inventory the infrastructure and develop coverages
such as land use, impervious surfaces, soil types, etc. Hydrologic
modeling was conducted on all city drainage basins in order to
identify potential problems and to model a build-out scenerio.
Workstation ARC/INFO was used to model the hydrology identify
flood prone areas and create digital elevation models. GIS has
allowed Arcata to develop a dynamic database and modelling approach
which allows the possibility of considering ever-changing conditions
such as the availability of land, new urban planning strategies
and goals, opportunities for natural resource enhancement, etc.
key words: stormwater, municipal planning
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Modeling and Model Integration in Water/Wastewater
Analysis I
Robin W. Erkkila
BLACK & VEATCH
8400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, Missouri, 64114
Telephone: 913-339-3427
Fax: 913-339-3626
E-mail: erkkilarw@bv.com
Peter C.G. Veenstra
BLACK & VEATCH
8400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, Missouri, 64114
Telephone: 913- 339-3642
Fax: 913-339-3626
E-mail: veenstrapg@bv.com
Wastewater Collection System Modelling Using Geographical
Information Systems
The question to answer in the analysis or design of a wastewater
collection system is "how much flow?". System engineers
need to know how much water the wastewater system can transport
and how much the future transport requirements will be. There
are many different approaches to determining wastewater collection
system flow. The method outlined in this paper applies landuse
and population data to determine the basis for current and future
system flow parameters. This data is manipulated using a Geographic
Information System (GIS), and input into the hydraulic model for
system analysis. The results of the model are output to, and stored
in the GIS from which meaningful graphic and tabular output is
obtained. The information in the GIS can then be used to help
the engineer and planner design a system which is adequate to
meet the current and future needs of a municipality. This paper
will outline the process involved in using GIS to obtain, derive,
manage and output the data required for modeling a wastewater
system.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: GIS Modeling and Model Integration in Water/Wastewater
Analysis II
JL Seligmann
CGE Paris
Paris, France
Water Supply and Sewer Network Asset Management Operational
Problems and the GIS Solutions
The maintenance of water and sewer networks is a serious problem
world-wide. Of course, it is always more difficult in developing
countries, because of the economic situation. This paper will
describe the problems, discuss some of the most important system
management implications, and present some solutions employing
the latest GIS technology, based upon several years of experience
as a water and sewer utilities service contractor around the world.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Telecom Networks Planning, Design, and Management
(I)
David Schirmer
Southern California Edison
GIAS Lab, G.O. 3, Room 228
2131 Walnut Grove Ave.
Rosemead, CA 91770
Telephone: 818-302-9656
Fax: 818-302-8061
E-mail: schirmde@sce.com
On the Development of an Customized GIS Application for
Southern California Edison's Wireless Communications Network
Increasingly, geographic information systems are playing a greater
role in the field of telecommunications with respect to inventory,
network design, device deployment and overall systems monitoring.
Southen California Edison has developed a 900 Mhz wireless communications
network utilizing packet radio technology. To date, the network
is comprised of over 20,000 radios connected to more than 90,000
end devices. In an effort to manage this system, Edison developed
the NetComm End User GIS Application (NEUGA), an ARCPLOT-based
customized application designed to answer complex and wide-ranging
ad hoc spatial analysis queries posed by a disparate user group.
The network planners employ line-of-sight analysis, network
density analysis and shortest path analysis and network operations
engineers utilize NEUGA for visualizing packet tracing, cul de
sac analysis, RF load density, and a variety of other spatial
analysis tasks. This paper outlines the project design, the
many obstacles encountered, and critical evaluation of the project
following 2 years of implementation including an anlaysis of the
enterprise-wide benefits.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Telecom Networks Planning, Design, and Management
(I)
G. Bussolino
CSELT S.p.A.
V. Reiss Romoli, 274
10148 - Turin (Italy)
Telephone: +39 11 228 6794
Fax: +39 11 228 5577
Use of the RASPUTIN Cellular Network Planning Tool in a
GIS Environment
The dramatic increase in the demand for wireless services and
personal communications imposes a modern voice-data mobile radio
system to be characteirised by two main requirements: 1) it has
to be able to provide a high subscriber capacity, 2) it has to
guarantee a good radio propagation coverage and minimising, at
the same time, the potential co-channel and adjacent channel interference
contributions. In order to achieve these goals, a mobile network
design has to face and to overcome several problems: users mobility,
limited availability of the resources (radio channels) and the
characteristics of the terrain orography. Even though with different
approaches and different criteria for the estimation of system
parameters, all modern planning methods use computer programs.
The purpose of this paper is to present a versatile software planning
tool (RASPUTIN, Radio Strength Prediction Using Territorial INputs)
that, using the capabilities offered by GIS technology (ARC/INFO),
allows to design and continuously update a mobile cellular network,
on the basis of the knowledge of digital altimetry, integrated
with typical land usage information, such as urbanisation and
vegetation, obtained from different sources, i.e maps digitisation,
aerial photography, satellite remote sensing.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Telecom Networks Planning, Design, and Management
II
David Lankford
CADTEL Systems, Inc.
11811 N. Tatum Blvd., Ste. 4080
Phoenix, AZ 85028-1624
Telephone: 602-953-4888
Fax: 602-953-4833
E-mail: davel@netzone.com
The TELCO Work Order Process: Using GIS
Although many facets of AM/FM/GIS have been successfully implemented,
work order generation and work order processing seem to be lagging
behind. Work order generation in a GIS environment is complex
and raises some data integrity issues that do not concern other
areas of the GIS. Work orders, by their very nature, indicate
that the GIS data is not static, but rather a "living organism"
which requires constant maintenance—a challenge to all those
charged with maintaining accurate data.
The work order process will be discussed, analyzed and demonstrated,
in principle. In addition to generating work orders, a tracking
mechanism must be initiated and integrated into the enterprise
GIS to complete the work order to as-built, completing its life
cycle. Again, addressing the issue of maintaining data integrity
as entity states are changed and data areadded to the corporate
assets.
In this session, the work order will be presented as the tool
by which the enterprise GIS is fed and maintained while allowing
interdepartmental access to the data by planning, forecasting,
engineering, records, accounting, right-of-way, construction and
others.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Telecom Networks Planning, Design, and Management
II
Sung Ryong Kim
Korea Telecom
Outside Plant Technology Laboratory
62-1, Whaam-dong, Yusung-gu
Daejeon, Korea
Telephone: 82-42-866-3200
Fax: 82-42-866-3207
Joong Hi Ryu
Cadland, Inc.
Songnam Bldg., 3rd Floor 1358-6
Seocho 2-doing, Seocho-gu
Seoul, Korea
Telephone: 82-2-557-4888
Fax: 82-2-554-2096
SDTS Based Korea GIS Transfer Standard
As GIS technology is developed, GIS data transfer is needed to
support various GIS users. As the Korean GIS infrastructure is
being developed, National GIS was being constructed in Korea,
and in terms of NGIS in Korea, the GIS Data Exchange Standard
Subcommittee was constructed. Korea Telecom and CADLAND proposed
the Korea GIS Transfer Standard, which is developed based on SDTS
as a draft in August 1995. Because the current domestic knowledge
and techniques about transfer standard were low in Korea, although
demand for transfer is growing in Korea, the National Transfer
Standard is needed to use existing transfer standards. In the
process of establishing the Korea transfer standard, several steps
were taken. First, we surveyed the existing GIS softwares in
Korea to identify and review the GIS users. Second, after surveying
GIS software, we reviewed GIS software data formats to check the
common properties of GIS data formats. Third, existing data transfer
standards were surveyed to determine which standard is appropriate
for establishing the Korea GIS transfer standard. Through the
previous three steps, we determined the SDTS as a proven standard.
The reasons why SDTS was selected from existing standards were
general aspects and specific aspects. Regarding general aspects,
SDTS has four major categories as a transfer standard; that is,
generality and general purpose, open system-based, integration
and harmonization, and interpretability, extensibility. Regarding
specific aspects in Korea, we focused on four issues: current
domestic requirement (National GIS infrastructure), harmonization
among various domestic interests, proven stability acquisition,
and coordination between international and national standard activities.After
choosing SDTS as an adopted standard, we took the next steps;
that is, user need assessment, to modify SDTS as an appropriate
Korean standard. In this step, we reviewed and analyzed the framework,
structure, data model, and data dictionary in SDTS, and we collected
the various interests of GIS users. After this process, we modified
two parts in SDTS: the data dictionary and coordinate system.
During the evaluation procedures, ARC/INFO's SDTS export/import
commands were tested, and the conversion process was more than
adequate when we have tested it with Korean characters for annotation
and database text.Regarding data dictionary modification, we compared
the SDTS data dictionary (as a part 2) with the Digital Mapping
Guideline of NG (National Geographic Institute) in Korea. To
construct the proper data dictionary as a standard, we referred
to various existing data dictionaries nationwide such as National
Geography Institute, Agency for Defence Development, and other
provincial governments. After modification in the data dictionary
and coordinate system, we established the detailed implementation
method.Through several steps, the Korean GIS transfer standard
was established, and this draft was submitted to the GIS Data
Exchange Subcommittee of NGIS. On 7 December 1995, the SDTS-based
Korea GIS transfer standard was adopted as a National Transfer
Standard (KIS0000 (95) W).Now we are preparing the complete National
Transfer Standard through the sophisticated modification process,
and have the plan to support the physical conversion process between
the standard and various GIS software.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Wastewater Utility Applications of GIS
Bruce Rindahl
City of Aurora, Utilities Department
1470 South Havana Street
Aurora, CO 80012
Telephone: (303) 695-7383
Fax: (303) 695-7491
E-mail: brucer@dilbert.ci.aurora.co.us
Analysis of Real-Time Raingage and Streamgage Flood Data
Using ARC/INFO and ArcView 2.1
The City of Aurora's Utilities Department is utilizing ARC/INFO
and ArcView 2.1 to analyze and display real-time raingage and
streamflow data from the city's ALERT Flood Warning System. ERSI's
ArcView 2.1 was chosen to display rainfall and streamflow data
because of its ability to display numerous types of GIS information,
Avenue script customization, spatial data analysis, file input-output,
remote system execution, and graphical user interface. ARC/INFO
GRID is used to develop a continous areal rainfall surface from
the point rainfall data. The Utilities Department is able to
access and analyze both historical and current real-time rainfall
and streamflow data from a easy to use graphical interface. Data
is obtained by querying a remote real-time data collection database.
Applications include studies in emergency flood response, location
of flood reports, routine maintenance for storm sewers, and NPDES
compliance for water quality. This paper will lay out the steps
in the development and use of this tool including remote system
calls, AML scripting, Avenue script customization and project
display.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Water Distribution Applications of GIS
Bruce Carpe
Marin Municipal Water District
220 Nellen Avenue
Corte Madera,California 94925-1169
Telephone: (415) 924-4600 Ext. 209
Fax: 415-927-4953
E-mail: 76712.2511@compuserve.com
Brian Hoefer
Mark Rytilahti
Marty Feil
Alpine Information Systems
The Marin Municipal Water District GIS Project or You Just
Turn On the Faucet and the Water Comes Out!
The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) GIS project provides
a practical look at the process of GIS implementation. MMWD embraced
GIS technology and has implemented a system that combines ARC/INFO,
ArcView and ArcCAD, as well as interfaces to their existing Work
Order and Billing systems. All access to the GIS is provided
from desktop PCs on the Novell LAN. A project team from Environmental
Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), Hammon, Jensen, Wallen
& Associates (HJW), BaySys Technologies Inc. and Alpine Information
Systems have combined to provide this enterprise wide system.
This paper will spotlight some of the numerous issues MMWD has
encountered with during this process. Topics include, the decision
to develop a GIS, data communications issues, the base map, the
map conversion process, tips on working with consultants, the
need for end user tools, the interfaces, project management and
costs. This paper will provide an excellent guide to those who
are considering implementing GIS, and a reality check for those
just starting to deal with many of the same issues.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Water Distribution Applications of GIS
Glenn Olson
New Mexico Engineering Research Institute
University of New Mexico
851 University Blvd.
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106
Telephone: (505)272-7296
Fax: 505-272-7203
E-mail: golson@unm.edu
Using a GIS to Optimize Resources: A Work Order/Routing
System Based on Transportation Costs and Spatial Order
GIS is being utilized by the New Mexico Environment Department,
Drinking Water Bureau in order to optimize the human, transportation,
and laboratory resources required to conduct a water quality sampling
program. The NMED DWB employs a GIS as a Drinking Water Information
System to manage the water sampling schedules, generate water
chemistry analytical request forms, plot optimal route maps, manage
territory allocation, and validate sampling requirements. GIS
tools such as data base filters, scroll able menu interfaces,
spatial ordering, relational data sets, lease cost routing, and
allocation of centers are all used in this cost saving resource
management system. This paper will discuss the design and development
of this project, the constraints inherent in the data sets, and
the user requirements vs the reality of what the data will support.
Track: AM/FM & Utilities
Session: Water Distribution Applications of GIS
Kien Hoang
LA DWP
111 North Hope Street, Room 1439
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Telephone: 213-367-1124
Fax: 213-367-1127
Greg Ammon
Technical Aspects of a PC-Based GIS Application: The Water
Facilities GIS from Conceptual Design to Final Product
The Water Facilities Geographic Information System (WFGIS) is
in its conversion stage for the Water Quality and Distribution
Business Unit—Maps & Records Group of the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power. The outcome of the research and
work invested is easy and fast access to all major water facility
information not only for the field crews to operate the water
system, but for district engineers and managers to make informed
decisions.In the process of developing the Pilot Program for the
Water Facilities GIS, the Thomas Bros. street centerline database
was used as a backdrop for "heads-up" digitizing to
build the water main network system using a custom conversion
program. The water main network also served as a basemap for
the WFGIS. Valves, fire hydrants, leak locations, reservoirs,
tanks, pump stations, and so forth, were also digitized and built
into separated coverages. Data sets from many different formats
were then integrated into GIS environment, ArcCAD and ArcView,
and linked to the coverages. Using ArcView 2 with its programming
language Avenue, a friendly and easy-to-use application was built
and delivered to the end users with accurate and updated geographic
water facility information at their fingertips. With WFGIS, it
is expected that the end users will dramatically reduce the time
spent looking for data necessary for their daily work, as well
as provide faster response to emergency situations. This paper
will focus on the questions, problems, and obstacles that were
encountered and examples of activities will be discussed.
Track: Business
Session: Getting GIS into Business
Sean Curry
Pacific Bell Advanced Communications Network
Spatial Technologies Group
2410 Camino Ramon, Ste 100
San Ramon, CA 94583
Telephone: 510-806-4620
Fax: 510-806-8917
Mike Miller
Brian Manson
Steve Boyle
Janet Jimenez
Donna Murphy
Getting Spatially Referenced Data Into the Hands of Decision
Makers
The planning, design, construction, and operation of a modern
broadband telecommunications network requires tremendous resources
from many quarters. Skilled people, new hardware and software
technologies, and integrated databases are all part of the recipe
for success. However, data that are unavailable at the time of
decision making, for whatever reason, are of little or no value.
Tools that tightly couple data to the decision-making process
are therefore very important.
The Spatial Technologies Group of the Pacific Bell Advanced Communications
Network has been developing a set of tools that integrate spatial
data into various phases of the ACN design and construction process.
Initially, the tools were focused on building the underlying
spatial framework to which the physical network is referenced,
and from which the living unit database is created. We are now
deploying tools to perform integrated node bounding, deployment
status monitoring, and network surveillance and alarm monitoring.
In each case, the objectives have been to use spatial analysis
tools to integrate data from various sources, and to make the
integrated data set available on demand to the decision maker.
Track: Business
Session: GIS Applications for Customer Service
Brean W. Duncan
Mail Code: DYN-2
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
Telephone: (407) 853-3281
Fax: 407-853-2939
E-mail: duncanb@orcinus.ksc.nasa.gov
Shannon Boyle
NASA Biomedical Operations Office
Mail Code: DYN-2
Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899
Telephone: (407) 853-3281
Fax: (407) 853-3281
Paul A. Schmalzer
David R. Breininger
Spatial Quantification of Historic Landscape Change Within
Two Study Sites on John F. Kennedy Space Center
Assigning tow truck companies to service areas can be a complicated
process, especially when there are more than 5,000 towers needed
for nationwide coverage. The Amoco Motor Club, along with Ernst
& Young Management Consulting and ESRI, developed a PC-based
application to assist field managers with this process.The Service
Area Gridding Environment (SAGE) application allows the field
manager to add/maintain service provider data, use ArcView to
interactively select ZIP Codes to assign service areas, and analyze
the dispatch and financial performance of service providers.
ArcView also displays ZIP Codes without service providers and
identifies ZIP Codes without certain service types (locksmith,
flatbed, etc.).The application can also dial up the Amoco server
to upload changes to the service provider network and download
daily dispatch data.The application was written using PowerBuilder,
Visual Basic, Avenue, and Crosstalk.The purpose of the paper is
to highlight the application and its functions as well as to review
the technical challenges encountered during the development and
integration of the different software products.
Track: Business
Session: GIS Applications for Customer Service
John Anagnost
Ernst & Young LLP
233 S. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
Telephone: 312-879-5505
Fax: 312-879-4011
Using GIS to Manage Service Areas for Motor Club Business
Assigning tow truck companies to service areas can be complicated
process, especially when there are more than 5,000 towers needed
for nationwide coverage. The Amoco Motor Club along with Ernst
& Young Management Consulting and ESRI developed a PC based
application to assist field managers with this process. The Service
Area Gridding Environment (SAGE) application allows the field
manager to add/maintain service provider data, use ArcView to
interactively select ZIPCodes to assign service areas, and analyze
the dispatch and financial performance of service providers.
ArcView also displays ZIPcodes without service providers, and
identifies ZIP codes without certain service types (locksmith,
flatbed, etc.). The application can also dial up the Amoco server
and upload changes to the service provider network, and download
daily dispatch data. The application was written using PowerBuilder,
Visual Basic, Avenue, and Crosstalk. The purpose of the paper
is to highlight the application and its functions as well as to
review the technical challenges encountered during the development
and integration of the different software products.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: An Extraction of Hydrogeometric Information by Using
GIS
Chang Hahk Hahm
Inha Technical Junior College
Dept. of Aerial Survey
253, Yong-Hyun-Dong, Nam-Gu
Inchon, 402-752, South Korea
Telephone: +82-32-870-2241
Fax: +82-32-868-3408
Chan Young Park
Inha Technical Junior College
Dept. of Aerial Survey
253, Yong-Hyun-Dong, Nam-Gu
Inchon, 402-752, South Korea
Telephone: +82-32-870-2233
Fax: +82-32-868-3408
Jong Sun Yun
GIS Research Institute
Han Jin GIS Co., Ltd.
429-1, Sin-Soo-Dong, Mapo-Gu
Seoul, 121-110, South Korea
Telephone: +82-2-3272-6446
Fax: +82-2-717-7514
An Extraction of the Hydro-Geometric Information by Using
Geographic Information System
The main objective of this study is to extract the hydrogeometric
information of the Pyongchang River basin, headwaters of the South
Han River. A GIS is capable of extracting various hydrological
factors from DEM (digital elevation model). One of the important
tasks for hydrological analysis is the division of a watershed.
It can be an essential factor among various geometric characteristics
of a watershed. In this study, the watershed itself and other
geometric factors of a watershed are extracted from DEM by using
a GIS technique. The manual process of tasks to obtain geometric
characteristics of a watershed is automated by using the function
of ARC/INFO software as a GIS package. Scanned data is used for
this study and it is converted to DEM data. Various forms of
representations of spatial data are handled in the main modules
and a GRID module of ARC/INFO. A GRID module is used on a stream
in order to define the watershed boundary, so it would be possible
to obtain the watersheds. Also, a flow direction, stream networks,
and others are generated. The results show that GIS can aid watershed
management and research and surveillance. Also, the geometric
characteristics as parameters of the watershed can be quantified
by using a GIS technique. Reasonable results can be obtained
as compared with conventional graphic methods.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Applications of GIS in Agriculture
Steve Lynch
Computing Centre for Water Research
c/o University of Natal
Private Bag x01
Scottsville, KwaZulu-Natal 3209
South Africa
Telephone: Intl 331-2605412
Fax: Intl 331-61896
E-mail: lynch2@aqua.ccwr.ac.za
E Schulze
Telephone: 331-2605489
Fax: 331-61896
Digital Agrohydrological Atlas for Southern Africa
Agrohydrology seeks to evaluate the influence of available water
on the agricultural potential of a region with the objective of
promoting a high efficiency in the use of water. The advent of
desktop Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has made it possible
to develop a digital Agrohydrological atlas for Southern Africa.
The atlas is available in two parts, viz. a digital version for
use with a GIS package and a colour paper edition for use by people
without access to a computer-based GIS package.
The digital Agrohydrological atlas contains inter alia coverages
and textual descriptions on rainfall, temperature and different
crop production scenarios that have been created using detailed
in-house research and algorithms from the research literature.
It must be noted that this atlas is different from the conventional
atlas in the sense that the maps are in a digital format which
allows users to manipulate the spatial data and information to
suit their own needs.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Applications of GIS in Agriculture
Zhu Zesheng
Jiang Su Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Nanjing
Jiang Su, 210014
P.R. China
Telephone: 0086-25-4438285
Fax: 0086-25-4439980
Sun Ling
Optimal Management System of Stored Grain in GIS Environment
In recent years, scientific management of stored grain has been
being a very important research direction in the field of agricultural
engineering. However, how to design and implement optimal or
high efficiently management system of stored grain in practice
has been being a very complex and difficult problem. Although
there were a number of papers which discussed the problems how
to construct and implement the management model of stored grain
related to the above system, the solutions to those problems are
usually not satisfactory. The major reason resulting in the situation
can be further disused as follows. 1) A number of managed objects
in the management system of stored grain are usually influenced
by various complex geographical factors. 2) Some important physical
variable in those objects such as the temperature and moisture
to describe some physical behaviors of those objects have obvious
information.However, our research shown that an advanced and satisfactory
optimal management system of stored grain can be implemented in
the GIS environment such as ArcView Version 2.1. This paper presented
our new method for designing and implementing the optimal management
system of stored grain in the environment and our new advances
in the research of stored grain management. First, the general
principle and basic method of designing basic model of the management
system were discussed. Secondly, the basic GIS environment provided
by ArcView Version 2.1 and how to implement the above basic model
in it were investigated respectively. thirdly, some key techniques
which were used to implement the management model of stored grain
in ArcView Version 2.1 environment were discussed, which includes
how to develop the customizing ARCHIVE Version 2.1 environment
related to the management system by the Avenue. Otherwise , we
discussed in this paper some important experiences how to apply
an object-oriented method for building complex model of management
system of stored grain and how to apply ArcView Version 2.1,
VISUAL BASIC 4.00 and VISUAL C++2.0 to develop and implement the
model. In practical implementation of the system, we found that
ArcView Version 2.1 and VISUAL BASIC 4.0 provided very satisfactory
user interface for our system. On the other hand, ArcView Version
2.1 completed also some complex computation about graphical coverage.
In the process to develop and implement our system, VISUAL C++
2.0 was used to design various complex objects and to complete
various complex numeric computation and simulation operation.
In summary, our current research and achievements had shown that
ArcView Version 2.1 with its Avenue is one of the most efficient
and flexible environments for developing the optimal management
system of stored grain.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Applications of GIS in Agriculture
A. J. Romanelli
GIS Solutions, Inc.
2387 West Monroe St.
Suite 137
Springfield, IL 62704
Telephone: 217-546-3652
Fax: 217-546-3839
E-mail: gisspil@aol.com
Variable Rate Agriculture: A Problem that is Ideally Suited
to a GIS-Based Solution
Variable rate technology (i.e. VRT or precision farming) is a
technology which allows farms to apply varying amounts of fertilizer
to a field depending on soil needs. The keys to VRT are properly
deterrmining the amount of nutrient to be applied, and applying
that amount in its proper location. Using GIS both of the needs
of VRT can be served. First the application map analysis of various
input parameters (soil tests, yield data, environmental concerns,
etc.) can be produced using a GIS based system, and secondly the
nutrients may be applied using a GIS based system. In GIS terminology
the former translates into spatial interpolation (kriging) and
overlay analysis, and the latter to point-in-polygon analysis.
A system has been developed which allows both processes to be
achieved, and supplies the user with several additional benefits
(i.e., accountability and planning).
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Applications of GIS in the Management of Agricultural
Systems
Arthur F. Lange
Trimble Navigation, Ltd.
645 North Mary Avenue
Building 9
Sunnyvale,CA 94086
Telephone: 408-481-2994
Fax: 408-481-6074
E-mail: art_lange@trimble.com
Precision Agricultural Systems Requirements for GPS/GIS
The explosion in interest in precision agriculture technology
has been accompanied by a blossoming in the uses for a number
of enabling technologies, the two most important of which are
the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). While GIS technology offers tremendous capabilities
for more informed agricultural decision making, rendering competent
decisions still depends on having reliable data available. This
paper deals with two issues related to obtaining reliable data.
One, the importance of accurately identified locations to which
all field mapping and subsequent treatments can be linked. Second,
how Global Positioning System (GPS) technology can be used to
build your Agricultural GIS data base and to collect data efficiently.
Some precision agriculture applications can be performed with
less accurate data which cost much less to acquire. However,
other applications, like spray control with GPS may require higher
accuracy in order to prevent overlapping applications of chemicals.
This paperís goal is to give an overview of GPS and how
it may be used with GIS for precision agriculture applications
including field preparation, planting, chemical application,
scouting for weeds and insects, and harvest yield monitoring.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Applications of GIS in the Management of Agricultural
Systems
Steve Lynch
Computing Centre for Water Research
c/o University of Natal
Private Bag x01,Scottsville
KwaZulu-Natal, 3209
South Africa
Telephone: Intl 331-2605412
Fax: (27) 331-61896
E-mail: lynch2@aqua.ccwr.ac.za
NL Lecler
Telephone: 331-260-5678
Fax: 331-61896
RE Schulze
Telephone: 331-2605489
Fax: 331-61896
Using Real-Time Hydrological Data
The science of telemetry and computer networking have made it
possible for researchers to access real-time data. Real-time
hydrological data such as, rainfall and temperature, make it possible
for researchers to analyse and determine what influences daily
observations will have on the environment. This paper outlines
the procedures of coupling, on a nationwide scale, real-time climatic
data, from the approximately 400 daily reporting weather stations,
with the ACRU model to produce detailed maps of inter alia soil
moisture status, crop water requirements and flood-warning indicators
over Southern Africa. The final products are interpreted and their
applications to regional and national environmental and agricultural
resource plans are outlined. The methodology behind obtaining
and using real-time climatic information is described in detail
in the paper.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Applications of GIS in the Management of Agricultural
Systems
Zhu Zesheng
Nanjing
Jiang Su, 210014,
P.R. China
Telephone: 0086-25-4438285
Fax: 0086-25-4439980
Sun Ling
GIS Implementation of Management System of Agricultural
Resources
Advanced management system of agricultural resources is one of
the most important tools to implement high efficient management
of modernization agricultural production and makes more and more
important influence to the production. However, most of early
management systems of agricultural resources were developed mainly
in the environment of database system. Thus, the user interfaces
in those systems were usually very poor and unsatisfactory, so
that those systems had been facing many difficulties in their
practical applications. Latterly, GIS was used to introduce
its function into those systems so as to largely improve and increase
their performance and function, respectively. However, many application
examples shown that the performance of those improved systems
was not still satisfactory in most of practical applications.
Major reasons resulting in this situation can be discussed as
follows. 1) Operation speed and function of various user interfaces
designed and implemented by each user are not usually satisfactory
due to the application of unsuitable programming language and
method, 2) User must spend a lot of time to integrate the database
system and GIS due to the low efficiency of code of complex user
interfaces, 3) Common user who has very low profession level
faces very many difficulties when he executes various complex
operation on such system though those interfaces, 4) It is very
difficult to fast build and implement the system model of complex
application by advanced object-oriented technique in the above
environment.However, our research shown that ArcView Version 2.1
provided a very satisfactory GIS environment and framework for
redesigning the traditional management system of agricultural
resources that has total new functions based on ArcView Version
2.1 environment. This paper discussed mainly our new advances
and partial achievements in the process to design and implement
a province-level management system of agricultural resources.
First, some basic requirements and general design principles
of the management system of agricultural resources were deeply
investigated. Secondly, model architecture of the management
system and relationships between its resources were further discussed.
thirdly, some key problems how to build the object-oriented management
model of agricultural resources by the architecture were analyzed
and discussed. Forth, the problem how to implement the object-oriented
model in ArcView Version 2.1 environment by VISUAL BASIC 4.00
and VISUAL C++2.00 languages was also investigated in detail.
Otherwise, we discussed deeply some key techniques that include
how to obtain the object-oriented model from the architecture
model and how to implement the object-oriented model in ArcView
Version 2.1 environment by Avenue language as well as how to build
practical interfaces between the above languages. Finally, some
practical experiences that we had obtained during the process
to develop the practical management system of agricultural resources
were also introduced.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Applications of GIS in the Management of Agricultural
Systems
Nelson Vasquez
A.A. 6705
Cali
Valle del Cauca
Colombia
Telephone: 92-4424888
Fax: 92-4424873
Pioneer GIS Project in the Sugar Industry
During the productive lift of the Cauca Sugar Plantation (Ingenio
del Cauca) approximately 30 years, the Technical Direction of
the Field Superintendency has permanently and as Incauca has gradually
grown, used all the agronomical and agricultural engineering know-how
as well as that of other participating professions in field related
activities such as Civil Engineering and Economy, as fundamental
tools for the production of sugar cane in a much more efficient
manner, that is in aspects related with improving sugar cane production
in the plant stage as well as in the improvement of sugar production
as a finished product. In the same way as the area of cane production
and sugar production capacity was growing so grew the information
required for the technical and administrative management of the
responsibilties corresponding to the Field Superintendency of
Incauca. This information was basically made up of cartographic
information and alphanumerical information registered and stored
by whatever means were the most appropriate and modern for that
time.
The association of these two concepts to analyze information as
a means of support in the making of decision in different administrative
and technical levels in the management of crops and land was used
along with information available in that time. Individual plots
and the corresponding alphanumerical information, as well as the
experience and intuition of the people responsible in the making
of decisions. These analysis were limited because they did not
allow easy multivariable analysis due to the difficulty to manipulate
great volumes of both cartographic and descriptive information.
For those reason, Incauca, Ingenio Providencia and Cenicafia
decided to execute a Pioneer GIS (Geographic Information System)
Project that will permit to associate georeferenced special information
(cartography) with descripitive information (Date Base), with
the purpose of showing the great utility that this new concept
of software can have in the development and growth of the sugar
industry.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: ArcView for NEPA Documentation and Map Production
David F. Job
Solutions to Environmental Problems
1009 Commerce Park Drive, Ste #400
Oak Ridge, Tennessee37830
Telephone: 423-481-7837
Fax: 423-481-0290
STEP
In April 1995 STEP was faced with the problem of meeting an impossible
deadline. We had been using files previously developed in Microstation
to produce 8.5” x 11” maps used in NEPA documents.
This was a very large project funded by the Army and the deadlines
seemed to always have a crisis associated with them. At this
point we had two weeks to meet our deadline. I had purchased
a copy of ArcCad and Arc View I a few months prior. They were
still in the box.
Since Microstation could not provide us a way to meet the deadline,
we all agreed to try ArcView. We had the data in a spreadsheet,
so we began to develop coverages on our only copy of ArcCad.
We used the coverages developed in ArcCad to create the map figures
in ArcView. Although, we ran into a large number of problems
using this approach we did meet our deadline.
STEP has evolved from ArcCad and ArcView I running on P-5 60’s
in a Windows for Work Groups environment to using ArcView 2a for
map figure production and ARC/INFO for coverage production running
on Silicon Graphics Indy’s in an NFS environment. We are
currently producing 1600 maps monthly.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Coastal Mapping Using a Geographic Information System
Megan Keevican
College of Charleston
Department of Geology
66 George Steet
Charleston, SC 29424
Telephone: 803-953-5463
Fax: 803-953-5446
E-mail: mcolgan@jove.cofc.edu
Dr. Mitchell W. Colgan
Mathew Horton
Coastal Mapping Using a Geographic Information System
Due to sea level transgression, as well as various man-made structures
along the shoreline, South Carolina's barrier islands are experiencing
high levels of erosion. Data has been collected from 1988 to
1995 based on distance and elevation from a fixed point (GCP)
by the College of Charleston's Geology Department and the South
Carolina Coastal Council. It has become possible to develop a
systematic approach using surveyor data and ESRI's ARC/INFO to
illustrate coastal change. Varying years have been plotted using
dynamic segmentation and TIN. Through the use of graphical overlay,
it has become possible to illustrate the overall trend of erosion
incident along the South Carolina shoreline. "Stacking profiles"
has created cross-sectional profiles along the transects for varying
years. The ARC/INFO database offers a programming language which
has allowed for the creation of a user friendly program (GUI).
This will enable scientists to better query coastal change along
the South Carolina coast.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Data Support Systems and Data Suitability
Boykin Witherspoon
University of Washington
342 Gould Hall Box 355734
Seattle, WA 98195-5734
Telephone: 206-543-8526
Fax: 206-685-4486
E-mail: boykin@u.washington.edu
Societies Subjective Interpretations of Objective Science
in Resource Planning: Technology's Role
The process of resource planning and management generally employs
modeling objective scientific data into information used to make
decisions about resources. The phenomena of this process is no
matter how far down in the process or how prevalent the objective
science is, eventually a resource manager will make a subjective
decision about the information’s relative worth. Resource
models, often referred to as planning tools are merely transforming
data into indices where the true tool (the human brain) models
a relative value of suitability, sustainability or some other
management objective. Applications such as GIS are notoriously
accused of being thoughtless answer machines (black boxes) when
in fact their primary use is simply to create indices for evaluation
by the human brain or display efficiently the results of a valuation
system performed by the human brain. Virtual reality is being
touted as the next great spatial management tool, when in fact
it only displays highly interactive versions of proposed or existing
worlds. The decision engine (or tool) is more than likely still
the planners brain. Computer breakthroughs like expert systems
and artificial intelligence may come close to being true “tools”
but are also truly black boxes. Many of the current uses of technology
in resource planning and management (such as GIS) only move the
subjective decision further away from the reality of the situation.
Even more alarming is GIS technology’s ability to completely
hide subjective decisions. On the other hand, GIS technology
if used creatively has the inherent capability to demonstrate
at exactly what point in the model human valuation influenced
a proposed resource action. It is possible to identify when the
indexing of scientific data stops and the subjective valuation
begins. GIS technology at that point can become a tool for accountablility
if nothing else. The paper and presentation will demonstrate
through academic case studies how critical thought processes are
taught in the Department of Landscape Architecture utilizing and
Arc-Info while emphasizing the documentation of subjective valuation.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Data Support Systems and Data Suitability
Duonne M. Erasmus
P.O. Box 39
Pietermaritzburg, 3200
Natal
South Africa
Telephone: 27-331-454341
Fax: 27-331-946313
Practical GIS for Managing Forestry Operations and Planning:
A Case Study from Mondi Limited, South Africa
Plantation forestry is an intensive land management practice for
short rotation exotic timber species grown under South African
climatic conditions. For this reason, the management and utilization
of accurate natural resource and operational information is of
utmost importance to the efficiency of the business. Furthermore,
Mondi's forestry landholdings are geographically dispersed, which
increases the complexity of creating and updating the spatial
database by means of smooth and efficient information flows.
The process of planning, establishing, and maintaining an Integrated
Forestry Database (IFDB) based on a combination of UNIX ARC/INFO
and desktop ArcView technologies is described. Details of the
processes followed during the user requirements analysis, the
system design, and the customization stages are provided. A comprehensive
description of the functionality of the ArcView software which
was customized specifically for efficient forestry management
and reporting is given.
Finally, aspects of the implementation of the IFDB system across
five regional sites and sixty remote sites are highlighted and
the progress to date is reported on.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Data Support Systems and Data Suitability
Robert Weih
University of Arkansas
School of Forest Resources
P.O. Box 3468
Monticello, AR 71656
Telephone: 501-460-1248
Fax: 501-460-1092
Suzanne Wiley
School of Forest Resources, Arkansas Forest Resources Center
University of Arkansas
P.O. Box 3468
Monticello, AR 71656
Telephone: 501-460-1548
Fax: 501-460-1092
E-mail: wiley@uamont.edu
Jim Baker
USDA Forest Service
Southern Research Station
P.O. Box 3516
Monticello, Arkansas 71656
Telephone: 501-367-3464
Fax: 501-367-1164
E-mail: s=j.baker/oul=s30a@mhs-fswa.attmail.com
Developing a Data Support System for Ecosystem Management
Research
Changing attitudes toward national forests have increased demands
to manage forests in a socially acceptable and ecologically sustainable
manner. As an alternative to clear-cutting on the Ouachita National
Forest, research was initiated to study seed-tree, shelterwood,
single-tree, and group selection cutting methods in pine–hardwood
stands. An ecosystem management research team developed a replicated
stand-level study that involves monitoring activities in the following
areas: silviculture, wildlife, biodiversity, visual quality,
recreation, water quality, soils, cultural resources, insects,
diseases, harvesting, and management economics. Information is
being collected by more than fifty researchers over a five-year
period. In order to evaluate the effects of different management
strategies and their interactions with forest resources, all the
data must be in a common format and available to all researchers.
A data support system was developed that incorporates a geographic
information system (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and
computer network technologies. This allows researchers to integrate
both spatial and tabular data from more than 2,000 plots. Initiation
of this data support system involved the development of a conceptual
design which allows all phases of the research to tie together
into a spatial model. ARC/INFO and ArcView served this need.
Individual observations, statistics, tables, graphics, photographs,
aerial photos, maps, etc., are tied together by common spatial
coordinates. When this database support system is fully developed,
researchers will be able to investigate interactions between their
data and that of others by overlaying different themes and analyzing
various projects. An ArcView/Avenue interface is being developed
to allow for easy access to the various components of each database
topic. Data are being stored on optical CD–ROM disks in
a format that is accessible to many platforms. Electronic access
will provide support and integration of all research activities.
Researchers not only can share information resources, but can
graphically visualize many facets of the forest ecosystem and
its changes under various management strategies. The methodology
used to develop and configure this large, relational database
into an easily accessible form usable in an interactive GIS program
should be transferable to other areas of natural resource management.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Database Development for Forest Management
N. Chrystine Olson
U.S. Forest Service
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
2035 Last Chance Road
Elko, Nevada 89801
Telephone: 702-738-5171
Fax: 702-778-0299
E-mail: is=c.olson/ou1=r04f09@mhs-fswa.attmail.com
Bonnie Whalen
Using GIS and GPS Applications for Rangeland Allotment
Analysis.
GIS and GPS technologies have become important tools for assessing
and updating the environmental status of rangeland allotments
on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Natural resource professionals
use USGS digital elevation models (DEMs), vegetative information,
and watershed overlays to make initial estimates of carrying capacities
for permitted domestic livestock based on limiting topography
and distance from water. Layers showing critical wildlife and
fishery habitats are also available. The GIS maps derived with
these data layers help identify areas of overlapping use, assist
in establishing key monitoring sites, and make recommendations
on acceptable livestock management practices. Field verification
is completed primarily with the assistance of GPS. The field
data gathered can then be used to correct and refine the GIS database.
The ability of GIS and field professionals to work together creates
a two-tiered benefit: better information to initiate a needed
environmental analysis and a more accurate GIS database to draw
from for future needs.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Database Development for Forest Management
Norman Helewa
Business Design Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests
204-1111 Blanshard St,
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada V8W 3E7
Telephone: 604 356 6056
Fax: 604-356-0313
E-mail: NHELEWA@MFOR01.FOR.GOV.BC.CA
The Assessment and Conversion of Forest Service Spatial
Data to ARC/INFO
The British Columbia Forest Service is responsible for the management
and stewardship of all forest crown land in the province of British
Columbia. The collection, maintenance and use of forest, ecological
and socio-economic data in spatial and aspatial formats are essential
for stewarship of the forest land base.
The forested crown lands of British Columbia are inventoried in
a spatial database of 7000 + 1:20,000 electronic map files. The
map files are maintained in Intergraph Design File format, with
related aspatial data, being maintained as flat ASCII files.
In June 1995, the Business Design Branch acquired a three user
node lock license of ARC/INFO. Selected staff underwent training
in ARC/INFO and were tasked with evaluating the condition of Forest
Service data, for translation to ARC/INFO. The Forest Service
exchanges data with private forest companies, government agencies
and stakeholders that for the most part use ARC/INFO. Over a
period of 5 months, Forest Service spatial data, the translation
process, and data structures were evaluated. Thispaper summarizes
the findings of this project and details the recommendations.
The benefits derived from this project have been a more detailed
understanding of ARC/INFO functions and the data model, a better
understanding of Forest Service spatial data structure strengths
and weaknesses, a clearer direction for the future and the development
of a sophisticated AML based IGDS translator.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Database Development for Forest Management
Emmor H. Nile
Oregon Department of Forestry
2600 State Street
Salem OREGON 97310
Telephone: 503-945-7418
Fax: 503-945-7314
E-mail: Emmor.H.NILE@state.or.us
Seedlot Management at D.L. Phipps Forest Nursery Dynamic
Segmentation and ArcView
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) implemented the use of
GIS in the management of seedling seed-lots to better manage seedlings,
and improve customer service. Dynamic Segmentation was critical
in linking existing database tables for display in ArcView. Once
established, updates to the graphical display were accomplished
through the existing Paradox database input. D.L Phipps nursery
produces over 12 million seedlings from 35+ species for reforestation
of Oregon's forests.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Database Management Systems for Conservation
Mike Adam
CSIR
P.O. Box 395
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Telephone: 27 (12) 841-3992/2489
Fax: 27 (12) 841-2689
E-mail: madam@csir.co.za
Dean H. K. Fairbanks
Division of Water, Environment and Forestry Technology (Environmentals)
CSIR
P.O. Box 395
Pretoria 0001
Telephone: +27 (12) 841-3992/2489
Fax: +27 (12) 841-2689
E-mail: dfairban@scir.co.za
Decision Support Tools for Natural Resource, Nature Conservation
and Environmental Management in South Africa
The growth of the "new" South Africa and the development
and upliftment of the South African people requires that many
issues be addressed over the next few years. These issues range
from the provision of water and other amenities, both for industrial
as well as human needs, to the provision of employement and generation
of wealth, through rapid economic growth.
However, rapid development and rapid economic growth ar e placing
an ever increasing strain on the natural resources and enviroment
of the country. GIS-based management tools are being developed
at a national level to support decision making and policy, as
well as at a local level to support day-to-day management and
research within catchments and management areas.
This paper describes a number of the GIS management tools developed
by Environmentek onver the last year. These tools include, the
Conservation Management System a catchment/reserve level fire
and alien weed management tool, the National Nature Conservation
Information System, a nationa level decision support tool, the
Open Åreas Management System, a simple tool for managing
permanently unplanted areas within plantations, as well as a number
of PC-based tools for supporting land-use planning and plantation
management.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Ecosystem Inventory and Monitoring
Barbara Bell
San Diego State University
Dept of Geography
San Diego, CA 92182
Telephone: (619) 748-1194
Fax: (619) 725-0207
E-mail: bell@typhoon.sdsu.edu
Arthur Getis, Ph.D
Global and Local Spatial Statistical Analysis in a GIS
Environment: An Example from a Semi-Arid Landscape
The development of spatial data analysis techniques in GIS with
its combination of database handling capabilities and visualization
tools is currently being investigated by many geographers. One
area of research is the application of spatial statistics to remotely
sensed data in order to determine the spatial characteristics
of landscapes. Several recent developments have aided in this
work. One development is the Airborne Data Acquisition and Registration
5000 (ADAR) technology which provides remotely sensed data at
a 0.5 meter resolution. ARC/INF0 7.0 GRID enhancements facilitate
the conversion of imagery to raster data sets and their analysis.
Also, local forms of several spatial statistics have been developed
with the goal of measuring local dependence structure and heterogeneity
in spatial data. The purpose of this paper is to share the results
of recent exploration of 0.5 meter resolution remotely sensed
landscapes using global and local spatial statistics in a GIS
environment. An example is taken from ADAR imagery of semi-arid
shrubland and grassland vegetation communities of the northern
Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Ecosystem Inventory and Monitoring
Paul Cote
Harvard Graduate School of Design
48 Quincy Street
Cambridge MA 02138
Telephone: 617- 496-0546
Fax: 617-496-5866
Stephen Ervin
Harvard Graduate School of Design
48 Quincy Street
Cambridge MA 02138
Telephone: 617- 496-0546
Fax: 617-496-5866
E-mail: servin@gsd.harvard.edu
A Strategy for Managing Geographic Analysis and Cartography
In a Major Ecological Research Project
In the course of two years of work on a biodiversity research
project involving 15 gigabytes of data, 12 ecological models carried
out against 10 projected land use scenarios, 150 final maps and
countless drafts, we have developed a system for organizing our
data, analysis processes, and cartographic production. This system
facilitates efficient reprocessing of models and graphics when
needed based on incremental changes in the data, and utilizes
a file structure that allows efficient use of disks and back-ups.
We plan to continue to use and develop this system in future
research projects. In this paper, we present an overview of
the system and focus on some of the more interesting problems
and solutions that have come out of this work.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Ecosystem Inventory and Monitoring
David Weinstein
Pacific Meridian Resources
5915 Hollis Street, Bldg. B
Emeryville, CA 94608
Telephone: (510) 654-6980
Fax: 510-654-5774
Change Detection Using Remotely Sensed Data
As technology advances , so does our ability to change our surroundings.
Changes made on the surface of the Earth today are more extensive
and occur more rapidly than ever before. The significance of
these changes increases as the world’s population grows and
the available land base declines. As the price of land escalates
and the debate over land use becomes more heated, the demand for
timely and accurate information about land use and land cover
change increases. Land managers, planners, and policy makers
require methods that accurately relate changes in land cover to
changes in land use. To meet this demand, Pacific Meridian Resources,
under contract with NASA, has developed products and services
for assessing land cover and land use change using Remote Sensing
and GIS. LUCCAS, the Land Use and Cover Change Analysis System,
is a GUI-based change detection application which enables users
to perform their own change detection analysis. The result of
the final user interface is an expert system for executing change
detection applications operated entirely by "point and click"
icons facilitating data entry, parameter selection, analysis systems,
and output formats specifications by the users.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Ecosystem Inventory and Monitoring
E.F. Binnian
Hughes STX Corporation
EROS Alaska Field Office
4230 University Drive, Rm. 230
Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4664
Telephone: 907-786-7033
Fax: 907-786-7036
E-mail: ebinnian@usgs.gov
A.L. Gallant
Colorado State University
Department of Forest Sciences
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
Telephone: 970-221-2841
E-mail: alisa@kiowa.cnr.colostate.edu
J.M. Omernik
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Research Laboratory
200 SW 35th Street
Corvallis, Orgeon 97333
Telephone: 503-754-4458
M.B. Shasby
U.S.G.S. EROS Alaska Field Office
4230 University Drive, Rm 230
Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4664
tel: 907-786-7022
fx: 907-786-7036
mshasby@usgs.gov
Ecoregions of Alaska
A map and set of descriptions of 20 ecological regions (ecoregions)
of Alaska have been produced as a framework for organizing and
interpreting environmental data for State-level inventory, monitoring,
and research efforts. The map was derived by synthesizing information
on the geographic distribution of environmental factors such as
climate terrain, geology, soils, hydrology, and vegetation. This
synthesis was a qualitative assessment of the distributional patterns
and relative importance of these factors from place to place.
This project was completed in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and Colorado State University. The work
in Alaska is a continuation of a program completed by the EPA
for the conterminous United States and is parallel to the Ecological
Land Classification Program conducted in Canada by Environment
Canada. The United States and Canada have used the ecoregion
units for stratification and reporting in evaluating the status
of protected environments for the Arctic Environmental Protection
Strategy Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, and the USGS
has used the units in its North American Land Characterization.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Ecosystem Management Applications Spotlight
Henry Shovic
Yellowstone Center for Resources,
Yellowstone National Park
Box 168
Mammouth, WY 82190
Telephone: 307-344-2215
Fax: 307-344-2211
E-mail: hshovic@alpinet.com
Ann Rodman
Eric Compas
Approaching the Virtual Landscape of Yellowstone National
Park: Integrating Spatial Analysis with the Process of Scientific
Discovery to Create a Soils Resource Inventory
The two million pristine acres of Yellowstone National Park are
the backdrop for an unusual and ground breaking effort. We are
building an integrated landscape model, based on digital spatial
data and the concepts of the science of landscape ecology. We
recently completed the last major resource theme for this model.
The publication of the soils inventory is the culmination of
a seven year effort and resulted in a peer reviewed and agency
approved technical document. The soil survey process is one of
scientific discovery, requiring an elaborate predictive system
based on limited observations of a resource that is largely invisible
and continuously variable. There is a well established set of
methods to realize this discovery, based on extensive field sampling,
development of soil forming concepts, extensive traversing of
the landscape, manual delineation of map units on field sheets,
with manual transfer of these delineations to a topographic base.
Geographic information systems have recently been used to display
final maps and for descriptive terrain analysis. Electronic databases
have been developed to organize and analyze non-spatial data.
However, majority of the process is still entirely manual. Because
of limited accessibility, availability of a wealth of digital
biologic and physical information, and need for a strong scientific
basis we chose to replace the entire delineation process with
electronic methods of spatial analysis. A point coverage was
developed from 2000 field sample sites. These points were quantitatively
correlated with accepted theories of soil formation to develop
predictive concepts applicable to the Yellowstone survey area.
We translated these concepts and the conditions under which they
apply into a set of 300 rules in ARC/INFO. We applied these rules
to polygon and raster coverages of landform, vegetation, climate,
and soil parent material to create a polygon soils theme directly
on a topographic base. We iterated the rule application process
35 times, until we had complete coverage and met quality standards.
Over 83,000 possible combinations of coverage values were reduced
to a set of 75 map units, each with a description of spatial variability.
We used ARC to produce the final camera ready maps, meeting all
cartographic standards. We solved the inherent problems of coincidence
and differing spatial accuracy between themes by a combination
of automated and manual but GIS supported "reality checks."
Over 25,000 initial polygons were reduced to 8,000 with a series
of AML's involving automated silver and small unit removal and
field sample site verification. Our experiment using automated
spatial analysis to replace manual methods resulted in a product
that meets all scientific and agency standards for soil surveys,
while completed at about 1/2 the cost. The soils theme is coincident
with other layers, completing the giving the essential "underpinnings"
to the landscape model, addressing the future management needs
of our nation's premier landscape.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Ecosystem Management Applications Spotlight
Kimberly Patraw
Ut. State Univ.
Department of Geography and Earth Resources
UMC 5240
Logan, UT 84322
Telephone: 801-797-3783
Fax: 801-797-4048
E-mail: doug@nr.usu.edu
Tom Van Niel
John Crane
Allan Falconer
Land Condition and Vegetation Trend Analysis Using ArcView
2.1 and Avenue
One of the biggest problems with long term ecosystem monitoring
is the analysis of the data for use in management decision making.
A land condition trend analysis (LCTA) package has been developed
for the Camp W. G. Williams Army National Guard installation in
Utah which contains a set of tools written in Avenue. These tools
analyze vegetation and land characteristics such as cover, bare
ground, canopy structure, fuel load, and species distributions.
The tools perform the analyses using tabular data (vegetation
transect data, floristic survey, and fuel inventory) in combination
with spatial data (environmental, military, utility, and cultural
layers) to produce tables, charts and statistical information.
This package is being used to help close the gap between monitoring
and management. It helps managers to analyze survey data, create
reports of trends and conditions, and make informed management
decisions from the monitoring data.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Ecosystem Management Applications Spotlight
Lori Sutter
NC Division of Coastal Management
P.O. Box 27687
Raleigh, NC 27611
Telephone: (919) 733-2293
Fax: 919-733-1495
E-mail: sutter@cama.ehnr.state.nc.us
NC Crews: A Landscape Approach to Evaluating Wetland Ecological
Function
The need for improved wetland management required North Carolina
coastal wetland managers to develop new technologies to identify
and assess the resource. An overlay analysis of existing data
allowed the Division of Coastal Management (DCM) to locate coastal
area wetlands. These data become the basis of a wetland functional
assessment procedure (NC CREWS - Coastal Region Evaluation of
Wetland Significance). Using ARC/INFO AML and menu interfaces,
NC CREWS considers such characteristics as landscape position,
stream order, proximity to pollutant source and the juxtapostion
of other habitats to determine the relative significance of each
wetland on the landscape. The assessment is performed on a watershed
basis, using 14 digit hydrologic units delineated by the Natural
Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The procedure provides
information on the selected watershed and requires the user to
consider several options at the onset. Once the user has responded
to the questions, the procedure is fully automated. When complete,
NC CREWS provides insight into the relative significance of each
wetland in terms of water quality, hydrology and habitat. It
also begins to address cumulative impacts by describing the risk
placed on the watershed should that wetland be removed. Using
the results of NC CREWS, managers are able to view the larger
landscape context to make informed decisions about human land
use in the vicinity of wetlands.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Analysis of Offshore Activities with
GIS
Norman Froomer
Minerals Management Service
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70123
Telephone: (504) 736-2782
E-mail: norman_froomer@smtp.mms.gov
The Gulf-Wide Information System: An Oil Spill Planning
Geographic Database
The Gulf-wide Information System (GWIS) is a cooperative project
between the Minerals Management Service and Louisiana State University
to develop a geographic database to support oil spill contingency
planning in the US Gulf of Mexico. The objectives of the project
are to develop a regionally complete and consistent database
from Florida to Texas that can be used for oil spill planning
as well as for other environmental and planning applications.
The GWIS project includes a Steering Committee to develop consensus
on database structure and contents. The Steering Committee includes
representatives from state and federal agencies and the oil industry.
The GWIS database will be completed during the next two years.
A prototype of GWIS has been developed for coastal Mississippi
that shows the data layers and how they will be queried and used
for oil spill planning.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Compliance: Assessment and Permitting
Jim Sadd
Occidental College
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, CA 90041-3392
Telephone: 213-259-2518
Fax: 213-259-2704
E-mail: jsadd@oxy.edu
J.T. Boer
L.D. Snyder
M. Pastor Jr.
Hazardous Waste Facilities in Los Angeles County: Demographic
Characterization of the Potentially Affected Population
There is significant demographic inequity in the present location
of Los Angeles County hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal
facilities (TSDFs) with regard to race, economic status, education,
voter participation, land use, and TSDF capacity. TSDFs are concentrated
in the area south of downtown with isolated sites located throughout
southern and west-central L.A. County. Geographic location of
TSDFs is highly spatially correlated with industrial land use
and areas characterized by high concentrations minorities and
low per capita income. Univariate analysis shows that, in almost
every case, census tracts containing or proximate to TSDFs have
an aggregate mean demographic profile which is significantly different
than the L.A. County mean (usually at p<0.01). A larger percentage
of people who live near TSDFs belong to minority groups and are
below the County average in terms of income, education, employment,
and voting participation. Tracts proximate to TSDFs also lag
behind the County mean in property value and rental value, and
much larger percentage of the land occupied by industrial land
use. Demographic, economic, and land use differences tend to
be greater for tracts containing or proximate to large capacity
TSDFs (>50 tons/yr) and these trends persist in tracts located
up to one mile away. The total number of minority residents living
proximate to TSDFs is two to four times the number of non-minority
residents, proportions which far exceed overall minority representation
in L.A. County's population. More than one in five minorities
live in a tractlocated within one mile of a large capacity hazardous
waste TSDF in L.A. County, as compared to fewer than one in ten
non-minorities living in similar circumstances. Logit multivariate
regression analysis determined the relative importance of demographic
characteristics in predicting TSDF location. All logit regression
runs support the demographic inequity relationships discovered
in the univariate analysis and indicate that percent industrial
landuse and percent minority population within a tract are the
strongest predictors of TSDF location in L.A. County, followed
by per capita income and, to a lesser degree, population density.
Logit results also indicate that neighborhoods nearest large
capacity TSDFs are predominately populated with relatively poor
residents, but neighborhoods within a short distance (0.5 to 1.0
mile radius) of the facilities are characterized by a high percentage
of minorities who are not low income.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Compliance: Assessment and Permitting
Howie Sternberg
State of Connecticut
79 Elm Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06106-5127
Telephone: 860-424-3540
Fax: 860-424-4058
PAMS-GIS Permit Application Management System
In the spring of 1995, the Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) began using a new Permit Application Management
System (PAMS) to streamline the process of evaluating and tracking
the status of permit applications submitted to the agency for
approval. PAMS is a mission-critical, menu-driven application
housed in the Oracle environment and accessed from the personal
computers of over two hundred trained users. From the time a
permit application is received to the time it is either approved
or denied, DEP uses PAMS to record and access applicant (company),
application, application activity, permit, fee, staffing, scheduling,
and locational information from the agency's geographic information
system (GIS). Developed in ARC/INFO and linked to Oracle, the
GIS component to PAMS maintains a permanent, spatial inventory
of application activity locations in Connecticut. Representing
where permit application activities occur, activity locations
include facilities, air stacks, landfills, surface and ground
water discharges, wells, dams, bridges, marinas, etc. For each
activity location in PAMS, GIS performs a series of spatial overlays,
comparing the location with other baseline data layers including
Connecticut town boundaries, the coastal boundary, the natural
diversity database, subregional drainage basins, surface and ground
water quality classifications, and USGS quadrangles. the results
of the overlay process are then passed to PAMS as attributes.
GIS populates the Oracle tables and PAMS ties the new locational
information to the permit application. Using PAMS, permit staff
are then able to determine for themselves whether their application
is in the coastal boundary, a natural diversity database area,
or within the vicinity of a particular surface or ground water
quality classification. PAMS-GIS includes a graphical user interface
for digitizing, viewing, and mapping application activity locations
and a batch job for processing newly digitized application activity
locations. The GIS batch job runs every ten minutes during the
work day and performs the spatial overlays, populates PAMS, and
sends activity location checkplots to the nearest, appropriate
printer.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Compliance: Assessment and Permitting
James Kuiper
Argonne National Laboratory
EAD - Building 900/D11
9700 South Cass Avenue
Argonne, IL 60439-4832
Telephone: 708-252-6206
Fax: 708-252-6413
E-mail: kuiper@spatial.ead.anl.gov
Producing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
for a Large Federal Facility: A GIS Technical Leader's Perspective
Producing a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for a large federal facility requires consideration of a wide
range of activities,collection of an extensive amount of data,
and analysis and modeling to determine the nature and extent of
potential environmental impacts. EIS documents provide the most
detailed analyses of federal facilities required by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1973. An extensive, environmentally
focused Geographic Information System (GIS) was developed and
used for analysis, modeling, and production of maps and statistics
for the EIS of a federal facility with an area over 100 square
miles. The final products will include a printed document with
over 250 GIS produced maps, CD-ROM versions of both the document
and the GIS metadata dictionary, and most importantly, an environmentally
focused GIS that will form a baseline of information for the sponsor.
This GIS will augment their existing infrastructure-related GIS.
This paper, written from the perspective of the GIS technical
leader, details the GIS development process, many of the analysis
and modeling efforts, components of the final system, and discussion
of special technical issues and lessons learned. The submitted
manuscript has been authored by a contractor of the U.S. Government
under contract No. W-31-109-ENG-38. Accordingly, the U.S. Government
retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to publish or reproduce
the published form of this contribution, or allow others to do
so, for U.S. Government purposes.
* Work supported under a military interdepartmental purchase request
from the U.S. Department of Defense, through U.S. Department of
Energy contract W-31-109-Eng-38.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Restoration and Change
Deborah Solomon
ADAS Land Research Centre Gleadthorpe
Meden Vale
Mansfield
Nottinghamshire
England, NG20 9PF
Telephone: 44-1623-844331
Fax: 44-1623-844472
P Dampney
British Wetlands: Effective Management with GIS
Wetlands were formally widespread in England and Wales. However,
due to intensification of agricultural practices, the true wetland
habitat has undergone serious decline both in terms of numbers
and ecological diversity. Many Environmentally Sensitive Areas
(ESAs) now employ management prescriptions to maintain or re-create
wetland habitats in an attempt to ensure their long-term survival.
In order that these wetlands are managed appropriately the need
to develop and implement effective management strategies that
reconcile agricultural requirements with individual wetland habitat
objectives is paramount. ADAS together with the Institute of
Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) have been commissioned to formulate
wetland management policies targeted at restoring and enhancing
wetlands within ESAs. This paper describes a Wetlands GIS which
has been developed as a decision support tool to assist in the
formulation of these policies. The implications of altered water
management regimes have been integrated and modelled with ecological,
ornithological, and agricultural requirements for four catchments
containing wetland areas. The potential effects of water level
fluctuations on the faunal and floral communities have been determined.
Developments undertaken to integrate these components will be
described and results presented for the Marsh Gibbon area on the
River Ray in the Upper Thames Tributaries ESA near Oxford. The
wetland management policies recommended as a result of using the
Wetlands GIS to predict different management effects in each of
the four catchments and comparisons between catchments will be
outlined.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Restoration and Change
Paul Kissinger
EDSA
1512 East Broward Blvd., Ste. 110
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Telephone: 305-524-3330
Fax: 305-524-0177
E-mail: PDKISS@AOL.COM
Kissimmee River Restoration: Overview of Inventory and
Analysis Process and the Conceptual Land Use and Natural Resources
Management Report
The Kissimmee River Save Our Rivers Project undertaken by the
State of Florida's South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
is one of the State's more important water resource restoration
projects. The SFWMD Save Our Rivers Program and Preservation
2000 will restore approximately twenty-five miles of the original
Kissimmee River channel and over twenty-five square miles of floodplain
wetlands. One of the goals for both the Save Our Rivers and Preservation
2000 programs is that the Kissimmee River and associated lands
will be used for public recreation while not degrading the natural
resources of the site. As landscape architects and lead consultants
for the project, we had the unique opportunity to work with various
professionals to develop a methodology for the inventory and analysis
of what will be the postrestoration conditions of the Kissimmee
River ecosystem. While utilizing ARC/INFO and polygon overlay,
we developed a methodology to rate the site's vulnerability to
resource-based recreation. From this analysis, we developed a
process and guideline for land use and public recreation. The
purpose of this paper and presentation is to introduce and describe
the project's scope and goals, describe the methodology utilized
for the inventory and analysis process, illustrate and describe
the maps generated by ARC/INFO during the analysis process, and
present the resulting Conceptual Land Use and Natural Resources
Guideline for public recreation.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Restoration and Change
Richard G. Kempka
Pacific Meridian Resources
9823 Old Winery Place #16
Sacramento, CA 95827-1720
Telephone: 916-852-2000
Fax: 916-852-2050
Ruth E. Spell
Pacific Meridian Resources
9823 Old Winery Place, #16,
Sacramento, CA 95827-1720
Telephone: (916) 363-8286,
Fax: (916) 363-9849
Andrew Lewis
Pacific Meridian Resources
9823 Old Winery Place
#16, Sacramento, CA 95827-1720
Telephone: (916) 363-8286
Fax: (916) 363-9849
Frederick A. Reid
Scott Flint
Kari Lewis
Methods of Inventory and Targeting Wetlands Restoration
Areas Using
Multi-Date Satellite Imagery and GIS
Pacific Meridian Resources developed GIS models to facilitate
the selection of waterfowl habitat restoration sites and to evaluate
progress toward meeting waterfowl habitat goals. Pacific Meridian
Resources, NAWMP Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture (CVHJV),
California Department of Fish and Game, California Wildlife Conservation
Board, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are partners in this
inventory project, which integrates satellite imagery and GIS
analysis. The project was developed to help guide wetland restoration
programs in California and has application potential nationwide.
A variety of factors such as manmade alterations, changes in legislation,
periods of prolonged drought, and intense flood have greatly affected
the abundance and functioning of wetlands systems throughout the
United States. The objectives of this project are to facilitate
the selection of waterfowl habitat restoration sites and to evaluate
progress towards meeting waterfowl habitat goals as set forth
by the CVHJV. The objectives were addressed as two separate models.
Satellite images collected from two seasons in 1993 were processed
to inventory wetlands and other land covers in the Central Valley
of California. The results of this inventory were incorporated
into the Energenics Model, which calculates the waterfowl carrying
capacity of an area based on land cover acreages from satellite
imagery land cover inventories and user defined waterfowl energenics
variables. The calculated carrying capacity is then evaluated
against the CVHJV goals.
The second model is the Waterfowl Habitat Restoration Site Suitability
Model. In this model the user is presented with a number of data
layers that can be incorporated into a habitat restoration model.
The user selects the data layers to use and interactively recodes
or weights the layers as desired. These recoded layers are then
additively combined to produce an output site suitability map.
Techniques used in this analysis are applicable for monitoring
changes in similarly affected areas, such as, the Mississippi
River Alluvial Plain which recently experienced severe flooding
and significant changes to riverine wetlands and surrounding agricultural
land.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Environmental Restoration and Change
Joseph P. Spruce
Commercial Remote Sensing Program
Lockheed Martin Stennis Operations
Bldg. 1210
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
Telephone: (601) 688-3839
Fax: (601) 688-3838
E-mail: jspruce@wpogate.ssc.nasa.gov
Risa Wu
Commercial Remote Sensing Program
Lockheed Martin Stennis Operations
Bldg. 1210
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
Telephone: (601) 688-2018
Fax: (601) 688-3838
E-mail: rwu@wpogate.ssc.nasa.gov
Russell Berry
U.S. Geological Survey National Center
MS 561
Reston, VA 22092
Telephone: (703) 648-5512
Fax: (703) 648-4165
E-mail: rberry@usgs.gov
GIS Techniques for Evaluating Wetland Maps Derived from
Remotely Sensed Data
Wetland delineation is a problematic issue for governmental regulators.
Remotely sensed data, particularly aerial photographs, are important
for mapping wetlands at regional scales. A variety of new digital
remote sensing technologies (e.g., medium- to high-resolution
multiband satellite and airborne imagery of visible, near-infrared,
mid-infrared, thermal, and radar spectral regions) may improve
National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) mapping efforts by increasing
map accuracy and reducing map production costs. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and NASA's Commercial Remote Sensing Program
Office, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conducted a study to evaluate
the utility of commercially available remotely sensed imagery
for deriving wetland classification and mapping products for the
NWI. This paper will discuss GIS techniques used to assist the
aforementioned investigation. In the EPA study, each remotely
sensed data set was processed into wetness maps and compared with
NWI maps and GPS-based field survey data. GIS tools found in
ARC/INFO software proved to be indispensable for quantifying and
visualizing comparisons of test and reference wetness maps. GISs
also assisted in wetness signature evaluation and development
by enabling analysts to cross-tabulate unsupervised classifications
of remotely sensed data with NWI wetness maps.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forest Operations Planning and Visualization
Mark Law
ESRI Canada Ltd
49 Gervais Drive
Don Mills, Ontario
Canada, M3C 1Y9
Telephone: 416-441-6035
Fax: 416-441-6838
E-mail: mlaw@esri.com
Keith Jones
ESRI Canada Ltd
2nd Floor
1010 Langley St
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada, V8W 1V8
Telephone: 604-383-8330
Fax: 604-383-3846
E-mail: kjones@esri.com
Rashid Samad
Sabah Forestry Dept.
Sandakan, Sabah,
Malaysia, 9007
Telephone: 011-6089-660-811
Fax: 011-6089-669-170
Jorge Barba
Application of ArcForest to Support Tropical Forest Management
Growing demands for sustainable management of tropical forests
have resulted in the acquisition of ArcForest, a forest management
decision support product developed by ESRI–Canada, by the
Sabah state in Malaysia and by Ecuador. The application of the
ArcForest product to tropical forest management has required adjustments
to the forest inventory and planning modules to reflect tropical
forest data, planning activities, and practices. Based on the
Sabah and Ecuador experiences, the purpose of this paper is to
present the conceptual Tropical ArcForest shell that will enable
the ArcForest product to support tropical forest management globally.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forest Operations Planning and Visualization
Dr. Gary R. Clay
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Telephone: 805-756-1372
Fax: 805-756-2270
E-mail: gclay@oboe.aix.calpoly.edu
Integrating GIS Data with Digitized Photography to Simulate
Changed Relationships in a Forested Environment
Managers of scenic landscapes have employed a range of simulation
techniques to graphically illustrate planning decisions that might
cause changes to a region's scenic quality. New and expanded
computer techniques have assisted this effort, supplying image
processing tools that articualte scenic change through the manipulation
of scanned photographs. Typical strategies merge ground photographs
with non-graphic data extracted from plan view maps, charts, and
lists. Combining this diverse information has proved challenging
as a mechanism to reference ground view/plan view information
is required. The research presented here explored this merging
to material, utilizing an ARC/INFO data structure, global positioning
(GPS) technology, and a digital elevation model (DEM), to produce
a series of photographic-quality simulations of a forested landscape
undergoing change. A multi-year photographic survey of a coniferous
landscape in southern Utah was initially conducted using GPS referencing
to coordinate all camera/target positions. Within this view shed,
5000 individual trees were surveyed to record their locations,
the species, their height, trunk diameter, age and their estimated
ground elevation. Using the TIN module within ARC/INFO, a surface
model was generated using (1) contour coverage for surface delineation
outside the study area, and (2) ground-height attributions from
the 5000 surveyed trees for surface delineation inside the study
area. Next, utilizing the species attribution, a specific tree
type (Englemann spruce) was isolated to create an additional 3D
surface. This surface showed these selected trees extended to
their estimated heights, using that attribution. These models,
teamed with the GPS camera positions, were then used to create
a series of perspective wireframes, and camera/target relationships
equal to those of the site photographs. The scanned photos, which
were subsequently processed in ERDAS to simulate color changes
indicative of a beetle infestation, were then merged with these
perspectives, using the GPS registrations to correctly position
the wireframes with the imagery. Using these composite images,
the photographic positions (the elevated portions of the DEM)
where the desired simulations would be developed were identified.
This section of trees was extracted from the photographs, using
Adobe Photoshop, and then repositioned in other unedited photographs,
using Adobe Photoshop, and then repositioned in other, unedited
photographs. In this way, color/change relationships were isolated
and repositioned in other imagery, using the GIS/DEM structure
to transfer the attribute information with a high degree of positional
accuracy.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forest Operations Planning and Visualization
Federico Del Freo
Francesca Bedeschi
Enrico Mercuri
The New Dimension of Terrain Imaging
The use of Geographical Information Systems has been spreading
faster in always more fields. People not accustomed to dealing
with geographical information come in touch with data processed
with a GIS. Many of them are decision-makers who rely on GIS
operators to make their choices. Mainly because of the lack of
the third dimension in map sheets, they often find difficulty
in understanding data. A 3D physical model helps displaying data,
but is complex to build, it is cumbersome and allows displaying
only scarce information. Instead a 3D numerical model is much
easier to deal with, mainly because relief information is already
available within the GIS itself and the Digital Terrain Model
may be used to display all necessary data. Each point of the
model already has its elevation datum associated, in the format
(closely) needed to build the 3D numerical model.
These considerations are at the basis of a graduation theses in
Terrain Imaging at the Faculity of Architecture of the University
of Florence. A study on Elba Island, 222 sq. km (86 sq. mi.)
in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 9.7 km (6 mi.) W of the Italian peninsula,
was used to develop an example of how data may be displayed by
the means of a 3D digital model.
Elba was chosen because:
•It is geographically unique;
•It is large enough to offer geographical variety but small
enough to allow managing the amount of data to be processes;
•As a designed testing site for infrared detectors aimed
at spotting fires at their very beginning, local authorities and
technicians had to choose the most suitable lookout points where
to locate the series of detectors, a typical problem a GIS can
help solving.
A Computer Aided Design program was used for data input. The
analysis was conducted with Arch-Info, it was aimed at identifying
the minimum number of lookout points that offered the widest coverage
of major fire risk areas. Data concerning elevation, slope, aspect
and land use (vegetation of the whole island where related to
the same data limited to the areas subject to fire in the last
ten years. Major fire risk unitary portions of terrain (grid
cells, each of 2500 m[squared] - about 3/5 of an acre) where
identified by estimating a weighed average of each datum. By
calculating views from each area at risk and evaluating their
intersections, it was possible to locate the lookout points necessary
to spot areas ranked at middle or high fire risk.
The results of the analysis were displayed both in a map format,
using ArcView, and on screen through a VHS tape with an animation
created with other software. Processed information was overlaid
to black & white and colored satellite pictures of Elba.
Furthermore, due to the availability of a detailed aerial photographic
coverage of the island, an animated rendering of the DTM is an
example of how understanding data can be made easier to people
non accustomed to reading map information.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forest Suitability and Prediction Modeling
Kimberly C. Mayeski
USDA Forest Service
Caribou National Forest
250 South Fourth Ave Federal Bldg. Ste 172
Pocatello, ID 83201
Telephone: 208-236-7539
Fax: 208-236-7503
Faye Krueger
USDA Forest Service
Caribou National Forest
250 South Fourth Ave Federal Bldg. Ste 172
Pocatello, ID 83201
Telephone: 208-236-7539
Fax: 208-236-7503
Technological Building Blocks for Deriving Timberland Suitablility
Answers
With the advent of GIS and image processing capabilities, the
process of calculating timberland suitability for forest planning
required through the National Forest Management Act has changed.
This paper compares the traditional way of determining suitability
with innovative, new technology. The format of this paper begins
with a description of what is currently available, explains the
process for determining information needs, and concludes with
how we derive the final product, timberland suitability. The
vegetative layer is one of the most critical layers for the suitability
model. The process of creating this layer using satellite imagery
is described. The vegetative layer is used in several spatial
analyses that can be vital in making good management decisions.
Various ways of using image processing for incorporating resource
data from remote sensing systems into GIS are discussed.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forest Suitability and Prediction Modeling
Harsh Verma
State Forests of New South Wales
Locked Bag 23
Pennant Hills
New South Wales
Australia 2120
Telephone: 612 9980 4501 (W)
Fax: 612 481 0614 (H)
E-mail: harsh@ironbark.forest.nsw.gov.au
GIS Modelling for Owl Habitat Prediction in Forests
The State Forests of New South Wales is entrusted with the responsibility
of managing, caring and sustaining the forests of New South Wales
state in Australia. With the increase in awareness for conservation
of flora and fauna within the forests, the demand for environment
impact studies is increasing every day. The public and conservation
agencies are getting involved in the management of forests. In
order to meet these objectives, the State Forests has undergone
a major change in work culture. GIS has been used as core system
for delivering spatial databases, reports and maps to the forest
management information systems such as Harvest Planning and Mangement
System and Environment Impact Assessment. Owl habitat prediction
in forests is one such application of GIS modelling. ARC/INFO,
in particular GRID is used for analysing various topographic,
climatic and vegetation type layers for generating data for statistical
package. The results were analysed and maps produced for showing
the potential owl habitat within the forests.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forest Suitability and Prediction Modeling
Sarah Allen
National Park Service
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes, CA 94956
Telephone: 415-663-8522 ext 224
Fax: 415-663-8132
E-mail: sarah_allen@nps.gov
David Kehrlein
California Office of Emergency Services
2800 Meadowview Road
Sacramento, CA 95832
Telephone: 916-262-1699
Fax: 916-262-1697
Dave Shreve
Calfornia Office of Emergency Services
2800 Meadowview Road
Sacramento, CA 95832
Telephone: 916-262-1455
Fax: 916-262-1697
Richard Krause
Warm Springs Reservation
P.O. Box C
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Tel: 503-553-2416
Interactive Application of GIS During the Vision Wildfire
at Point Reyes National Seashore
A wildfire spread rapidly through the Point Reyes National Seashore
in October of 1995, burning over 12,000 acres and destroying 45
homes on the wildland/urban interface. At the height of the fire
suppression campaign, 2,164 personnel, including 74 handcrews,
27 bulldozers, 7 air tankers, 7 helicopters and 196 fire engines,
were involved. During and immediately following the fire, GIS
was utilized to monitor the daily/hourly spread of the fire, measure
fire suppression actions, assess damage to natural resources,
and evaluate damage to adjacent homes. Examples of GIS data layers
created to assist in the evaluation of fir effects included burn
intensity, bulldozer lines, and soil erosion. Within two weeks
and with the aid of GIS, a team of specialists were able to present
a comprehensive assessment of the fire impacts and recommend specific
actions to the national park service for short and long term restoration
and rehabilitation.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forest Suitability and Prediction Modeling
Steven Zubalik
EA Engineering, Science, and Technology
155 108th Avenue NE, Suite 400
Bellevue, WA 98004
Telephone: (206) 451-7400
Fax: 206-451-7800
E-mail: sgz@eaeng.mhs.compuserve.com
Dr. Jan Henderson
Evolution of a Regional Vegetation Prediction Model
For over fifteen years, Dr. Jan Henderson has been collecting
forest plot data and developing a model to predict climax vegetation
using physical determinants (e.g., slope, aspect, elevation, precipitation,
temperature, topographic moisture, and cold air drainage) in the
North Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Several years ago,
a raster GIS model was developed (with the assistance of former
ESRI employee Michael Fitzgibbon) for the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie
National Forest. That model has undergone several revisions,
changing aspects of the model's operation as well as its geographic
scope. This paper describes the theoretical basis for the model,
provides an overview of how the model functions, and highlights
some of the technical problems to be overcome in expanding this
GIS application to incorporate the biotic diversity and the data
to represent an area as large as 70 to 150 thousand square miles.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forestry Application Spotlight
Dean P. Angelides
VESTRA Resources, Inc.
962 Maraglia St.
Redding,California 96002
Telephone: 916/223-2585
Fax: 916-223-1145
E-mail: dean@vestra.com
Scott P. Holmen
Bruce Krumland
Using Terra Vision to Prepare Sustainable Forestry Plans
for Private Timberlands
Terra Vision is a new and exciting decision support system that
integrates the latest in GIS, ecosystem modeling, decision analysis,
and visualization technologies. It has been used to develop several
Sustained Yield Plans for private timberlands that balance environmental
and economic concerns. ARC/INFO and ArcView provide the underlying
geoprocessing and data management capabilities of the system.
This presentation will describe the comprehensive planning approach
and the underlying data structure and software tools. It will
demonstrate how complex ecosystem plans can be developed and modified
to meet diverse goals in near real-time. Note: Please refer to
ArcNews Winter 1995 issue (Vol. 17 No. 4) for a more detailed
description of Terra Vision's capabilities.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forestry Application Spotlight
Mark Law
Attn: Mark Law c/o Susanne Piche
ESRI Canada LTD
2 Robert Speck Parkway, Ste 250
Mississauga, Ontario
Canada
L4Z 1H8
Telephone: 905-306-7567
Fax: 905-306-7571
E-mail: mlaw@esri.com
Keith Jones
ESRI Canada Ltd
2nd Floor
1010 Langley Street
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada, V8W 1V8
Telephone: 604-383-8330
Fax: 604-383-3846
E-mail: kjones@esri.com
Paula Klockars
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Box 129
Swastika, Ontario
Canada, POK 1TO
Telephone: 705-642-3222
Fax: 705-642-9714
E-mail: klockap2@epo.gov.on.ca
Application of ArcForest to Support Timber Management Planning
in Ontario, Canada
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is moving quickly into
the next era of forest management in Ontario, with the help of
an integrated forest management decision support system product
called ArcForest. The ArcForest product, developed by ESRI–Canada,
works with ARC/INFO software and the Oracle relational database
management system (RDBMS), and is designed to assist the forest
community handle not only current but future management challenges
as the forest industry progresses toward more ecosystem-based,
sustainable resource management practices. With input from the
ArcForest team at ESRI–Canada, the Kirkland Lake District
of the OMNR has recently completed the development of a Timber
Management Plan for the Elk Lake Forest Management Unit utilizing
the ArcForest product. The purpose of this paper is to present
the results of this application with specific focus on the preparation
of the inventory, undertaking of planning scenarios, presentation
of planning alternatives, and the cost–benefits of utilizing
ArcForest compared with conventional approaches.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Forestry Application Spotlight
Michael P. Hamilton
University of California
James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve
PO Box 1775
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Telephone: (909) 659-3811
Fax: 909-659-9897
E-mail: michael.hamilton@ucr.edu
San Jacinto Mountain Forest Stewardship GIS: The ArcView
Mac Solution
Slowly, over decades, biological field stations accumulate significant
regional ecological and environmental databases that become invaluable
for understanding, protecting and managing natural and biological
resources. For the past 12 years, the James Reserve has become
the center for ecology-based information resources pertinent to
the land management issues facing the government agencies and
private property owners throughout the San Jacinto Mountains (Riverside
County, California). Recently, under the umbrella of Forest Stewardship,
our primary ecological information management interface has been
constructed using ARCVIEW 2.1 for the Power Macintosh. This new
system incorporates and integrates all of our previous work ranging
from ARC/INFO coverages, macGIS raster maps, satellite and airborne
video, laserdisc multimedia images and movies of local biodiversity,
species lists, long-term data sets, and researcher field notes.
Application areas which utilize these information resources now
include wildland fire pre-attack planning, forest stand management,
wildlife habitat assessment and modeling, rare species studies,
fire hazard abatement on private property, and research planning.
Over the next year, much of this information will be made available
over the world wide web with an interface designed to allow a
user to construct and order a custom CD-ROM.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Geomorphic Characteristics of Rivershed and Watershed
Morphology: Tools and Techniques
Bob Waltermire
Midcontinent Ecological Science Center
National Biological Service
4512 McMurry Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80525-3400
Telephone: (970) 226©9344
Fax: 970-226-9230
E-mail: Bob_Waltermire@nbs.gov
Terence P. Boyle
Ann D. Richmond
Producing River Profiles and Topographic Maps for Sampling
Rivers
Three rivers in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan,
were sampled for physical geomorphic characteristics and macro
invertebrates as part of a land use/aquatic resources risk analysis.
The sampling scheme was hierarchical and at the largest spatial
extent was directed at the geomorphology of the river valleys.
However, physical access to the rivers was extremely difficult
and hampered sample site selection by the field technicians and
the project director. GIS products, including river profile plots,
profile tables, and a topographic map displaying rivers, elevation
contours, and a 100©m UTM grid, were used to plan sampling
schemes by stratifying the rivers into "valley sections",
and to maximize sampling efficiency. Field technicians in Michigan,
and their supervisor stationed in Colorado, had identical GIS™generated
field reference materials which enabled them to effectively communicate
throughout the field season.
Initially, river profiles were generated from USGS DEMs and river
arcs from the Michigan Resource Information System data base,
but the results lacked sufficient accuracy. A second approach
was to produce river profiles using river arcs generated from
the DEMs, but the results were also inadequate. The successful
procedure required digitizing contours in a 400™meter buffer
area around each river, building a grid using the TOPOGRID utility,
and using SURFACEPROFILE to generate river profiles based on river
arcs digitized from the same USGS 7.5©minute quadrangles.
The results were usable river profiles, profile tables, and topographic
maps which were generated from the digitized data. This paper
will emphasize the ARC/INFO tools and procedures required to create
topographic surfaces and river profiles from digitized contour
data.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Geomorphic Characteristics of Rivershed and Watershed
Morphology: Tools and Techniques
Craig Harvey
USDI GS
400 S Clinton St
Iowa City, IA 52240-4105
Telephone: 312-358-3626
Fax: 319-358-3606
E-mail: caharvey@usgs.gov
David Eash
USDI GS
400 S Clinton St
Iowa City, IA 52240-4105
Telephone: 319-358-3615
Fax: 319-358-3606
E-mail: daeash@usgs.gov
Description of Basinsoft, a Computer Program to Quantify
Drainage-Basin Characteristics
A computer program named Basinsoft has been developed to use geographic
information system (GIS) software to quantify 27 selected morphometric
characteristics for a drainage basin using digital cartographic
data. The characteristics quantified include the basin measurements
of area, length, slope, relief, shape, and aspect, and the channel
(stream) measurements of length, slope, sinuosity, density, order,
and frequency. Basinsoft was originally developed in1988 to use
digitized topographic-map data to quantify 16 selected morphometric
characteristics. Since the original coding of Basinsoft in 1988,
the programs comprising Basinsoft have been further developed
and extensively upgraded. They have been converted from PRIME(1)
to Data General UNIX operating systems, tested to verify the accuracy
of quantifications, and documented. The programs now comprising
Basinsoft are written entirely using Arc Macro Language (AML)
to ensure portability between computer platforms running ARC/INFO
revisions 7.0 or greater.
Basinsoft requires the generation of four source-data layers representing
the drainage divide, hydrography, hypsography, and an elevation
model of a drainage basin; and the assignment of attributes to
three of the four source-data layers. Generation of and assignment
of attributes to these data layers is facilitated by utility programs
developed specifically for these purposes. An optional program
included with Basinsoft can be used to quantify area-weighted
characteristics for a drainage basin. Area-weighted characteristics
can be quantified from a variety of potential data sources that
represent the distribution of characteristics such as precipitation,
land use, soils, and geology.
Comparison tests between Basinsoft quantifications and manual
topographic-map measurements of 12 primary basin characteristics
support the validity of Basinsoft computations. Results indicate
that Basinsoft quantifications of basin slope are dependent on
source data used to generate the hypsography source-data layer.
Because of inherent differences between the data sources, basin
slope is accurately quantified when digitized topographic-map
data are used to generate the hypsography source-data layer and
significantly underestimated when digital-elevation-model data
are used.
Compared to manual methods of measurement, Basinsoft significantly
decreases the amount of time and effort required to quantify selected
basin characteristics. The simplicity and automation of Basinsoft,
and accompanying utility and optional programs, facilitates application
of Basinsoft without requiring extensive GIS experience. Basinsoft
has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to quantify
characteristics for 164 drainage basins in Iowa for the development
of statewide flood-estimation equations and for more than 500
watersheds in the Columbia River Basin, in the northwestern United
States, for analyses used in the interagency (U.S. Forest Service
and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Eastside Ecosystem Management
Project. Basinsoft is currently being used by the USGS to quantify
characteristics for drainage basins in Nebraska for the development
of statewide flood-estimation equations. The USGS National Water-Quality
Assessment Program (NAWQA) National Synthesis Team is investigating
the use of Basinsoft to provide consistent basin-characteristic
quantifications for the Nation's NAWQA study units. In addition
to multiple-basin processing for regional studies, Basinsoft can
also be used to process single basins to quantify input characteristics
for hydrologic modeling.
(1) The use of trade, product, industry, or firm names is for
descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the
U.S. Government.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Geomorphic Characteristics of Rivershed and Watershed
Morphology: Tools and Techniques
Scott N. Miller
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
2000 East Allen Road
Tucson, AZ 85719
Telephone: (520) 670-6380
Fax: 520-670-6493
E-mail: miller@tucson.ars.ag.gov
Phillip D. Guertin
University of Arizona
Advanced Resource Technology Group
325 Biological Sciences East
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Telephone: (520) 621-1723
Fax: (520) 621-8801
E-mail: phil@nexus.srnr.arizona.edu
David C. Goodrich
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
2000 East Allen Road
Tucson, Arizona 85719
Telephone: (520) 670-6380
Fax: (520) 670-6493
E-mail: goodrich@tucson.ars.ag.gov
Investigating Stream Channel Morphology Using a Geographic
Information System
This paper will present the results of a study that utilized GIS
to investigate watershed and channel morphmetric relationships
on the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed near Tombstone, Arizona.
The goal of the study was to derive predictive relationships
of stream channel characteristics using a high-resolution ARC/INFO
GIS database. Two hundred twenty-two channel cross-sections
were surveyed in the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed. ARC/INFO
AML programs were created to analyze each of the 222 subwatersheds
contributing runoff to the sample locations. These subwatersheds
were characterized based on information extracted from the GIS,
including such variables as watershed area, stream order, flow
length, and slope. Regression analysis was used to develop relationships
between channel characteristics (average depth, width and area)
and watershed variables, yielding highly significant relationships.
These results indicate that the procedures used in this study
could greatly improve our understanding of geomorphological processes,
as well as provide tools to assist in the rapid and accurate parameterization
of hydrological models.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Geomorphic Landscape Assessment
Gregg Ambrosi
Sask Energy
Regina, Saskatchewan
Canada S4P 2C7
Telephone: 306-777-9081
Fax: 306-777-9191
E-mail: gambrosi@saskenergy.sk.ca
The Use of a GIS in a Regional Geomorphic Landscape Assessment
This paper focuses on the GIS component of the author's Masters
Thesis research conducted through the Department of Geography
at the University of Regina. The quantitative study of the geomorphology
of large regions has been neglected due to the large amounts of
data that are necessary. Technological advancements particularly
in data storage and processing now permit rigorous regional analysis.
A GIS is well suited to this type of research and was applied
as the primary tool to facilitate an assessment of the Geomorphic
Sensitivity (GS) of the Palliser Triangle region of southwestern
Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta. Geomorphic Response Units
(GRUs) have been proposed as the basic units of subdivision for
the regions. The theory behind these units was developed through
a synthesis of the literature and a practical application. GRUs
have been mapped for a portion of the study and relatively ranked
according to GS. Many challenges were experienced over the duration
of this research project. Hardware limitation were of foremost
concern during the early stages as the amount of data was soon
greater than storage capabilities. Data availability also limited
the project in terms of applying the optimum methodology. This
research emphasized several problems with the newfound capabilities
of formatting. Purchase agreements were made by administrative
personal who possessed little knowledge of the data being sold
or purchased with no guarantee of quality or completeness. The
reality for regional geomorphic studies that utilize a GIS is
a lack of digital data and/or a lack of high quality digital data.
Within the next 5 years data of the quality and type needed for
a truly rigorous regional geomorphic study will be available.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS Applications in Wildlife Management
Timothy Bechtold
1519 Cooper Street
Missoula, MT 59802
Telephone: (406) 728-5733
E-mail: ecocenter@wildrockies.org
David Havlick
Box 6733
Bozeman, MT 59715
E-mail: predproj@avicom.net
Keith Stockmann
Analysis of Road Densities in Selected Grizzly Bear Management
Units in the Northern Rockies
The wildlands of the Northern Rockies continue to diminish in
size, primarily due to new road building and the associated industries,
such as logging and mining, that demand, build, and utilize roads.
As roadless lands decrease, secure habitat for grizzly bears
and other wildlife species sensitive to roads decreases as well.
The ecological effects of roads on wildlife and habitat quality
have been well documented as one of the most important factors
that contribute to ecosystem disruption and degradation. This
analysis, known as the "Roads Scholar Project" combined
aerial photo and map inventories with field surveys and GIS analyses
to identify, assess, analyze, and display the current conditions
of roaded wildlife habitat in selected management units in Montana,
northern Idaho, eastern Washington, and northwestern Wyoming.
In each instance, the US Forest Service's management of its roads
system has been found to be inadequate, either due to unidentified
travelways that exist on the ground but not in agency inventories,
ineffective road closures, or both.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS for Advanced Marine Research and Resource Monitoring
Andra M. Bobbitt
Department of Geosciences
104 Wilkinson Hall
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-5506
Telephone: 541-737-1229
Fax: 541-737-1200
E-mail: dawn@dusk.geo.orst.edu
ArcView Supports Deep Sea Research with Famous Submersible
This paper describes the pioneering use of a GIS aboard a deep
sea oceanographic research vessel, in concert with the ALVIN diving
submersible, to explore and map sites along a seafloor spreading
center in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Integrated, multidisciplinary
datasets of three hydrothermally active regions of the Juan de
Fuca Ridge were available at sea for two ALVIN dive programs during
the summer of 1995. ALVIN was used to carry out extensive, integrated
sampling of features that were discovered and mapped on previous
expeditions to the study area. The use of a GIS played a major
role in optimizing the limited time spent on bottom with ALVIN
by providing detailed and accurate pre-dive maps of important
hydrothermal and geological features for all the proposed dive
areas. GIS operations were also valuable post-dive in providing
maps of dive tracklines and sample locations in relation to geological
features, and in assessing their navigational accuracy. Newly-acquired
submersible tracklines, sample locations, marker deployments and
rock core locations were added to the database at sea. One of
the surprising aspects of the introduction of any new technology
to a discipline is the way in which it creates new perspectives
and methodologies, rather than merely automating the "old
way of doing things. Based on the success of the '95 expeditions,
and given the funding and logistical feasibility, it is hoped
that GIS operations will someday become a standard component of
oceanographic research with deepsea submersibles.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS for Advanced Marine Research and Resource Monitoring
Christopher Fox
Department of Geosciences
104 Wilkinson Hall
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-5506
Telephone: 541-737-1229
Fax: 541-737-1200
E-mail: dawn@dusk.geo.orst.edu
Integration and Distribution of Deep Sea Oceanographic
Data from the Northeast Pacific Using ARC/INFO and ArcView
The VENTS Program of NOAAÕs Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory is an interdisciplinary research initiative that brings
together scientists from a wide range of disciplines, including
geophysics, geology, physical oceanography, chemistry, and biology.
Researchers within that group studying the Juan de Fuca Ridge
seafloor spreading center off the coast of Oregon and Washington
have discovered that there is tremendous insight to be gained
through the comparison of interdisciplinary atabases in a graphic,
interactive environment. This is what prompted, in 1993, the design
and development of a comprehensive Juan de Fuca Ridge GIS using
ARC/INFO¨ and ArcView¨ software. The interest in the
VENTS GIS has been instantaneous due to a large community of scientists
outside of NOAA working on similar Juan de Fuca Ridge problems.
NOAAÕs expectation is that the basic architecture and approach
developed by the VENTS program will be extended to the broader
scientific community, making the GIS not only an analysis tool,
but also a conduit for data exchange and scientific discourse.
They envision a distributed database system, with individual
data sets residing with the scientists who collected the data,
but with all data products made network-accessible to all participants.
This paper presents the results of our ongoing efforts in scientific
information management and in the display and distribution of
Juan de Fuca Ridge data through the World Wide Web using an interactive
link to ArcView.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS for Advanced Marine Research and Resource Monitoring
Dave Lott
N/ORCAL Strategic Environmental Assessments Division
Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment
1305 East West Highway, SSMC 4, 9th Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 301-713-3000
Mark Jacobsen
N/ORCAL Strategic Environmental Assessments Division
Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment
1305 East West Highway, SSMC 4, 9th Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Florida Keys Ecosystem Monitoring Inventory Project
The Florida Keys Ecosystem Monitoring Analysis System is an Arc
View-based, desktop geographic information system (GIS) being
developed jointly by NOAA's National Ocean Service and the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Marine Research
Institute. The information contained in this system was collected
through a series of on-site interviews with the principal investigators
for each monitoring project. Metadata collected during these
site visits was entered via the Internet into an Oracle database
using a forms-capable browser such as Netscape or Mosaic. This
system provides a user-friendly, menu-driver GIS for regional
managers in the Florida Keys marine ecosystem. It is structured
into a series of windows to allow users to query information by:
1) location (i.e., what types of programs are monitoring in seagrass
communities); 2) theme (i.e., what programs are monitoring for
marine mammals); 3) time (i.e., which programs monitor during
the summer months); or 4) other combination (i.e., which programs
are monitoring in seagrass communities for epiphytes during summer
months). Tabular summaries, charts, and maps can be displayed
together and printed or donwloaded for future use. Metadata was
gathered for each monitoring project through a series of on-site
interviews with the principal investigators. Information collected
during these site visits was entered via the Internet into an
Oracle database using a forms-capable browser such as Netscape
and Mosaic. This application will serve as the primary tool in
developing a Florida Key's marine ecosystem monitoring plan.
It will also be used in ongoing State and Federal restoration
efforts in South Florida.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS for Advanced Marine Research and Resource Monitoring
Timothy A. Battista
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and
Assessment (ORCA)
Strategic Environmental Assessments Division
1305 East-West Highway
Silver-Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 301-713-3000x187
E-mail: tbattista@seamail.nos.noaa.gov
COMPAS—Coastal Ocean Management, Planning, and Assessment
System
COMPAS is a desktop GIS used for coastal resource management and
is made possible through a unique Federal, State, and private-sector
partnership. COMPAS is a versatile, user-defined system which
is designed to provide state and local managers with easy-to-use
query, mapping, and analytical capabilities. The current prototype
version of COMPAS being developed in North Carolina uses Arc View
3. This reflects dramatic evolutionary development of the system
from the Macintosh-HperCard-MapMaker version of COMPAS initially
developed. COMPAS NC will be the prototype for improving the
current national oil spill planning and assessment capabilities
by providing access to digital Environmental Sensitivity Index
(ESI) maps, robust estuarine and marine invertebrate and fish
distributions (including ELMR), and other coastal resource data.
Example system feature include: a user-friendly system, generation
of ESI maps and tables, comparison of coastal resources in different
areas, and custom spatial and temporal analyses. Partners in
this work include NOAA's ORCA and the Coastal Services Center,
the Florida Marine Research Institute, environmental agencies
from North Carolina, the Environmental Systems Research Institute,
and the Research and Planning Inc. It is anticipated that this
project will complement the Gulf-wide Information System (GWIS)
under development by the Minerals Management Service for oil spill
contingency planning in the Gulf of Mexico.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS in Fisheries
Michael Byrne
CA Dept. of Fish and Game Inland Fisheries
1416 9th St.
Sacramento CA 95814
Telephone: 916-654-7631
Fax: 916-654-8099
E-mail: mbyrne@dfg.ca.gov
California Salmonid Habitat Inventory: A Dynamic Segmentation
Application
The CA. Department of Fish and Game has been collecting quantitative
habitat characteristics along streams in the Nortwest portion
of the state under The Salmonid Habitat Inventory guidelines.
The purpose of this data is to asses salmonid habitat stream
quality, for the maintenance, recovery or increase in precious
anadroumous fish species of the state. This data (currently 181
streams from Sonoma County to the Oregon Border) has been intergrated
with ARC/INFO's Dynamic Segmentation and Network cababilities
to demonstrate spatial distribution of stream characteristics.
Such distrubution is important for placing restoration sites,
complex watershed analysis, and simple georeferencing of habitat
data (not possible without Dyn. Seg.). Dynamic Segmentation of
this data comes at a critical time, as the National Marine Fisheries
Service is in the process of listing Coho Salmon as Federally
Endangered along the California Coast.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS in Fisheries
Nedzad Mehic
University of Bahrain,
Computer Science Dept.
P.O. Box 32038
Isa Town, Bahrain
Telephone: 973-688340
Fax: 973-682582
Tom Ross
Dr. Al-A'ali Mansoor
Dr. Ghulum Bakiri
A GIS System for Bahrain Fisheries Management
This paper presents a GIS designed to manage the fisheries process
at the Fisheries Directorate in Bahrain. The main purpose of
the system is to provide rational management, cost and revenue
calculations, fisheries statistics, fishing vessels utilization,
economical forecasts, information on the location of threatened
and endangered species, and fast access and easy generation of
different status reports for all decision makers in the fisheries
management process. The system is based on ArcView Version 2
as it provides analytical tools to create spatial data and define
spatial data relations. The available information was analyzed
and a pilot system was developed for the calculation of profitability
of the Bahrain shrimping fleet utilization. The system allows
the user to organize, update, and display data according to a
dynamically set criteria. The GIS system contains the cartographic
features (islands, reefs, fishing grounds, and fishing block boundaries
off the coast of Bahrain), statistical attributes, and latitude
and longitude grid. This system provides query and analysis function
on the database and visual representation of summarized tabular
data from this database.The GIS employs an integrated database
from which data is used to automate the cost and revenue calculations.
These databases contain information on fishing boats (price,
registration, engine detail, boat winch data), fishing areas and
blocks (names and GPS coordinates), and catch statistics (size,
location, boat, date, value).The paper highlights the generation
of monthly, seasonal, and administrative reports. The monthly
reports contain preliminary estimates of the current statistics
and updated statistics of the previous months. The seasonal reports
provide the statistics for a complete season and it includes fishing
fleet profitability according to their size, engine horse power,
boat make, and other specifications. Administrative reports monitor
the performance of the fishing boats and suggest proper strategies
for fisheries management.The paper concludes by summarizing the
benefits of using this GIS including provision of maximum economic
yield and its fishing effort, information on present shrimp resources
and their trends, better shrimp price control, information on
movement or distribution of shrimps, employment considerations,
and generation of various recommendations for fisheries management.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS in Fisheries
Robert E. Beachler
Planning & Interpretation
Arcata, CA 95521-8299
Telephone: 707-826-5417
Fax: 707-826-4145
E-mail: rebl@axe.humboldt.edu
Hydrologic and Hydrographic Database Design in Support
of Anadromous Fisheries Restoration Planning
The Klamath Act of 1986 established the Klamath River Basin Conservation
Area Restoration program, a 20-year fishery restoration program
for the Klamath River Basin of southern Oregon and northern California.
An advisory committee, the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task
Force was established by the Klamath Act to provide guidance in
planning and implementing the Restoration Program The 14-member
Task Force is directed to assist the Secretary of the Interior
in creating and implementing the Restoration Program and to coordinate
Federal State and local government or private anadromous fish
restoration projects within the area.
In 1994 the Task Force Technical Work Group contracted with the
Humboldt State University Foundation to assemble and develop Geographic
Information System (GIS) digital data layers in support of anadromous
fishery restoration planning in the Klamath River Basin. In cooperation
with federal, state, county, local and Native American entities,
hydrologic and hydrographic databases and coverages are compiled,
reviewed and analyzed to produce thematic GIS products to support
the Task Force’s decision making process.
The purpose of this paper is to describe existing and potential
applications of GIS in fisheries restoration management and planning.
This paper discusses the issues associate the compilation and
development of regional watershed data sets, data availability
and integration. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency River
Reach Files, version 3 (RF3) data sets are serving as the baseline
hydrology layer and have been used to reference past fishery restoration
projects and proposed projects seeking funding.
A variety of planning areas and scales requires different levels
of evaluation for hydrologic sub-basin planning units and watershed
boundary delineation. To help prioritize fishery restoration
planning efforts it is important to assess what types of projects
have been funded in the past, their locations and to document
the success or failure of these projects. The location of the
different types of restoration projects helps decision makers
evaluate the potential of effectiveness of future projects.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS Methods for Collecting, Analyzing, and Managing
Oceanographic Data
Florence L. Wong
U.S. Geological Survey
Marine and Coastal Surveys
345 Middlefield Road, MS 999
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Telephone: 415-354-3053 (FLW)
Fax: 415-354-3191
E-mail: florence@octopus.wr.usgs.gov
Michael R. Hamer
Monty A. Hampton
Michael E. Torresan
Bottom Characteristics of an Ocean Disposal Site off Honolulu,
Hawaii: Time-Based Navigational Trackline Data Managed by Routes
and Events
Mamala Bay, offshore of Honolulu, Hawaii, has been a disposal
area for dredged materials from nearby Pearl and Honolulu Harbors
for over a century. The U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency are
studying the dredged materials and their impact on the marine
environment. Data collection includes geophysical profiling and
imaging, bottom video and still photography, sampling, chemical
and physical properties of sediment, and evaluation of the nature
of and impact on the benthic fauna. Synthesis of this information
begins with the establishment of a geographic framework for the
data.
Ship-based oceanographic surveys typically have several data-collection
systems operating: navigation, bathymetry, camera, seismic-reflection,
sidescan sonar, and sampling. All data gathered during the survey
are geographically located by referencing their time of collection
with the time of a navigation "fix" from satellites
(GPS) and/or transponders. Time is also used to annotate interpreted
data after the field activity is completed, e.g., geologic structure
from seismic-reflection profiles or sidescan sonar images, or
seafloor features from photographs. With time as the measure,
routes and related events are used to extract and analyze data
along segments of tracklines (line events) or at discrete points
(point events). In addition to enabling time as the primary measure,
route treatment of tracklines preserves the start-to-end continuity
that is ordinarily fragmented by building arc topology. Depending
on the data set, the event tables may be converted to standard
line and point coverages.
Oriented bottom photographs that are time-referenced are one product
of this study. Bottom current direction and bottom roughness
were determined from the appearance of the sediment in each photograph.
A plot of the inferred current directions as a function of time
along the camera tracks reveals a complex pattern with a dominant
northwest-trending swath through the area. Sediment textures
determined from the photographs and grain-size analyses provide
confirmation along survey tracks of the textures interpreted from
the sidescan sonar image that has been compiled for the area.
Correlation of observed sediment textures with image data paves
the way for construction of a sediment map of the whole area,
both along- and between-track.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS Methods for Collecting, Analyzing, and Managing
Oceanographic Data
Stephen Lingsch
Naval Oceanographic Office
Modeling and Techniques Dept.
Stennis Space Center
Balch Avenue
Mississippi, 39522-5001
Telephone: 601-688-5313
E-mail: bjohn@saints.ssc.nasa.gov
William Ed (Bill) John
Lockheed Martin Stennis Operations
Scenticfic Systems Section
Building 2105
Stennis Space Center
MS 39529-6000
Telephone: 601-688-1250
Fax: 601-688-7918
E-mail: bjohn@saints.ssc.nasa.gov
Sharon Mesick
Kenneth Grossman
Integration of Native Data Bases, GIS Technology, Application-Specific
Tools, and Visualization Techniques
The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) provides environmental
data bases and derived products to the operational Navy. Various
groups within NAVOCEANO use the same data sets for their specific
applications, as a results, many of the tools for editing, display
and data basing are similar. In an effort to standardize tools
and techniques the Comprehensive environmental Assessment System
(CEAS) has been developed. CEAS is a GIS software development
and data integration effort providing a set of tools for geophysical,
bathymetric, oceanographic, acoustic, imagery, and geopotential
data assessment and product generation for NAVOCEANO's in-house
users and their customers. ARC/INFO is the core of CEAS providing
the co-registered data sets along with the menu and window environment
for accessing other tools including Geographical Resource Analysis
Support System (GRASS), PV-Wave, and in-house custom software.
This application uses the environmental data holdings of NAVOCEANO
and other Government activities.
Standard GIS functions are provided, along with robust data import/export
to and from standard ARC/INFO coverages and customized utilities.
Data types include points, polygons, grids, imagery, and vectors.
Integrated applications include range-dependent acoustic transmission
loss modeling support, cable laying support, bathymetric survey
design, oceanographic parameter display (e.g., sound speed, temperature
and salinity), and global ocean current climatology. Unique functions
include cross sectional graphs of sediment layers, great circle
and terrain-following distance measurements, cable payout parameter
calculations, swath bathymetry coverage calculations, transmission
loss radial displays, acoustic modeling interface, 3D and animated
visualization displays, grid-based modeling, cartographic quality
charts, and spatial and temporal data base queries.
The functionalities listed above were successfully integrated.
Current development includes the migration to Oracle relationaldata
bases, the integration to NAVOCEANO's Integrated Data Base Management
System (IDBMS), and expanded capabilities. Presented are the
design philosophy, physical and logical design, and results.
1 Naval Oceanographic Office, Stennis Space Center, MS 39522
2 Lockheed Martin Company, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS Methods for Collecting, Analyzing, and Managing
Oceanographic Data
William W. Bushing
P.O. Box 2739
Avalon, CA 90704
Telephone: 310-510-2904
Fax: 310-510-1451
E-mail: bushing@lifesci.ucsb.edu
The Influence of Island Topography on the Nearshore Light
Regime and the Distribution of Giant Kelp Around Santa Catalina
Island
Geographic information systems have become established tools for
analyzing species distributions in relation to environmental variables
on land. This study utilizes a GIS to investigate the influence
of terrestrial and submarine topography on the near-shore marine
light regime, and the distribution of giant kelp (Macrocystis
pyrifera), around an island off the southern California coast.
Macrocystis is an important algal species along temperate coasts,
serving both as structural habitat and food for many marine invertebrates
and fishes. Santa Catalina Island's NW-to-SE orientation and
highly dissected, 87-km leeward and windward coastline offers
a wide range of microhabitats with respect to the nearshore light
regime and factors such as exposure to winter storms and temperature.
GIS data layers included kelp distribution maps from several survey
years, a digital terrain model, digital bathymetric model, submarine
slope, submarine aspect and bottom relief. The topographic and
bathymetric data layers were exported to Image Processing Workbench
(IPW) to generate a series of integrated solar insolation models
(monthly, seasonal, annual). An ocean surface insolation model
incorporated the diurnal path of the sun, and the effect of hillshading
on nearshore waters due to the adjacent island topography. Insolation
on the sea floor added the elements of light extinction through
the water column utilizing the bathymetric data and estimated
regional turbidity. Kelp bed distribution was evaluated statistically
relative to surface and bottom insolation levels.
Definite patterns in distribution were observed relative to surface
and bottom insolation, especially pronounced during the peak growing
season. As expected, submarine aspect, depth, slope, and bottom
relief also played roles in influencing local light regimes.
On the leeward side, shaded from mid-day and afternoon sun by
the island's 450-640 meter main ridge, kelp favored the higher
light environments around coastal features such as points and
offshore reefs, or regions with greater bottom relief. Kelp
on the more exposed, windward side of the island favored locations
sheltered from the prevailing winter storms despite lower light
levels in these sites.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: GIS Methods for Collecting, Analyzing, and Managing
Oceanographic Data
John Breckenridge
Naval Research Lab
Attn: John Breckenridge
NRL Code 7441
Stennis Space Center, Mississippi 39529
Telephone: 601-688-5224
E-mail: breck@nrlssc.navy.mil
Gary McKay
James Hammack
Ralph Perniciaro
Using GIS to Support Near Real-Time Analysis and Display
for Oceanographic Survey Operations
Traditional methods of managing oceanographic survey data have
required time and labor intensive practices involving file-based
manipulation of large quantities of raw data sets. Thus, the
visualization and analysis of these data have traditionally been
reserved for land-based laboratory environments. Recent application
of geographic information system (GIS) technology to shipboard
survey processes is making it possible for scientists to view
and manipulate both raw and processed bathymetry, hydrography,
and other geophysical data in a near-real time survey mode. An
ongoing example of this level of GIS support can be found in the
Oceanographic Remote Controlled Automaton, (ORCA) research program
at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at Stennis Space Center,
Mississippi. This diesel powered semi-submersible vessel was
developed to perform bathymetric surveys of the littoral ocean
regions. Its ability to run in either independent or coincidental
mode to other survey vessels gives the U.S. Navy an increased
ability to survey shallow to medium depth water areas which make
up most littoral zones. NRL is currently developing a GIS-based
shipboard data viewing capability for the ORCA. The system utilizes
the Environmental Systems Research Institute's ARCView and ARC/INFO
GIS software to offer scientists and survey support teams the
ability to view and evaluate survey operations while in an in-situ
mode to determine the acceptability of same-day data collection
efforts.
The ORCA utilizes a SIMRAD EM-950 sonar system operating in a
95-kHz multibeam configuration. February 1995 sea trials off the
coast of Pensacola, FL provided ORCA bathymetry data which could
be correlated to previously collected National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) bathymetric data surveys of the same region.
NRL's Mapping, Charting & Geodesy (MC&G) Branch has been
tasked with supporting the near real-time visualization of this
and subsequent ORCA data sets through the use of GIS technology.
Subsequently, NRL has developed ArcView and ARC-based software
tools which allow for the gridding, contouring and cartographic
output of the ORCA multi-beam data sets. ARC options for creating
3D triangulated irregular networks of the bathymetry are also
being utilized to drape ORCA imagery to produce enhanced 3D perspective
cartographic products. This paper examines GIS processes and
techniques utilized to manage, analyze, and display the ORCA data
in a near real-time mode. Discussions also concern techniques
used to compare ORCA data with other data collected by NOAA's
WHITING and the USNS PATHFINDER on previous survey operations.
Since the SIMRAD multibeam data can be readily utilized to produce
multi-channel image data, discussions also include the coupling
of other image processing techniques within the GIS environment
to provide a full range of support to visualizing and analyzing
the ORCA survey data.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Groundwater and Floodplain Modeling: Integration
with GIS
Alisya Galo
Thomas Reid Associates
P.O. Box 880
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Telephone: 415-327-0429
Fax: 415-327-4024
E-mail: lisy@bing.stanford.edu
Wendy L. Poinsot
Thomas S. Reid
EIR's and Dynamic Segmentation: Assessing the Impacts
of Santa Clara Valley Creek Maintenance
The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) comprises five flood
control zones with 700 miles of rivers and creeks. Flood control
modifications have been developed on 185 miles over the past several
decades. Sediment removal and erosion control activities that
maintain the flood control modifications are subject to permit
authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
This paper focuses on the creation of the ARC/INFO dynamic segmentation
model used to support the District's first five-year regional
permit application to the Army Corps of Engineers and associated
CEQA compliance documents. Highlights include the integration
into the dyseg model of up to 20 years of data collected by the
District's flood control planning, maintenance and hydrology divisions,
environmental impact assessment of maintenance activities using
the model, future District-wide use of the data using ArcView,
and innovative web-based venues for public participation in the
EIR process.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Groundwater and Floodplain Modeling: Integration
with GIS
Bruce Rindahl
City of Aurora, Utilities Department
1470 South Havana Street
Aurora, CO 80012
Telephone: (303) 695-7383
Fax: (303) 695-7491
E-mail: brucer@dilbert.ci.aurora.co.us
Groundwater Modelling and Analysis Using the USGS MODFLOW
Program and ArcView 2.1
The City of Aurora's Utilities Department is utilizing ArcView
2.1 to analyze groundwater modelling and aquifer response the
Cherry Creek alluvium. ERSI's ArcView 2.1 was chosen for displaying
drawdowns, stream flow and aquifer elevations simulated from
the USGS MODFLOW program because of the clear display of the complex
model simulation results. Utilizing ArcView's ability to join
GIS coverages and text tables, an easy to use interface for displaying
MODFLOW results was developed. This application is the basis
for a water rights application and a basin-wide management plan
for the entire Cherry Creek basin. This paper will lay out the
steps in the development and use of this tool including Avenue
script customization and database design.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Groundwater and Floodplain Modeling: Integration
with GIS
Jeffrey A. Henderson
KCM, Inc.
1917 First Avenue
Seattle, Washington, USA 98101
Telephone: (206) 443-2791
Fax: 206-443-5372
E-mail: kcmsea@halcyon.com
Chuck Buzzard
Robert W. Molacek
David Carlton
GIS and the Floodplain Management Planning Process in Washington
State
GIS technology, resource-sharing, and software integration can
play pivotal roles in the analysis of flooding problems, and can
provide innovative methods of determining the relative impacts
of mitigation alternatives. GIS permits an integration between
hydraulic model results and socioeconomic reality that is crucial
for decision-makers when considering potential facility improvements.
The flexibility of the technology has created an environment
wherein a basic, desktop GIS package can manage a sophisticated
analysis that spans two agencies, a consultant, and three software
packages. This paper outlines the methodology developed to perform
alternative analysis for the Yakima (WA) River Comprehensive Flood
Hazard Management Plan using ArcView, ARC/INFO and the BOSS HEC-2
hydraulic model. The methodology is implemented using ArcView
and analyzes land use distributions, zoning distributions, assessed
value protected and critical areas impacted for existing conditions
and alternative flood hazard mitigation strategies. The strengths
and shortcomings of GIS use in a mixed application, client-consultant
environment are presented, accompanied by recommendations for
enhancing resource sharing and software integration.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Groundwater and Floodplain Modeling: Integration
with GIS
Michael C. Brown
GeoTrans, Inc.
46050 Manekin Plaza Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20166
Telephone: (703) 444-7000
Fax: 703-444-1685
E-mail: clay@geotrans.com
Robert M. Greenwald
GeoTrans, Inc.
2 Paragon Way
Freehold, NJ 07728
Telephone: 908-409-0344
David S. Ward
GeoTrans, Inc.
46050 Manekin Plaza, Ste 100
Sterling, VA 20166
Telephone: 703-444-7000
Srinivasan P.
GeoTrans, Inc.
46050 Manekin Plaza, Ste 100
Sterling, VA 20166
Tel :703-444-7000
Davis, Diane H.
Model GIS: An Interface for the USGS Three-Dimensional
Finite-Difference Model MODFLOW
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) code MODFLOW is a modular finite-difference
program capable of simulating groundwater flow in three dimensions.
The model is flexible but limited by data pre-processors. The
hydrogeologic complexity and detail of some sites facilitate the
need for an interface to a batch oriented groundwater simulator.
The use of a geographical information system (GIS) provides a
powerful and efficient means of data preparation and visualization
of simulation results. Arc Macro Language (AML) and Fortran 77
are used to create an interface for the generation of groundwater
model finite-difference blocks, model layer elevations, aquifer
properties, surface water data, and output. As an example, the
Model GIS interface is used to compute regions of transmissivity
and vertical leakance from hydrostratigraphic zones containing
discrete properties of sand, silt, and clay. This new approach
facilitates the development of a complex model that previously
could not be modeled accurately or required unrealistic simplifying
assumptions.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Transportation and
Risk Assessment
Benjamin Marquess
LOJIC
700 W. Liberty St.
Louisville, KY 40202
Telephone: 502-540-6113
Fax: 502-540-6564
Interaction of ARC/INFO and ArcView 2.1 with ORACLE in
Tracking Hazardous Material Information in Jefferson County, Kentucky
The Industrial Waste Department (IWD) of the Metropolitan Sewer
District in Louisville, Kentucky, had been storing a large amount
of various hazardous material data. Due to a lack of GIS training,
access to workstations, and the amount and complexity of the data,
it was deemed impractical to store this information on a GIS system.
Even so, IWD still wanted the ability to exploit ARC/INFO and
ArcView 2.1 to spatially locate different aspects of hazardous
material data. The intent of this paper is to discuss the methods
used to get ARC/INFO and ArcView 2.1 to "talk" to IWD's
Oracle database. This paper will focus on the use of the SQL
language to select and extract tabular data and download this
data into dBASE 4 and INFO tables for use in ARC/INFO and ArcView
2.1 geocoding.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Transportation and
Risk Assessment
William W. Hargrove
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008, M.S. 6274
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6274
Telephone: 423-241-2748
Fax: 423-574-4634
E-mail: hnw@mtqgrass.esd.ornl.gov
D.A. Levine
M.R. Miller
P.R. Coleman
D.L. Pack
R.C. Durfee
GIS and Risk Assessment: A Fruitful Combination
We are exploring ways that GIS can be used to recover the spatial
component of risk without extrapolating beyond the known data.
Ultimately, interpolation of contaminant data which are rare
in space and time is necessary for full evaluation of human risks.
Spatial interpolation techniques make assumptions, and may therefore
be misleading, incomplete, or incorrect. But to encapsulate human
health risk into a single value in a table may be at least as
incomplete or misleading, since the spatial relationships among
contaminant values are not retained. The presentation of an interpolated
contaminant layer together with bar and pie chart symbols placed
at actual sample locations distinguishes between measured and
derived concentration values, and provides a means of qualitatively
evaluating uncertainty. Such a presentation also communicates
the spatial weighting of the sampling design.
We present an alternative spatial format for the communication
of contamination and risk; an array of maps which we call a 'Map
Spreadsheet.' The Map Spreadsheet is analogous to a data spreadsheet,
except that each cell is a spatially co-registered interpolated
map of contaminant concentration. Columns and rows in the Map
Spreadsheet could represent alternative ingestion pathways, chemical
classes and/or species of contaminants, or years through time,
for example. Just as a typical spreadsheet might have a column
to the right that represents a row sum or average, or a row at
the bottom that represents a column sum or average, so the Map
Spreadsheet has column and row totals represented by map algebraic
sums or averages of the maps in that row or column.
Thus, it would be possible, for example, to view a site contaminated
with cesium as a series of yearly maps, as well as a map summarizing
average cesium concentration over all years. Alternatively, if
columns represent risk due to alternative ingestion pathways,
the spatially-explicit risk from cesium inhalation, ingestion,
and direct exposure, as well as a summary map of cesium risk from
all pathways, could be simultaneously viewed. The 2-dimensional
map spreadsheet analogy can be extended into the third dimension
as a 'stack' of such spreadsheets, creating a map cube. Three
full 'faces' of the Map Cube potentially represent summation map
'cells.' Of course, only a single 2-D 'slice' of a Map Cube could
be viewed at a time.
The viewer of a Map Spreadsheet obtains a perspective of the combined
risk from exposure to multiple contaminants, as well as an idea
of the heterogeneity of contamination across space. Such insights
are usually not possible with a tabular presentation of single
values of human health risk. Several examples, both hypothetical
and real-world, will be shown to illustrate some of the potentially
useful products resulting from the marriage of GIS and risk assessment.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Transportation and
Risk Assessment
Mark Abkowitz
Abkowitz & Associates, Inc.
2100 West End Ave, Ste 640
Nashville, TN 37203
Telephone: 615-321-4848, ext 13
Fax: 615-321-4886
Data Needs for Performing Environmental Risk Management
As environmental risk management gains attention as a core, organizational
activity, there is increasing demand for information to support
the decision-making process. A diverse amount of data is needed
to characterize risks to human health and the environment, including
operations,demographics, land use, topography and other key considerations.
This presentation describes data needs for performing environmental
risk management and identifies sources where data is available
to support specific applications.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Transportation and
Risk Assessment
Mark Lepofsky
Abkowitz & Assoc., Inc.
2100 West End Ave., Ste 640
Nashville, TN 37203
Telephone: 615-321-4848 ext 13
Fax: 615-321-4886
Mark Abkowitz
2100 West End Ave., Ste 640
Nashville, TN 37203
Telephone: 615-321-4848 ext 13
Fax: 615-321-4886
Managing Hazardous Materials Risk in an Integrated GIS
Environment: The HazTrans Application
Risk managment is developing as a new discipline as organizations
contend with the challenge of enhanceing safety in the manufacturing,
distribution and disposal of hazardous materials. To implement
cost-effective safety in the manufacturing, distribution and disposal
of hazardous materials. To implement cost-effective risk reduction
controls, leading-edge companies are resorting to the use of integrated
GIS systems for decisions that lead to fewer accidents, lower
human health and enviromental exposure, and improved emergency
response.
This applications spotlight presentation will utilize the HazTrans
risk management system, an ArcView compatible product, to demonstrate
several of the more common hazardous materials risk management
applications. HazTrans consists of an integrated system of databases,
maps, analysis modules and management reports that suppor t the
user in:(1) analyzing hazards and exposures, (2) assessing risks,
(3) evaluating worst-case scenarios, (4) implementing prevention
and contingency programs, (5) developing emergency response plans,
and (6) managing incidents.
The presentation will be designed to promot GIS awareness and
education for attendees with responsibilities related to SARA
CERCLA , OSHA Process Safety Management, OPA, Clean Water Act,
Clean Air Act, Responsible Care©, ISO, and other enviromental
health and safety regulations and industry codes.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hydrologic Modeling with GIS
Elaine McAlister
Macaulay Land Use Reasearch Institute (MLURI)
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen
AB9 2QJ
Scotland
Telephone: (01224) 318611
Fax: 44-0-1224-311556
E-mail: e.mcalister@mluri.sari.ac.uk
Nellere Domburg
Macaulay Land Use Reasearch Institute (MLURI)
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen
AB9 2QJ
Scotland
Telephone: 01224 318 611
Fax: 44-0-1224-311556
E-mail: n.domburg@mluri.sari.ac.uk
Bob Ferrier
Macaulay Land Use Reasearch Institute (MLURI)
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen
AB9 2QJ
Scotland
Telephone: (01224) 318611
Fax: 44-0-1224-311556
E-mail: r.ferrier@mluri.sari.ac.uk
Tony Edwards
Macaulay Land Use Reasearch Institute (MLURI)
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen
AB9 2QJ
Scotland
(01224) 318611
44-0-1224-311556
a.edwards@mluri.sari.ac.uk
Hydrological Modelling of the River Ythan Using ARC/INFO
GRID
The Ythan River in Grampian Region, Scotland, is being investigated
under a European Council Directive (91/676/EEC) for designation
as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone because of an increase in estuarine
eutrophication in recent years. This paper explores the use of
the GRID module of ARC/INFO GIS for hydrological modelling of
the River Ythan as part of the development of a spatial decision
support system for the river catchment. A topographically correct
elevation grid was created for the catchment area using a DEM
and digitised stream network. From this, the flow directions,
flow accumulations at the pour points, and subcatchment boundaries
were created. These were compared with water discharge values
measured at the pour points and hand-delineated subcatchment boundaries
provided by the North-east River Purification Board. GRID was
then used to measure the length of the stream channels, and by
assigning suitable water flow velocities, an isochrone map was
produced to show the spatial pattern of catchment hydrological
response. Currently this hydrological model is being extended
to incorporate spatial variation in rainfall and evapotranspiration.
The hydrological model is also being coupled with a hydrochemical
model to predict the chemical composition of drainage water in
the catchment. This will help policy makers decide on suitable
methods for reducing nitrate concentrations in the River Ythan
and provide a GIS-based framework for modelling hydrochemical
responses to altered land use in the catchment.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hydrologic Modeling with GIS
Jesper T. Kjelds
Danish Hydraulic Institute
Agern Alle 5
DK-2970 Hørsholm, Denmark
Telephone: (45) 45769555
Fax: 45 42 86 79 51
Henrik Giørtz Müller
Integrated Floor Plain & Disaster Management Using
the MIKE II Decision Support Systems
Flooding is a natural and variable phenomena, it can occur on
any land surface, ranging from a street intersection, a home lot
to the extensive rural flood plain areas inundated by large rivers
such as the Mississippi-Missouri rivers. Flooding results in
amage to property, crops and negative impacts on human welfare.
Flood Plain Management aims to minimize damages and reduce the
threat to human life and welfare when major flood events occurs.
Along with these more traditional tasks of river engineers and
flood defence managers comes also the requirements of developing
solutions which not only meets the design requirements also are
friendly to and enhance the environment.
Application of the hydraulic numerical modelling tool MIKE 11,
developed by the Danish Hydraulic Institute, for flood analysis
and flood plain management is a strategic and essential tool
for an integrated Flood Plain Management approach, using "Decision
Support System" (DSS) technology. Incorporating MIKE 11's
capabilities in a DSS allow for analysis of the full impacts on
for example flood extents, flood depths, flood damage of present
or future options, ie "WHAT IF" scenarios can be modelled
accurately and confidently. The modeller can at all stages of
the integrated process present results to decision makers in a
clear and easily understandable formats.
Linking the MIKE 11 hydraulic model with GIS (ArcView) merges
MIKE 11 and GIS technologies within a DSS Framework. The MIKE
11-GIS interface allows for presentation of flood inundation maps,
flood impact maps and related statistics. The maps illustrates
the results from a MIKE 11 simulation in a easily assimilated
and highly visual format, highly facilitating interpretation and
analysis of potential impacts. Several flood maps can be merged
into a video, which animates to an example the development of
flood inundation during a flood event. The outputs are high quality
presentations which are readily suited to Environmental Impact
Assessments, Flood Risk Analyses, Flood Damage and Disaster Assessments.
The MIKE 11 - GIS interface also allows for extraction of flood
plain topography from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The flood
plain topography is essential for developing accurate and physically
correct MIKE 11 applications.
The proposed paper presents the concept and case studies of application
of MIKE 11 and GIS for integrated Flood Plain & Disaster Management.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hydrologic Modeling with GIS
Keith W. McFadden
U.S. Geological Survey
3039 Amwiler Rd. Suite 130
Atlanta, GA 30360
Telephone: (770)903-9100
Fax: 770-903-9199
E-mail: keithmc@usgs.gov
A Raster-Modeling Method to Create Transport-Path Centerlines
through Surface-Water Bodies
Identification of transport and navigational path centerlines
through surface-water bodies in geographic information system
(GIS) digital-data sets is required for flow modeling and analyses
of interconnected streams and lakes. The U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), developed an Arc Macro Language (AML) computer program
that creates transport-path centerlines through interconnecting
lakes and mainstem rivers in the EPA River-Reach File 3 (RF3).
This program uses the GRID raster-modeling software, which is
a sub-system of the ARC/INFO (1.) GIS from Environmental Science
Research Institute (ESRI). GRID software provides functions to
perform least-cost path analyses through raster-data sets by establishing
a cost surface, eliminating areas from analyses, and creating
barriers in the cost surface. Also, ARC/INFO software was used
to prepare data for input into GRID, and refine the output for
later processing or analysis.
1. The use of product or firm names is for identification purposes
only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Hydrologic Modeling with GIS
E. James Nelson
ECGL—BYU
300 Clyde Building
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah 84602
Telephone: 801-378-5714
Fax: 801-378-2478
E-mail: jimn@byu.edu
Norman Jones
ECGL - BYU
300 Clyde Building
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah 84602
Telephone: 801-378-7569
Fax: 801-378-2478
E-mail: norm@byu.edu
Utilizing the ARC/INFO Data Model to Build Conceptual Models
for Environmental/Hydraulic/Hydrologic Simulations
The Engineering Computer Graphics Laboratory (ECGL) of Brigham
Young University in cooperation with the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways
Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, Mississippi has developed
a suite of applications for environmental,hydraulic, and hydrologic
simulation. These applications include the Dept. of Defense Groundwater
Modeling System (GMS), the Surface water Modeling System (SMS),
and the Watershed Modeling System (WMS). All three systems include
a set of modeling codes along with extensive grid and mesh generation
utilities and sophisticated post-processing and visualization
tools in both two and three dimensions.
The vast majority of modeling codes are based on either the finite
difference or finite element approach. Traditionally, most programs
designed for pre-processing of these types of models require the
user to construct a computational grid that encompasses the problem
domain. The user then selects nodes or cells in the grid to assign
model parameters such as boundary conditions and material properties.
The problem with this approach is that is often requires extensive
effort to enter the data and if significant modification is required,
the data entry process must be repeated.
In light of the limitations inherent in traditional pre-processing
applications, the ECGL and WES have developed a new approach within
GMS, SMS, and WMS for model development and pre-processing. With
the new approach, a high-level representation of the model is
constructed using an ARC/INFO data model consisting of points,
nodes, arcs, and polygons. Model parameters are assigned directly
to the GIS entities as attributes. For example, lakes are represented
as polygons, rivers are represented as arcs, wells are represented
as points, etc. This model is constructed entirely independently
of the numerical grid and is referred to as a "conceptual
model". Once the conceptual model is developed, a mesh or
grid is automatically constructed to fit the conceptual model
and all of the model parameters are automatically assigned to
the proper cells or elements. The advantage of the conceptual
model approach is that it greatly simplifies model creation and
if the user modifies the conceptual model, a new computational
model can be constructed in seconds. Since the data model utilized
in GMS, WMS, and SMS is patterned after the ARC/INFO data model,
conceptual models and attributes can be shared freely between
the three applications and ARC/INFO or ArcView.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Integrating GIS and Groundwater Modeling: Two Real
Systems at Work
Norm Jones
Brigham Young University
368 Clyde Bldg
Provo, UT 84602
Telephone: 801-378-7569
Fax: 801-378-2478
E-mail: norm@byu.edu
GIS Integration in GMS and WMS for Groundwater and Watershed
Modeling
The Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) and the Watershed Modeling
System (WMS) were developed at the Engineering Computer Graphics
Laboratory of Brigham Young University in partnership with the
DoD and the EPA. GMS and WMS were developed as comprehensive
hydrologic modeling environments and each system supports a wide
variety of analysis codes. Recent versions of GMS and WMS include
a new "Map Module" which is fully integrated with GIS.
The Map Module can be used to build coverages or import/export
coverages from ARC/INFO or ArcView. These coverages are used
to define a high-level conceptual model of the site being modeled
including boundary conditions, soil types, land use, etc. The
conceptual model is automatically converted to a finite difference
or finite element computational model, including boundary conditions,
which can be used directly as input to the appropriate analysis
code. Example applications using both systems will be highlighted.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Integrating GIS and Groundwater Modeling: Two Real
Systems at Work
Diane Davis
46050 Manekin Plaza, Suite 100
Sterling, VA 21066
Telephone: 703-444-7000
Fax: 703-444-1685
Clay Brown
46050 Manekin Plaza, Suite 100
Sterling, VA 21066
Telephone: 703-444-7000
Fax: 703-444-1685
Integrating GIS and Groundwater Modeling: Two Real Systems
at Work
This presentation demonstrates how ModelGIS uses ARC/INFO data
to efficently manage preprocessing and postprocessing requirements
of the USGS three-dimensional groundwater flow model, MODFLOW.
In this case study of the Davis Well Field in Shelby County,
Tennessee, data were used to characterize the flow system between
two aquifers in the vicinity of the site. ARC/INFO utilities within
ModelGIS were used to generate data sets for the groundwater model,
thereby solving complex groundwater problems.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Land Cover Cooperative Mapping Forum
John W. Jones
Research and Applications Group
U.S. Geological Survey
519 National Center
Reston, VA 22092
Telephone: 703-648-5543
Fax: 703-648-5542
E-mail: jwjones@usgs.gov
John Moeller
Federal Geographic Data Committee
590 National Center
Reston, VA 22092
Telephone: 703-648-5752
Fax: 703-648-5755
E-mail: jmoeller@usgs.gov
Zsolt Nagy
Center for Geographic Information Analysis
115 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27608
Telephone: 919-733-2090
Fax: 919-715-0725
E-mail: zsolt@cgia.state.nc.us
Harnden, Eric
Convis, Charles
Land Cover Cooperative Mapping Forum
Several ongoing activities are aimed at consolidating and leveraging
resources for land cover and ecological resource mapping at the
federal government level. This is a forum for discussing standardization
issues and land cover mapping cooperatives. Representatives of
various federal and state government and nongovernment programs
will give presentations. Examples include the Department of the
Interior Land Cover Data Initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey
Land Cover Characterization Program, the Federal Geographic Data
Committee (FGDC), a State land cover mapping program, and ESRI
(regarding the development of tools for the standardized collection
of land cover data). Members of the audience will be encouraged
to voice their needs and concerns as users of the information
generated by these mapping and software development activities.
The forum will highlight opportunities for involvement in multiagency
(that is, federal, state, local, and private sector) data collection
cooperatives and provide points of contact for further input from
participants. This forum creates an opportunity for agencies
with mapping interests to reach a broad, multidisciplinary audience
representing land cover data users from around the globe.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Land Cover Cooperative Mapping Forum
Mark Joselyn
607 East Peabody Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Telephone: 217-244-2160
Fax: 217-333-4949
E-mail: joselyn@uiuc.edu
Development of a Landcover Database for Illinois and its
Ecological Application
Illinois undertook the development of a landcover database from
Landsat (tm) satellite imagery. The procedures and approaches
used will be discussed. The resulting landcover map for Illinois
has 20 landcover classes. These data have provided the primary
input to a statewide screening for ecologically significant areas
and to the modelling of elk habitat in southern Illinois. These
applications will also be discussed.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Landscape Analysis and Statistical Methods
Debasis Mitra
Dept. of Computer Science
Jackson State University
P.O. Box 18839
Jackson, MS 39217
Telephone: 601-968-8252/2105
Fax: 601-968-2478
Willie J. Nathan
Jackson State University
P.O. Box 18839
Jackson, MS 39217
Telephone: 601-968-8252
Faye Winters
Campbell, E.
Algharabat, M.
Johnson, D.
Schoolar, J.
An Expert System for Identifying Plants from their Visible
Features
In order to effectively identify vegetation from satellite images,
one has to correlate those images with the ground-based observation,
in the initial phase of such activity in any given area. This
involves expensive field trips in the area by specialized personnel.
Having a computerized system available to assist the job of identifying
plants from firsthand information will help this process. Identifying
a plant by looking at its visible features needs a fair amount
of expertise. Yet, often this task is demanded upon many environmental
workers for different reasons other than correlating with GIS
data. For example, in order to make a decision whether a piece
of land is wetland or not, a scientist of a governmental regulatory
agency may have to determine whether some particular type of vegetation
grows in that region. This paper talks about an ongoing project
of developing an intelligent software for identifying plants.The
expertise of identifying plants varies a great degree amongst
human beings. Almost every layperson has the capability to identify
at least a few plants, or a class of similar looking plants of
his or her environment. On the other hand, a trained botanist
is capable of identifying or discerning many more types of plants.
However, the reasoning process behind such identification is
more or less the same. This reasoning process involves gradually
narrowing down possibilities by checking different discerning
external features of plants. The only difference between an expert
and a layperson is the amount of such distinguishing rules in
the "knowledge-base" of the person. This type of reasoning
process is called "forward reasoning" in the terminology
of artificial intelligence. Specific algorithms exist for such
reasoning process. Specialized softwares are developed based
upon these algorithms to encode such reasoning processes. These
softwares are called expert system tools. Programs written to
do specific reasoning tasks (often using such expert system tools)
are called expert systems—because they codify corresponding
expertise. We are currently developing an expert system for identifying
some plants. Delineating features for approximately forty plants
growing in the wetland areas of the southeast region of the USA
have been identified. A set of forward reasoning rules has been
formulated to simulate an expert's reasoning process for identification
of any of these plants. Using an expert system tool called CLIPS
(developed by NASA Johnson Space Center), we are codifying this
reasoning scheme. The reason for choosing CLIPS are (1) its simple
and powerful forward reasoning capability, (2) its C language
interface capability, and (3) involvement of some federal agency
(BLM) in the project, since CLIPS is being promoted as standard
expert system language within federal agencies.A major use of
our program would be in environmental education. One of the ways
to make people aware of, or appreciate, their environment is to
"connect" them to their environment. A program which
teaches and helps one to identify surrounding flora, and more
importantly helps one to learn the basic delineating features
of those plants, could be broadly educating. We are planning
to use our program in science museums, public libraries, and schools.
Other anticipated use is by field scientists in getting help
to recognize vegetation in the process of classifying the environment
of a region and standardizing GIS data. This paper would contain
the plant identification scheme, which is the basis of our expert
system, the design of the system and our experience in developing
it, and possible use of it.We acknowledge the support from LBNL-JSU-AGMUS
Science Consortium for this work. We are also indebted to Jackson
office of the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for their
cooperation, and U.J. Parikh for providing coordination between
JSU and BLM for this project.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Landscape Analysis and Statistical Methods
Richard H. Odom
Westvaco Corporation
Timberlands Division
Forest Resources Information System
180 Westvaco Road
Summerville, SC 29484
Telephone: (803) 851-4702
Fax: 803-851-4706
E-mail: rodom@awod.com
Dr. Stephen P. Prisley
Classifying Topographically Similar Landscape Units Using
Digital Terrain Surfaces and Multivariate Analysis within a Geographic
Information System
Topographic and plant community characteristics were measured
at 400 plots located on the Westvaco Wildlife and Ecosystem Research
Forest, a 8,430 acre tract near Elkins, West Virginia. Forest
community types were identified by analyzing species abundance
and basal area data using community classification and ordination
techniques. A discriminant function was then developed that
described the correlation of these forest types to topographic
gradients in the landscape. Contour lines were scanned, converted
to vectors and used to produce a 15 meter resolution digital elevation
model for the study area. Surfaces of topographic conditions
significantly correlated with plant communities were created from
the DEM. The accuracy of the surfaces was tested by comparison
with topographic data from field plots located using the globalpositioning
sytem. Using these surfaces as variables, the discriminant function
was implemented within a geographic information system and resulted
in an image predicting the distribution of dominant community
types over the landscape. This approach to landscape classification
is being evaluated for its effectiveness in describing the potential
productivity of forest sites and as a tool for a variety of ecological
studies.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Landscape Analysis and Statistical Methods
Andrew D. Weiss
Center for Conservation Biology
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Stanford University
Stanford ,CA 94305
Telephone: 415-725-5585
Fax: 415-723-5920
E-mail: aweiss@bing.stanford.edu
Stuart B. Weiss
Alisya T. Galo
GRID-Based Multivariate Analysis of Vegetation Distributions
in the Spring Mts. of Southern Nevada: Integrating Canonical
Correspondence Analysis and GIS
Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and workstation ARC/INFO
GRID are used to analyze vegetation distributions in the Spring
Mountains of Southern Nevada. These mountains range in elevation
from 700m - 3600m in an area of 1286 square kms, and exhibit
diverse plant communities including Mojave desert scrub at the
base, several shrub and forest communities at intermediate elevations,
culminating with high elevation Bristlecone pines and alpine
meadows. The vegetation dataset consists of 230 plots selected
through a GIS-based stratified sampling design incorporating
physiographic and geological variables.
CCA generates ordination axes that are linear combinations of
environmental variables, and calculates the centroids and tolerances
of the species or communities within ordination space. GIS is
used to project the values of the ordination axes across geographic
space, and to classify the landscape into probability or abundance
surfaces for each species or community.
Based on preliminary validation, the predictive maps accurately
show both coarse scale zonation by elevation, and finer scale
variation based on topographic position and insolation gradients.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Landscape Analysis and Statistical Methods
Edith Read
Psomas and Associates
3187 RedHill, Ste 250
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Telephone: 714-751-7373
Fax: 714-545-8883
Jenny Gough
Telephone: 714-751-7373
Fax: 714-545-8883
Beyond Mapping: Using GIS for Natural Resource Assessment
and Analysis
Many agencies and private companies now use GIS as a tool for
producing maps of wildlife habitats and other natural resources.
The next step in application of GIS is analysis of the database
to address specific questions or hypotheses. Statistical programs
such as S-Plus can be used to indicate significance of data relationships
or show trends in certain variables. We present three examples
in which GIS databases have proved useful in ecological applications.
In the firs example, we examine relationships between water characteristics
and species composition of plant communities associated with springs
in the San Bernardino Mountains. Plots of the data in the form
of Stiff diagrams illustrate variability in mineral composition
of natural springs, associated with variability in vegetation.
In the second example, we show application of GIS to vegetation
and groundwater data obtained as part of a long-term riparian
monitoring program in the Sierra Nevada. The data illustrate
relationships between stream flow, depth to ground water, and
distribution of wetland species. The third example shows habitat
analysis for the Santa Ana River woolly star, an endangered plant
species whose life cycle is linked to flooding frequency. One
of the most important aspects of all three long-term monitoring
projects is documentation and standardization, such that data
collected in future years can be efficiently incorporated and
compared to baseline conditions.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Military Natural Resources: Management through GIS
Elizabeth Flynn
Applied Geographics, Inc.
33 Broad Street
Boston, MA 02109
Telephone: 617- 367-8626
Fax: 617-367-8581
E-mail: beth@appgeo.com
Using ArcView 2 in Military Base Closure Management
For the past several years, Applied Geographics, Inc. (AGI) has
built and maintained the ARC/INFO GIS for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, Department of Environmental Management (DEP), pertaining
to the realignment and closure of Ft. Devens. This GIS supports
many of the processes associated with the closing and reuse of
this military base, and is currently managed by the Massachusetts
Government Land Bank. Independent of this GIS, an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) was written by the US Army Corps of Engineers,
with support from ENSR Consulting and Engineering. Recently,
AGI has undertaken to automate the EIS map figures, converting
them into a collection of figures and tables which can be digitally
browsed and queried. The browse and query interface was built
in ArcView 2, and the data was derived from the ARC/INFO GIS.
Using ArcView 2, the user can read and view the entire set of
EIS map figures, searching by chapter, figure or map number, or
from beginning to end. A function was also written into the application
to allow the user to report data errors or required updates to
the master data base administrator. Unlike the paper versions,
the digital EIS map figures will remain current, with periodic
updates from the master data base.
In addition, this project includes a pilot effort to bring the
EIS map data into compliance with the DoD's Tri-Service Spatial
Data Standards. The aim is to make the EIS maps a model of spatial
data consistency and uniformity for other base planning and managment
projects, as well as to ensure suitability for inclusion into
the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Military Natural Resources: Management through GIS
Paul Braun
Advanced Resource Technology Group
125 Biological Sciences East
Tucson,Arizona 85721
Telephone: 520-621-3045
Fax: 520-621-3045
E-mail: pawel@nexus.srnr.arizona.edu
D. Phillip Guertin
University of Arizona
125 Biological Sciences East
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Telephone: (520) 621-3045
Fax: (520) 621-3045
E-mail: pawel@nexus.srnr.arizona.edu
John O'Gara
China Lake, California 93555
Telephone: (619) 939-0091
Michael Kunzmann
Data Integration at the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station
to Aid in Environmental Management and Decision Making
In the last five years, military installations have had to comply
with environmental legislation such as the Endangered Species
Act and the Antiquities Act with reduced staff and budgets. Because
of these problems, China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in Southern
California, with the help of the Advanced Resource Technology
(ART) Group and the National Biological Survey at the University
of Arizona initiated the development of a GIS-based decision support
system. The intent of the GIS-based decision support system at
China Lake is to provide an interface to spatial information that
would allow manageers to make more efficient and accurate decisions
and fulfill their legislative mandates. The system also creates
a unique opportunity to develop a holistic management plan for
the entire West Mohave Desert region. Data from China Lake and
other federal agencies, such as the National Park Service and
the Bureau of Land Management, were converted or automated into
ARC/INFO format. This paper will provide background data about
federal agencies active in the Mohave Desert Conservation Area,
describe the GIS-based decision support system project being implemented
at China Lake, and present two environmental management applications
regarding the Inyo Brown Towhee and the Desert Tortoise.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Military Natural Resources: Management through GIS
Stefanie Hughes
SRS Technologies
1401 Wilson Blvd., Ste 1200
Arlington, VA 22209
Telephone: 703-351-7277
Fax: 703-522-2891
E-mail: shughes@wod.srs.com
Navy Range GIS: Integrating Range Operations and Environmental
Management
GIS technology has long offered time and cost saving benefits
to Department of Defense organizations for applications including
basemapping, base operations, terrain analysis, and navigation.
Recently, GIS technology has been expanded to integrate range
operations with environmental management at several DoD installations.
Costly environmental documentation such as range Environmental
Impact Statements have sparked the realization in DoD personnel
that fast, easy access to comprehensive compilations of on-line
data are crucial to preparing NEPA documentation, as well as providing
information to the public regarding military operations. The
purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the benefits that GIS
affords personnel at DoD installations for recording, maintaining,
analyzing, and transporting range and environmental data. Examples
will be drawn from two recent case studies: "Navy-proposed
Special Use Airspace" and "Planning for a Test at the
Point Mugu Sea Range."
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Military Natural Resources: Management through GIS
Raymond Waespi
IT Corporation
Martinez, CA
Telephone: 510-372-9100
Randy Holtzclaw
IT Corporation
Knoxville, TN
Telephone: 615-690-3211
GIS Assists with Military Base Closure
California is undergoing base closures for all three banches of
the armed forces. The base properties are being coverted from
military use to private sector commercial and industrial use and
public sector educational facilities. But, prior to conversion,
the miliary has to demonstrate that the surface and subsurface
soil and groundwater meet local, state, and federal cleanup levels
for hazardous materials.
IT Corporation is assisting the military with Identifying what
hazardous contaminations exists, the contamination's extent, and
what removal and cleanup methods are appropriate. Spatial data
collection, management, analysis and reporting are a big part
of this process. IT Corporation uses an in-house developed environmental
database management system, ITEMS and products developed by Environmental
Systems Research Institute to respond better to the spatial data
management project needs.
The Technical Information Services Group at IT Corporation is
developing tools for improving the spatial data management on
these base closure projects. One such tool has been the integration
of ITEMS with ARC/INFO and ArcView 2. This paper highlights the
progress made to date and future plans for using spatial data
management tools in the base closure process.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Mining and Geoscience Applications
Curtis Abert
Illinois State Geological Survey
615 East Peabody Drive
Champaign, IL 62820
Telephone: (217) 244-2188
Fax: 217-333-2830
E-mail: abert@flanders.isgs.uiuc.edu
Modeling Glaciated Terrains with ARC/INFO Tools
Glaciation has been one of the most significant geologic process
to shape the landscape in much of the northern United States.
Glaciers have repeatedly covered Illinois throughout the Pleistocene
epoch (approximately 2,000,000 to 8,000 years ago). The erosion
and deposition of sediment by glaciers has changed the landscape
in Illinois by filling pre-glacial river valleys, changing the
course of rivers, and by creating new landforms. Some of the
most prominent landforms created by glacial deposition in Illinois
are end moraines. End moraines are broad, low-relief ridges which
mark the glacial ice-margin advance and readvance positions.
The morphology of the moraines is highly variable and can be dependent
on the length of time the glacial ice occupied a given position
on the landscape, the amount of sediment carried by the glacier,
and age of the moraine.
Readily available surface elevation data (United States Geological
Survey Digital Elevation Model data) combined with the analytical
tools provided by the ARC/INFO software helps geologists to visualize,
analyze, and model the landscape. Functions within GRID, TIN,
ARC, and ARCPLOT were used to characterize differences within
moraine forms. Cross sections, slope analysis, and volumetrics
were used to identify differences between previously mapped glacial
moraines, and to locate previously unidentified features on the
landscape that may be mapped as moraines.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Mining and Geoscience Applications
Martin J. (Marty) Schardt
Union Pacific Resources Company
801 Cherry Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Telephone: 817-877-6779
Fax: 817-877-6169
E-mail: m._j_schardt@uprc.com
Dennis James
Amoco Corporation
501 WestLake Park Blvd.
Houston, TX 77079
Telephone: 713-366-3019
Fax: 713-366-7673
E-mail: dtjames@amoco.com
Robert (Bob) Kline
Union Pacific Resources Company
801 Cherry Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Telephone: 817-877-7332
Fax: 817-877-6169
E-mail: r._j._kline@ccmail.uprc.com
Tracy Thorleifson
Eagle Information Mapping , Inc.
6565 West Loop South, Ste 500
Bellaire, TX 77401
713-662-9165
fx 713-662-9180
jtt@eaglemap.com
Pete Murphy
Innovative Business Solutions, Inc.
6565 West Loop South, Ste 500
Bellaire, TX 77401
Desktop GIS Solution for Land/Lease Management
Union Pacific Resources Company (UPR) is an independent domestic
Oil & Gas Company that owns or manages in excess of 35,000
leases and contracts which cover approximately ten million acres
throughout North America. Historically, UPR has managed its Land
& Lease information in mainframe based textual databases while
related spatial data has been captured separately as hand drafted
and/or CAD maps. UPR and Amoco Corporation (Amoco), an integrated
international Oil & Gas company who has experienced many of
the same challenges, have formed a partnership with Eagle Information
Mapping, Inc. and Innovative Business Solution, Inc. to re-engineer
a desktop GIS solution for Land/Lease management. This paper
will describe the ArcView-based ViewPoint-Land system including
the basis for the design, an overview of hardware and software
specifications and the system functionality. A case study will
be presented to illustrate process improvement and functionality
of the new system.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Mining and Geoscience Applications
Ronald B. Zelt
U.S. Geological Survey
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, Kansas 66049-3839
Telephone: (913) 832-3510
Fax: 913-832-3500
E-mail: rbzelt@usgs.gov
Steven A. Frenzel
Physical-Habitat Characteristics of the Platte River, Nebraska—Assessment
Using Surveys and Spatial Analyses
Physical habitat characteristics influence the structure and composition
of biological communities. Habitat features of two reaches of
the middle Platte River in central Nebraska were surveyed four
times during 1993-1995. Measurements included channel cross-section
profiles, longitudinal water-surface profiles, and planimetry
of targeted in-stream habitat features. Biological communities
also were sampled, twice in one reach and three times in the other.
Survey data were converted to geospatial data sets using commercial
GIS software. Spatial analyses were performed to derive parameters
such as channel width, bank angle, stream-centerline stationing,
and total shoreline length. Products include detailed maps of
reach planimetry and channel cross-sectional graphs showing interannual
variability in habitat conditions from 1993 to 1995. Natural
creation and destruction of specific habitat types were documented.
Channel features migrated both laterally and downstream. Most
of the long-term change in stream habitat features occurs during
the short periods when flow is near bankfull. Unusually high
streamflows in 1995 provided an opportunity to estimate longer-term
variability for some physical habitat characteristics.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Mining and Geoscience Applications
Timothy Liebermann
3301 Gun Club Road
P. O. Box 24680
West Palm Beach, FL 33416
Telephone: (407) 686-8800 Ext. 2986
Fax: (407) 681-6264
Marsha Hilmes
Digital Analysis of Changes in Channel Morphology, Lower
Virgin River, Arizona and Nevada
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying channel stability of the
Lower Virgin River from 1938 to the present. Aerial photography
at scales ranging from 1:6000 to 1:66,000 and satellite imagery
are being analyzed to determine quantitative changes in channel
morphology using digital methods. For a 30-mile stretch of the
river, eight separate reaches, each about 1 to 1.5 miles long,
are being processed. Aerial photography from a combination of
29 dates and sources are optically scanned and registered to a
standard coordinate system, using control points and image-processing
techniques. Channel boundaries, sand bars, and the thalweg—the
deepest part of the channel—are delineated onto prints of
the registered images and then digitized into ARC/INFO coverages.
The coverages are checked for accuracy of locational coordinates
and feature coding. These delineations are used as the base for
further digital processing.
All digital image processing is done using a combination of ARC/INFO
and FORTRAN programs. The entire process is controlled through
an interactive menu, designed for rapid sequential processing
of a large number of images for each reach. To begin processing,
the overall reach orientation, or linear direction of the river
within that reach, is delineated. That orientation is used in
subsequent processing of each of the available images for that
reach. Next, based on the feature coding, the area of the sand
bars and the area of the channel are calculated for each image.
The thalweg sinuosity and the maximum width of the channel meander
belt, perpendicular to the reach orientation, are calculated.
In addition, the reach is subdivided into a series of equal-width
segments along the reach-orientation line. For each segment,
lines are constructed that are perpendicular to the average orientation
of the outer channel boundaries within that segment. These lines
are used to calculate the width of the channel at the center of
each segment. All of these statistics are tabled for further
geomorphic comparison and interpretation.
The digitized channel-area features for two selected images can
be overlaid for planimetric analysis, showing changes from one
date to another, including areas of scour and fill. Also, an
overlay of all images for a reach provides an indication of channel
stability over time. Regions with high frequency of occurrence
represent greater channel stability. Stability maps and statistics
are created both for thalwegs and channel-area features by overlaying
the images and applying weighting factors based on the period
of time each image represents.
By using digital methods, a large data set can be processed and
analyzed quickly and easily. These results can then be used
to document channel changes through time and to help understand
the processes of geomorphic change.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Oil Spill Application Management and Technology
Lee A. Smith
Texas General Land Office
1700 North Congress Ave.
Austin,TX 78701-1495
Telephone: (512)463-5257
Fax: 512-463-5029
E-mail: lee.smith@glo.tx.state.us
Integration of Real-Time Data for Oil Spill Trajectory
Modeling in a GIS
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) has implemented the use of
real-time data for incorporation into an oil spill trajectory
model. The real-time data is collected from a series of offshore
buoys and tide gauge systems. The real-time systems collect critical
tide, current velocity/direction, and other meteorological conditions
for driving the oil spill trajectory model. The trajectory model
predicts where oil will move and allows for improved allocation
of spill response resources. The oil spill plumes generated from
the trajectory model are used to conduct spatial analysis in
the GIS for resource at risk reports and protection strategies.
The GLO has been using an advanced, nationally recognized oil
spill GIS application for over five years. Other components contributing
to the success of the oil spill GIS include digital orthophoto
quarterquads, detailed data layer map libraries, and high volume
custom map production routines. This paper describes the integration
of these various technologies during several major oil spill disasters
in Texas over the past 18 months.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Oil Spill Application Management and Technology
G. Serpell Edwards
Texaco Exploration & Production Technology Department
3901 Briarpark
Houston, Texas 77042
Telephone: 713-954-6133
Fax: 713-954-6113
E-mail: EDWARGS@texaco.com
ArcView and the Unified Command for Spill Cleanup
The response to an oil spill can be broken down into several phases,
all requiring the use of accurate and current information. Initially,
it is a facility emergency that requires the site manager to implement
a site contingency plan. If the spill is of significant size,
the area contingency plan is activated and the regional response
team is call in. The command goes from a site command phase to
a transition phase to a unified command phase without interrupting
the flow of information. Personnel from the Coast Guard, federal
and state environmental regulatory bodies and private industry
join forces in the unified command. Answering to the command
desk are the Operation, Planning, Logistic/Finance and Command
Staff; each with their own coordinators and advisors.
ArcView is an ideal tool for integrating and disseminating information
at a spill. Site and area contingency plans can be developed
and stored at the site and critical backup locations. Using ArcView,
site managers can begin their response by simply following the
"cook book". During the transition to a regional command
center, the status of various efforts can be linked electronically
to ensure that the cleanup continues without interruptions. Once
the unified command center is running, servers and local area
networks, ISDN and phone modems, and satellite communications
will allow for instant dissemination of data. State and federal
GIS coverages can be accessed to ensure that the most current
environmental data is being used; the integration of near real-time
satellites and remote sensing aircraft data with ArcView will
provide accurate spill location maps; ArcView status boards and
maps can be viewed by anyone at anytime; and data can be archived
for use in the inevitable law suits. In February at an oil spill
drill in Charleston, SC, a limited test was conducted using ArcView.
From this test, valuable insight was gained into the pros and
cons of using ArcView during an emergency response.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Oil Spill Application Management and Technology
Ed Vigil
E302 Bld Howe - Russel, LSU
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Telephone: (504) 388-8585
Fax: 504-388-5328
E-mail: evigil@gisnet.cadgis.lsu.edu
Norman Froomer
Using GIS for the Environmental Review of Offshore Oil
and Gas Operations
Each year, the Minerals Management Service reviews over 1,000
oil and gas exploration, development, pipeline, and platform
removal activity plans. The review process includes many geographic
analyses, such as calculating distances from an activity to protected
biological features, determining which of more than 15 mitigation
areas an activity falls within, intersecting the helicopter and
service vessel paths between onshore service bases and an offshore
activity site with special mitigation areas, and others. An
automated GIS application using ArcView is being developed to
perform these analyses. The application will also assist MMS
with oil spill planning, air quality, and archaeological analyses.
The functionality developed for this application will be available
bundled together for a complete plan review, and also individually
as buttons and tools for general purpose and impromptu query,
display, and analysis. The objective of this application is to
improve office efficiency, analytic accuracy, and to develop
standardized approaches and data for offshore environmental reviews.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Oil Spill Application Management and Technology
Joanne Halls
1200 Park Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
Telephone: 803-256-7322
Fax: 803-254-6445
E-mail: joanne@rpi.columbia.sc.us
Jacqueline Michel
Miles O. Hayes
Natural Resource Mapping using GIS: Coastal and Watershed
Applications.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been used in countless
natural resources applications. These applications can be categorized
as planning or management, process modeling, inventory, and assessment.
Within these categories, spatial analysis, through the use of
GIS, enables end-users to have information for decision-making.
This paper outlines a scheme for implementing two specific applications:
one for coastal or marine environments and the other for riverine.
The marine GIS application, commonly known as an Environmental
Sensitivity Index (ESI), is used by emergency responders when
there is an oil or other type of spill. ESIs have been successfully
implemented across the United States and in many nations world
wide. The conversion to a digital product, using GIS, has been
developed for many areas of the United States and is part of many
on-going projects sponsored by state government agencies and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The ESI
shoreline classification is a function of relative exposure to
wave and tidal energy, shoreline slope, substrate type, and biological
productivity and sensitivity. In the riverine environment, a
new project, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency,
is underway with the purpose of classifying river reaches of smaller
river and streams for oil spill sensitivity. A model, the Reach
Sensitivity Index (RSI), has been developed on South Carolina
rivers and tested in the Leaf River basin of Mississippi. There
are two primary components to the RSI: 1) the containment and
recovery of the oil; and 2) the vulnerability and sensitivity
of the associated wetlands. These two applications provide users
with detailed maps and data tables. Current research is underway
by many organizations to expand on the ESI principle to develop
desktop mapping tools for identifying critical hapitats, spill
response, and damage assessment. Future goals include applying
the ESI concept to the entire coastal zone and the RSI to the
entire watershed, for analytical and management purposes. The
ESI and RSI are building blocks for comprehensive land use analysis.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Protected Areas and Bioregions
Anthony L. Gareau
Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area
15610 Vaughn Road
Brecksville, Ohio 44141
Telephone: 216-546-5978
Fax: 216-546-5982
E-mail: anthony_gareau@nps.gov
Enhancing Natural and Cultural Resources Management by
Integrating GIS Capabilities with Park Operations
To effectively manage park resources, managers need accurate information
to recognize changes in ecosystems and to link trends with causes
so that natural and anthropogenic threats may be distinguished.
High-quality information is necessary to identify trends and
respond to them intelligently and deliberately. Such information
is essential to ensure that rational and ecologically sound decisions
are made concerning development, mitigation, monitoring, and other
management issues. All management is a long-term experiment,
and decisions are often made with less-than-complete information.
The information is often difficult to retrieve because it is
fragmented in different systems and databases. The key is to
have quality information that can be easily retrieved. Cuyahoga
Valley National Recreation Area (CVNRA) managers recognize that
geographic information system (GIS) technology can aid them in
effective and efficient park management. To that end we have
identified implementation of a GIS as a high-priority objective.
To efficiently implement the GIS program at CVNRA, the information
to be stored and the system used to manage it must be carefully
designed. It is critical to design a data management program
to prevent information from becoming fragmented in different systems
and databases. A well-designed database can ensure that the data
is usable for future resources studies and management. In this
paper, we demonstrate the functions of a user-friendly computer
interface developed for CVNRA to make access to information timely
and easier for managers, researchers, staff, and visitors. The
interface consolidates a vast amount of existing natural and cultural
resources digital data into a single system supporting park operations
in CVNRA. Park personnel and other managers unfamiliar with GIS
technology can now evaluate land and resource use alternatives
while also considering environmental impacts, economic implications,
and potential use conflicts.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Protected Areas and Bioregions
Bruce Goldstein
Environmental Studies Board
College 8 Academic
University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz CA 95060
Telephone: (408) 459-5240
Fax: (408) 459-3518
E-mail: brugo@time.ucsc.edu
The California Biodiversity Project: Linking a GIS Model
with the Planning Process
GIS projects intended to influence land-use planning must take
the political process into account, as well as the natural resources,
population growth rates, and other scientific measures. This paper
describes our efforts to enhance the opportunity for adoption
of a GIS combining a biodiversity valuation layer with development
scenarios projected to the year 2020 in our three pilot counties
of Santa Cruz, Yolo, and Contra Costa. By including county-level
expertise in biodiversity assessment, we are enhancing the project's
scientific legitimacy at the county-scale. Equally, by involving
influential county individuals and institutions in parameter selection
for our socioeconomic scenarios, we are enhancing the relevance
of our project to county planning and the likelihood that key
players will embrace our methodology. The California Biodiversity
Project is being conducted by the Center for Biodiversity Analysis
and Management (CBAM) at the University of California, Santa Cruz,
and is funded by the NationalBiological Service. Possibly appropriate
for these sessions:
Conservation and Global Resources
Environmental Planning and Assessment
Fish and Wildlife Management
Note: It would reduce the necessity to introduce our project and
enhance overall understanding if you placed this paper together
with Chris Cogan's.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Protected Areas and Bioregions
Christopher Cogan
University of California
Environmental Studies Board
College 8
GIS Lab
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Telephone: 408-459-3986
Fax: 408-459-3518
E-mail: cogan@time.ucsc.edu
The California Biodiversity Project: Selection and Use
of Biodiversity Indicators
In the search for methods to better understand ecosystem phenomena
and dynamics, several researchers have sought to identify a series
of indicators which can be used to measure ecosystem health.
These measures have included land management status, species richness,landscape
metrics, and the presence of threatened and endangered species.
This paper discusses an approach which combines several of the
above measures, and presents a model designed to predict future
biodiversity conflicts, enabling this information to become part
of the process of land planning and management. These methods
are intended to represent biodiversity at the ecoregional scale,
while functionally operating at the county level where many planning
decisions take place. The California Biodiversity Project is
being conducted by the Center for Biodiversity Analysis and Management
(CBAM) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is funded
by the National Biological Service.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Protected Areas and Bioregions
Thomas N. Potter
National Park Service
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Route 1, Box 100
Ajo, AZ 85321
Telephone: (520) 387-7661
Fax: 520-387-7661
E-mail: tom_potter@ccmail.bigbird.itd.nps.gov
Phillip D. Guertin
University of Arizona
Advanced Resource Technology Group
325 Biological Sciences East
Tucson, Arizona 87521
Telephone: (520) 621-1723
Fax: (520) 621-8801
E-mail: phil@nexus.srnr.arizona.edu
Michael R. Kunzmann
National Biological Service, Cooperative Park Studies Unit
University of Arizona
125 Biological Sciences East
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Telephone: (520) 621-7282
Fax: (520) 670-5001
E-mail: marsk@npscpsu.srnr.arizona.edu
James J. Barnett
Making GIS Work in a Desert Park
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI) in southwestern Arizona
was established in 1937 to preserve the unique vegetation and
animal communities of the Sonoran Desert. The home for the endangered
Sororan Desert Tortoise and Organ Pipe Cactus, ORPI encompassess
330,689 acres and together with the adjacent Cabaza Prieta Wildlife
Refuge represents one of the most pristine desert wilderness
in the world. A cooperative program was initiated in 1991 between
the Advanced Resource Technology Group at the University of Arizona,
National Biological Service and ORPI to develop GIS capabilities
at the Monument. In this era of dwindling resources GIS programs
will need to rely on skills and facilities provided by a number
of organizations. This paper will stress the importance of the
cooperative partnership for the program's success.
The paper will review the program's history, including needs assessment,
database design and development, and implementation process.
Examples of applications, such as Desert Tortoise Habitat Analysis
and a Road-Kill Analysis, will be presented. Current efforts
to expand the GIS database for regional environmental management
will be discussed.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Public Access and Transportation Application Spotlights
Richard D. Wright
San Diego State University
5300 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182
Telephone: 619-594-5466
Fax: 619-594-4938
E-mail: wright@typhoon.sdsu.edu
Laura Durazo
Dr. Alain Winckell
Nina Garfield
Integrating GIS across the United States/Mexico Border:
The Tijuana River Watershed Project
In early 1994, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
provided startup funding to San Diego State University (SDSU)
and El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) for the Tijuana River
Watershed (TRW) project to address concerns related to this watershed
which is shared by Mexico and the United States. This led to
formal agreement in late 1994 that laid out the guidelines for
the coordination between SDSU and COLEF in the development of
a comprehensive GIS for the TRW. The agreement provides for data
sharing, coordinated data development and scientific research,
and joint use of the data for education and research. Concurrent
with the agreement, management and advisory committees were formed
to direct the project. The committees include organizations from
both sides of the border and from federal, state, and local levels.
The project has four complimentary components: GIS database
development, community outreach, education (university and K-12),
and scientific studies. In this paper the authors describe the
geographical characteristics of the watershed, the project goals,
and the technical and human issues involved in creating and implementing
a binational transborder GIS.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Public Access and Transportation Application Spotlights
John Frisby
Mark Holzworth
20695 S. Western Avenue Suite 140
Torrance, CA 90501
Telephone: 310-787-7700
Fax: 310-787-7435
E-mail: mholzwor@radsat.com
Tracking the World's Largest Fleet: A Pilot Effort
Radio Satellite Integrators, Inc., of Torrance, California, has
implemented an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system for the
Unites States Postal Service (USPS) using the Global Positioning
System (GPS), wireless communications, and ArcView 2 desktop mapping
software. The Global Positioning System for Delivery (GPSD) pilot
project was designed by the United States Postal Service to simplify
and improve the efficiency of daily delivery operations by providing
on-demand route information. Project goals also include automated
route analysis, optimization, employee security and future links
to package tracking. RSI's V-Track Vehicle Tracking System accurately
tracks postal vehicles in real-time using differentially corrected
positions derived from GPS satellites. Vehicle location and status
are transferred to the system base station via wireless communication
links using conventional two-way radios. Location and status
information are processed and graphically displayed on a customized
Geographic Information System (GIS) based on ArcView 2 by Environmental
Systems Research Institute (ESRI) of Redlands, California.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Soil, Surface Water and Groundwater Pollution:
Techniques for Cooperative Management
Donna Nelson
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Wast Programs, Underground Storage Tank Section
3003 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Telephone: 602-207-4343
Fax: 602-207-4346
Alan Dulaney
Resource-Effective Management for Multi-Agency Projects
through GIS as Implemented in the Downtown Tucson Groundwater
Study
The Downtown Tucson Technical Group represents a cooperative effort
of several governmental agencies and interested parties to investigate
and clean up a widespread contaminant plume. Groundwater in two
aquifers under downtown Tucson is contaminated with petroleum
hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds, and the commingled
plume cuts across many properties. The problem lies in the coordination
of investigative and remedial activities by several parties in
a cooperative manner so that corrective actions become more efficient.
The answer involves the utilization of ARC/INFO as a means of
sharing data and better understanding the problem. GIS offers
the most effective way of visualizing the project and its associated
spatial variables such as recharge zones, diverse sets of facilities,
widely scattered sampling points, and others. Covers illustrate
the project area, wells installed into both the upper and regional
aquifers, the known extent of diesel and VOC contamination in
both aquifers, and different types of facilities within the project
area. Because the plume is still not fully characterized, areas
of critical data gaps where more investigation is needed are also
shown. Current remedial activities involve removal of free petroleum
product from several wells completed into the uppermost aquifer.
Because the flow of information between investigators is essential
to the success of this project, ARC/INFO is envisioned as a major
management tool to foster cooperation in the investigation and
cleanup of this large plume. Without ARC/INFO it is doubtful
that any significant coordination between investigators could
be achieved, and duplication of activities would increase remediation
costs significantly, thereby having negative impact on all concerned.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Soil, Surface Water and Groundwater Pollution:
Techniques for Cooperative Management
Michael D. Stevens
Hammon, Jensen, Wallen & Associates
8407 Edgewater Dr.
Oakland, CA 94621
Telephone: 510-638-6122
Fax: 510-638-5628
E-mail: mikes@hjw.com
Bob Shanks
Hugh Dodd
Combining Mapping Technologies to Determine Soil Permeability
for NPDES
In an effort to recoup some of the costs of administering the
EPA NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System), the
City of Menlo Park wanted to assess parcels based on a percent
of their nonpermeable land. Conventional methods of house-by-house
field survey or photogrammetic collection of every impervious
feature would be excessively costly. A new faster and more cost-effective
method was used. Hammon, Jensen, Wallen, & Associates of
Oakland, California, used an airborne multispectral scanning system
to scan images of the entire City in a manner similar to collecting
stereo aerial photography. The scanned images were controlled
and ortho-rectified using results of an additional 1:12,000-scale
black-and-white aerial flyover. The ortho-rectified, multispectral
imagery tiles were seamlessly mosaicked into a single image, then
reclassified so that pervious and impervious features were separated.
The resulting color bands were converted into a GIS raster file,
then automatically outlined into GIS polygons that were overlaid
with the City's parcel layer to determine the percent of impermeable
land within each parcel. Cost savings are approximately 50 percent
over traditional methods.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Soil, Surface Water and Groundwater Pollution:
Techniques for Cooperative Management
Mahmoud Bouzelboudjen
Emile-Argand 11
Ch-2007
Neuchatel
SWITZERLAND
Telephone: +41 38 23 26 88
Fax: +41 38 23 26 01
E-mail: Mahmoud.bouzelboudjen@chyn.unine.ch
Francois Burri
Pascal Ornstein
Groundwater Circulations Recognized By Tracing in State
of Neuchatel (Switzerland)
In practice, anyone managing groundwater systems is faced with
various problems related thereto: pollution, drought, floods,
the optimum use of a well field, artificial supply, interaction
between civil engineering work and aquifers. The user therefore
wishes to obtain a suitable presentation of the situation, either
complex (detailed hydrogeological map), or simple (map as an aid
to decision-making), which can easily be brought up to date.The
development of a thematic method of hydrogeological cartography
will make it possible to propose, to the public authorities, decisive
elements required in order to carry out a global and coherent
policy for the groundwater management. Finally, this approach
must allow to non-hydrogeologists to more easily understand the
movement of groundwater.
The paper presents the mapping of groundwater circulations recognized
by tracing in karstic medium. The use of artificial tracers is
a well established method for investigation of karstic aquifers.
The majority of the tracer experiments (artificial and biological
tracers) are applied to specify the watercatchment boundaries:
the relation between a sinkhole and an outlet, diffluent phenomens,
transit time, etc. Recently tracing experiments have become a
well known tool for transport sumulations of miscible pollutnats
with groundwater. An application to obtain an information system
has been developed by the use of ARC/INFO coupled with Oracle
by storing and querying of the available data just up to level
with a continously updated map of groundwater circulations recognized
by tracing. The project offers the tools adapted in the field
of groundwater management and protection.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: U.S. & International Historic Site Management
and Preservation
Gary L. Christopherson
University of Arizona
SRNR/ART BSE 203
Tucson,Arizona 85716
Telephone: (520) 881-4929 or (520) 621-3045
Fax: 520-621-3045
E-mail: garych@nexus.srnr.arizona.edu
D. Phillip Guertin
Karen A. Borstad
GIS and Archaeology: Using ARC/INFO to Increase Our Understanding
of Ancient Jordan
The application of geographic information systems to the modern
world is well known, but their capabilities also make them ideal
for analyses of ancient civilizations and they are becoming common
tools for archaeologists around the world. The country of Jordan,
with important archaeological sites, such as Petra and Jerash,
is rich in ancient monuments and artifact, and as attention in
the region turns from conflict to cooperation, the discovery and
management of these ancient resources is becoming increasingly
important. The Madaba Plains Project has been involved with the
archaeology of Jordan since 1968, discovering hundreds of archaeological
sites during surveys of the Madaba region and conducting excavations
at the sites of Tell Hesban, Tell el-Umeiri, and Tell Jalul.
Since 1991, the Madaba Plains Project, in cooperation with the
Advanced Resource Technology Group at the University of Arizona,
has incorporated an ARC/INFO based GIS as an integral component
of their research. This paper looks at the ways in which this
cooperative venture has used GIS to further archaeological research
in Jordan, including the detection and elimination of sample bias
in an archaeological survey, the construction of environmentally
based site probability models, the use of an erosion model to
track the introduction of terrace agriculture during the Iron
Age, spatial analysis of pottery sherds from the surface of an
excavation site, and the production of traditional and non-traditional
maps for use as interpretive aids.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: U.S. & International Historic Site Management
and Preservation
Scott Oglesby
800 North Capital St. NW
Washington D.C. 20002
Telephone: 202/343-1118
Fax: 202/343-1836
E-mail: soglesby@gis.ird.nps.gov
GIS in State Historic Preservation Offices
Since 1966, State Historic Preservation Offices(SHPOs) have been
helping to preserve historic buildings, sites, structures, districs,
and landscapes by identifying and recording them. This nation-wide
effort has resulted in a inventory of over 4,000,000 sites. Unfortunately,
most of this information is accessible only through paper files
and maps.
A mission of the National Park Service is to provide the technical
assistance necessary for SHPOs to automate their inventory. In
the case of Virginia, a GIS is being implemented to provide the
platform for input, manipulation, analysis, and output of spatial
data, while a relational database management system is being used
to enter and maintain attribute data. Therefore, it was necessary
to develop a GIS application capable of integrating the two.
The purpose of this paper/demonstration is to show how a application
was developed in Arcview, through Avenue programming, to create
a synergy between the GIS data and the RDBMS. The user user-friendly
application allows quick, easy access to large amounts of data,
thus allowing SHPOs to take a more proactive approach to the monitoring
and preservation of cultural resources.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: U.S. & International Historic Site Management
and Preservation
Ezra Zubrow
National Center for Geographic Information Analysis
Department of Anthropology
SUNY Buffalo
E-mail: zubrow@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
Jennifer Robinson
College of Environmental Science
Murdoch University
Western Australia
Betwixt and Between: Spatial Interpolation in Archaeology
Filling in the space between measurements is a major problem in
archaeology, and an obvious niche for GIS. Archaeological data
require specialized interpolation techniques because they typically
come in gridded or polygonal units of aggregation. The first
goal of this paper is to look at ways to use interpolaton to recover
some of the infromation lost in spatial averaging. A second goal
of this paper is to make interpolation accessible to archaeologists.
This is done through graphic examples that illustrate how the
choice of options may affect experimental and interpretative results.
In our experiment, we generate an original surface with known
properties, evaluate average surface values for each of the pieces,
and then reconstruct the surface from the measured averages.
We experiment with alternate original surfaces, dissected in various
ways, and with using different techniques to reconstruct the original
surfaces. We visualize by having the computer display results,
intermediate steps, and outputs in the form of shaded surfaces,
thus making tangible principles that would be likely to remain
obscure if embedded in mathematical formulae or statistical indices.
We follow up with comparison of statistical indices, including
correlation coefficients, bias, and error.
Experiments broadly confirm that interpolation works -- that interpolated
reconstructions are in most cases both visually and statistically
superior to the polygon or grid average representations on which
they are based.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Urbanization and Land Use Impacts: Modeling Reality
Dean H.K. Fairbanks
Division of Water, Environment and Forestry Technology
CSIR
P.O. Box 395
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Telephone: +27(12)841-2489
Fax: +27(12)841-2689
E-mail: dfairban@csir.co.za
A Geographic Spreadsheet Modelling Approach to Natural
Resource Planning
Many models created for managing natural resources are based on
a spreadsheet approach. However, the spreadsheet-based mathematical
models used by planners for resource management often tend to
leave out the spatial components of the problem. The current
spreadsheet models are aspatial in the sense that they are operated
on spreadsheets from attributed spatial data. Unfortunately the
management solutions provided by these models do not allow for
a spatial management solution, or if they do, then query and display
of these solutions is not incorporated into the answer. This
is typically seen when planning landscapes for development versus
conservation, managing biological populations and water resources,
etc. In South Africa, there has been a drive to understand how
to link spreadsheet-based mathematical natural resource analysis
solutions to a GIS and how this can be constructed into PC-based
decision support tools.This paper presents the development transition
from a basic spreadsheet approach to a geographic spreadsheet
approach for modelling natural resources. Examples are shown
from two management disciplines: land use planning and water
resources.The Land Use Planning System is based on the principle
that one can change land cover/land use types to other set categories
and that these other land uses have an impact both socioeconomically
and environmentally on any planning decisions. The user is able
to change the land use of parcels on the map, which then allows
a simple spreadsheet model to calculate the effect of that change.
The Afforestation Runoff Impact Modelling Scenario System (ARIMSS)
works on a similar principle. By selecting catchments and by
changing the forestry species and afforested area within those
catchments, one can affect the water resources of the catchment
and its neighbors. Again, simple spreadsheet models are used
to calculate the changes and to provide visual and statistical
information.Current PC-based GISs allow for powerful and flexible
decision support systems to be created. These in turn allow traditional
natural resources models, usually done in spreadsheets, to be
transformed into geographic spreadsheet planning tools.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Urbanization and Land Use Impacts: Modeling Reality
Dr. Timothy W. Foresman
5401 Wilkens Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21228
Telephone: 410-455-3149
Fax: 410-455-1056
E-mail: foresman@umbc.edu
Baltimore-Washington GIS Testbed for Regional to Global
Change Research
Recent efforts by scientists and managers to inventory, map, and
model impacts from human activities on the environment have focused
on land transformation/urbanization processes. Due to lack of
standard GIS database calibration refernce resources, it has been
extremely difficult to date, to provide compelling evidence for
the efficacy of any single model, algorithm or procedure which
defines land transformation processes. Therefore, a set of georeferenced,
spatially structured and well documented data sets, based on ARC/INFO
software, has been designed for the Baltimore-Washington Region
as a resource for the community of environmental modelers and
global change scientists.
Land transformation processes are being examined from a variety
of perspectives and scales using a variety of indicator parameters
and mensuration variables. Tools and techniques applied to land
tranformation assessments range from creation of simple population
satellite data. A variety of point and cell growth models have
been applied to simulate the land transformation phenomenon.
These activities have demonstrated the reality that urbanization
and land transformation processes involve complex interacting
variables. A team of scientists are expanding the efforts of
the USGS Human Impacts on Land Transformation (HILT) project to
build an internet accessible "collaboratory" containing
quality controlled calibration and validation spatially referenced
databases. The Baltimore-Washington Regional Testbed provides
for the calibration, verification, and validation for multiple
scalar, temporal, thematic, and spectral assessments or models.
This design and documentation procedures for creating the Baltimore-Washington
Regional "collaboratory" will be presented in relation
to its use for regional to global environmental research and modeling
applications.
Key Words: Global change research, calibration/verification testbed,
GIS design & metadata documentation, regional collaboratory
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Urbanization and Land Use Impacts: Modeling Reality
Myriam Cristina Escobar Saenz
Calle 25 No. 7-48 Piso 12
Pereira
Risaralda
Colombia
Telephone: 354153-357159-343443
Fax: 357159-354153
Implementation of Enviromental Information System in the
Department of Risaralda (Columbia), with the Use of ARC/INFO
CARDER - Autonomous Regional Corporation of Risaralda—as
a response to the policy established by Law 99 of 1993 determining
the beginning of a new environmental way.
With this aim and taking advantage of the occasion of having signed
an agreement of technological interchange with the Government
of Canada, it was decided to choose the river basin of the Risaralda
River which occupies a 40% of the area of the department (1278
Km2). The objective of this agreement is to execute the territorial
planning of the Risaralda River and to develop an environmental
zonification using the Geographic Information system ARC/INFO.
This project has enabled us to develop a conceptual and methodological
project and we expect to have definite results by the end of July
of 1996.
RESULTS
This experience has enabled us to consolidate a process of integrality
and interdiscipline in geological matters within the work group.
•Training.
•To generate work methodologies with the purpose of coming
up with a methodological guide for an environmental zonification.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Utilizing GIS for Environmental Data Sampling
Bill Wheaton
Research Triangle Institute
3040 Cornwallis Rd.
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Telephone: (919) 541-6158
Fax: (919) 541-8830
E-mail: wdw@rti.org
Malcolm Bertoni
Research Triangle Institute
P.O. Box 12194
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Telephone: (202) 728-2067
Fax: (202) 728-2095
Mark Bruhn
Research Triangle Institute
P.O. Box 12194
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Telephone: (202) 728-2067
Fax: (202) 728-2095
James Aanstoos
Using ArcView to Simulate the Environmental Sampling Process
at Hazardous Waste Sites
This paper describes the Simulated Site Interactive Training Environmnet
(SimSITE) system. SimSITE allows a user to participate in a simulated
investigation of an artificial hazardous waste site using systematic
planning and assessment methodologies endorsed by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. As part of a one-day training course on environmental
data collection, users browse the artificial site, find historical
information about potential causes of environmental contamination,
develop data quality objectives, and choose a sampling design.
The system uses statistical techniques to calculate concentration
values that reflect real-world sampling and analytical measurement
errors. The the user can then evaluate the results of the chosen
sampling design in relation to the underlying 'true' concentration
data, also provided by the system, to determine whether the
sampling approach succeeded in meeting the data quality objectives.
The design and implementation of SimSITE are discussed along
with "Lessons Learned" in developing simulation software
using ArcView.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Utilizing GIS for Environmental Data Sampling
Mehmet "DJ" Kutsal
Brown and Caldwell
P.O. Box 8045
Walnut Creek, CA 94596-1220
Telephone: 510-937-9010
Fax: 510-210-2462
Rick Junnier
Brown & Caldwell
1060 Maitland Center, Ste. 402
Maitland, FL 32751
Telephone: 407-661-1730
Fax: 407-661-1726
The Use of GIS as an Environmental Data Management System
Platform
The management of sampling data after its collection and before
its used is a key and enormous task in site management. This
is especially true for critical superfund sites where there are
strict regulations an client confidentiality are involved since
these points make the data sensitive as well as voluminous. Another
complicating factor is that generally the tools required for this
type of data management are powerful computing tools and that
traditionally has equated to expensive and hard to run computer
tools.
The basic limitation to being able to do this type of work on
a desk top has been that of storage and computational power.
However, today with disk capacities available for PCs being measured
in tens of Gigabytes and processing speeds reaching 200 MHz, it
is now possible to deal with fairly sizable data using manageable
desktop software and hardware.
Brown and Caldwell has been building environmental data management
systems for our clients for many years but recently we applied
a desktop solution to an important east coast superfund site based
on ArcCAD, ArcView and a couple of other software products which
proved that one can have easy to use environmental data management
and analysis systems on a desktop. This paper would detail out
how ArcCAD and ArcView can be used as the geographic platform
from which large amounts of site data can be managed as well as
project specific application results while staying tuned to the
sensitive nature of the client information involved.
A specific project we will present on is a LCP Chemical Superfund
site in Brunswick, Georgia. Other PRPs on this site include,
ARCO Oil, Allied Signal, and Georgia Power and Light. This is
a 500 acre site which is contaminated with peroleum waste and
mercury. The site served many years as a petroleum refinery and
a mercury retort. The data management system applied to this
site was built to handle over 400 sampling locations and primarily
ran on ArcCAD and ArcView.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Utilizing GIS for Environmental Data Sampling
Yichun Xie, Ph.D
Eastern Michigan University
203 Strong Hall
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
Telephone: (313) 487-0218
Fax: 313-487-6979/313-487-6843
E-mail: xie@emunix.emich.edu
George D. Graettinger
US Environmental Protection Agency
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Telephone: 312-886-5266
Fax: 312-886-7804
E-mail: graettinger.george@epamail.epa.gov
An Integrated ArcView Expert System for Analyzing Contaminated
Sediments in the Great Lakes Basin
Eastern Michigan University, in conjunction with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA) is developing a desktop GIS system for managing,
analyzing, and visualizing contaminated sediments in tributaries,
harbors, and coastal zones of the Great Lakes. The system is
designed to meet challenges for a common database and a set of
versatile analytical tools to support navigation channel dredging
programs and pollution prevention actions for multi-government
agencies. The system is built on top of ESRI's ArcView 2.1, customized
Avenue scripts, specialized windows C++ modules, and remote procedure
calls to ARC/INFO. It applies the technology of "expert
system" to integrate administrative and professional intelligence
with the "technical capacity" of ArcView 2.1. It has
a built-in "machine learning" mechanism to enable users
to accumulate knowledge or obtain insights from past system experience
for formulating analytical tasks. With these innovations, the
system provides powerful analytical tools and flexible query builders
for examining pollution issues under various scenarios. The system
also incorporates the notions of "spatial data transfer standards"
and "meta-data" to guide the conversion of data sources
of other formats to ARC/INFO coverages and symbol palettes. This
conversion module is an integrated component of the desktop GIS
system through remote procedure calls. In addition, the system
includes an Avenue customized data-entry module to facilitate
on-site field sampling. This data-entry recognizes the database
structure, transfers common information (key table fields) to
relevant tables, and automatically leads users to next appropriate
table on the hierarchy after data entry is done for a table.
Moreover, some of these data entry fields are compulsory, while
others can be filled out in great detail at a later time as warranted.
The system is also an all-purpose visual machine to support
large scale (1:6,000) multi-media display of maps, images, photos,
graphics and drawings for exploring environmental impacts of contaminated
sediments, including hydrology, transportation, hypsography, and
land use.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Utilizing GIS for Waste Management and Site Selection
Daniel Elroi
Knight Piesold LLC
1050 Seventeenth St., Suite 500
Denver, CO 80265-0500
Telephone: (303) 629-8788
Fax: 303-629-8789
E-mail: dse@kpco.com
Rey Carrasco
How to Integrate ArcView, DLLs, DDE, RPC, and Version Control
in a True 3-D Application of ArcView for an Underground Waste
Repository
How would you handle the challenge of building an ArcView application
for viewing and querying data representing an underground mine
system? A system where datasets are built, maintained, and stored
in a variety of software, on different platforms? And you need
to handle all of the data in true 3D? This paper shows how we
integrate this complexity using ArcView, and how we package it
in a user-friendly graphical user interface. Knight Piisold is
developing an application for Westinghouse Electric Corporation
at the Dept. of Energys Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) storage
facility in New Mexico. This application, called SrGIS, for Spatially
Referenced Geotechnical Information System, manages data relating
to the radioactive waste deposited at the Plant, allowing the
user to query instrumentation data from multi-directional, multi-dimensional
views. SrGIS dynamically links ArcView to dBASE and Excel, and
performs remote process calls to ARC/INFO, accomplishing cross-platform
communication between PCs and UNIX workstations. The user interface
is programmed in Delphi, and the entire software development cycle
is managed using Source Integrity version control software.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Utilizing GIS for Waste Management and Site Selection
Deborah Soloman
ADAS Land Research Centre Gleadthorpe
Meden Vale
Mansfield
Nottinghamshire
England, NG20 9PF
Telephone: 44-1623-844431
Fax: 44-1623-844472
Land Contamination in Katowice Voivodeship, Poland: The
Role of GIS
The control of food production on contaminated land is a vital
undertaking in relation to a number of socioeconomic and environmental
conditions. ADAS together with HASKONING have been commissioned
by the European Union (EU) to advise on current agricultural practices
in the contaminated region of Katowice, Poland, as part of the
PHARE programme. The project comprises a general study of the
Katowice Voivodeship and a pilot project in Tarnowskie Gory Gmina,
both with the aim of controlling the production of food in areas
with high levels of heavy metals. This paper will refer specifically
to the pilot project for which the mechanisms developed to manage
and reconcile agriculture on land contaminated due to heavy metals
have been implemented. Extensive data sets pertaining to soil
analysis, geology, internal transport networks, industrial locations,
and agricultural practices in a variety of forms were identified
or collected and integrated within a geographical information
system (GIS). The spatial distribution of heavy metal contamination
throughout the Gmina were determined utilising GIS functionality
based on the land classification scheme devised by ADAS.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Utilizing GIS for Waste Management and Site Selection
Matthew H. Riggs
Illinois State Geological Survey
615 E. Peabody Drive
Champaign, Illinois 61820
Telephone: (217) 244-2425
Fax: 217-333-2830
E-mail: riggs@ripple.isgs.uiuc.edu
Curtis C. Abert
Potential for Contamination and Aquifer Sensitivity Mapping
in North-Central Lake County, Illinois
The Illinois State Geological Survey is involved in a project
to help counties locate solid waste disposal facilities in Illinois.
The focus of this project is to provide counties with geologic
maps that help to identify areas that are capable of hosting landfills.
A critical issue in siting these facilities is to avoid contaminating
any existing or potential groundwater resources. Mapping the
lateral and vertical distribution of aquifer materials (primarily
coarse-grained units such as sand and gravel deposits) is an essential
component to identifying potential groundwater resources. This
was accomplished for the north-central portion of Lake County,
Illinois, using ARC/INFO and the Dynamic Graphics’ Earthvision
software.
Subsurface data from over 6,000 well logs were entered into an
INFO database and used to generate several geologic coverages
including bedrock topography and drift thickness. These well
data provided input for the Earthvision program to produce a three-dimensional
model of the distribution of coarse-grained and fine-grained deposits.
From this 3-D model, information about aquifer thickness and
depth was derived and input into ARC/INFO to produce sand thickness
and depth-to-sand polygon coverages. These coverages were unioned
together to produce maps showing the Potential for Contamination
and Aquifer Sensitivity. Both maps were produced using the same
unioned coverage but they differ in the ranking of polygon characteristics.
The Aquifer Sensitivity map focuses on the aquifer thickness
component because thicker aquifers are considered more sensitive
to contamination due to an increased potential for supplying larger
quantities of water. The Potential for Contamination map focuses
on the depth-to-aquifer component as travel time of contaminants
is greater for deeper aquifers.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Utilizing GIS for Waste Management and Site Selection
Roger U. Koelpin
IDEM-OSHWM-HW Geology
100 N. Senate
P.O. Box 6015
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6015
Telephone: 317-232-8726
Fax: 317-232-3403
E-mail: ruk@opn.dem.state.in.us
Irvin A. Goldblatt
IDEM-OSHWM-HW Geology
100 N. Senate
P.O. Box 6015
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6015
Telephone: 317-233-3410
GIS Development in the Hazardous Waste Geology Section,
Office of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, Indiana Department
of Environmental Management
This paper summarizes GIS development in the Hazardous Waste Geology
Section, Office of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, Indiana
Department of Environmental Management. The project is funded
annually by the U.S. EPA to facilitate the cleanup of northwest
Indiana, which is designated as one of forty-three Areas of Concern
around the Great Lakes by the International Joint Committee pursuant
to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United
States and Canada. In 1991, technical staff formally began development
of data management processes to quantify the current state of
the environment, share this information with various stakeholders,
begin measurement of progress, and assist in formulation of long-term
stewardship roles and objectives. The conceptual model for GIS
development began as site-specific efforts for an integrated steel
mill and a closed hazardous waste landfill in the region. The
scope of the project has grown to a regional scale and crosses
program boundaries to meet the complexities of the region. This
Area of Concern is drained by both the Grand Calumet River and
the Indiana Harbor Canal, and comprises the southern shore of
Lake Michigan. The landscape was formed by coastal processes
associated with Lake Michigan, and its predecessors through glacial
time and over the last century have become heavily industrialized
with classic smoke-stack industries. However, even this economically
depressed urban setting provides many isolated, relatively undisturbed
areas that remain habitats for several rare, threatened, and endangered
species. GIS and global positioning system technologies are used
to better document the spatial and physical relationships between
regulated and protected entities. Also, our list of customers
for GIS support has spread beyond our own geology work unit, across
the office and agency, into other state and federal agencies,
and into the private sector. The expectations of both project
and staff are evolving as new insights and partnerships are realized.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Water Resources: Protection, Monitoring, and Special
Studies
Arne Hurup Nielsen
Water Quality Institute
11 Agern Alle
Hoersholm, Dk
DK-2970
DENMARK
Telephone: +45 42865211
Fax: +45 42867273
E-mail: ahn@vki.dk
Kim Jacobsen
Groundwater Protection
Ground water is a scarce and vulnerable resource. It is threatened
by many factors—among others: Nutrients, pesticides and hazardous
wastes. Ground water is the most important source of public water
supply in Denmark, since surface water is used only in very long,
dry periods. This occurs very seldoom in Denmark. Therefore, protection
of the groundwater is an important issue for the local, regional
and central authorities. This paper will focus on the use use
of GIS for such purposes and will demonstrate a practical application
of a GIS based ground water vulnerability study which was set
up for the County of Copenhagen. This area covers the suburbs
of Copenhagen, which is the most densely populated area in Denmark.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Water Resources: Protection, Monitoring, and Special
Studies
Chris Barnett
University of Missouri-Columbia
200 Mumford Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
Telephone: 314-882-8541
Fax: 314-882-3958
E-mail: barnett@cares.missouri.edu
Vulnerability of Missouri Public Drinking Water to Chemical
Contamination
In 1991 the Missouri Department of Natural Resources began implementation
of the Public Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment Program.
This program was designed to determine which public water supplies
in Missouri are threatened by chemicals being tested under the
Safe Drinking Water Act. The Center for Agricultural, Resource
and Environmental Systems was contracted to examine the spatial
relationship between water sources and potential sources of contamination.
State and federal data bases were researched for 54 agricultural
and industrial chemicals. This information was placed into a
GIS and compared to Missouri's public drinking water sources.
If the GIS indicates no potential sources of contamination for
a chemical in an area which would affect the water state-wide
analysis has resulted in the savings of over $13 million to the
state of Missouri in 1994 and 1995.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Water Resources: Protection, Monitoring, and Special
Studies
Marianne August
U.S. Geological Survey
333 W. Nye Lane
Carson City, NV 89706
Telephone: (702) 887-7600
Fax: 702-887-7629
E-mail: maugust@usgs.gov
Rose Medina
Lorri Pelt-Leur
Water-Related Scientific Activities of the Spatial Applications
Section, Nevada District, U.S. Geological Survey, 1995
The U.S. Geological Survey cooperates with Federal, State, and
local water-management agencies to collect hydrologic data and
make scientific studies that improve the knowledge and understanding
of Nevada's water resources. The Spatial Applications Section
of the U.S. Geological Survey, Nevada District is involved in
the creation, analysis, and display of digital data to support
such activities and studies. The section routinely incorporates
state-of-the-art technologies such as geographic information systems
(GIS), remote sensing, near-real-time data transmission, comprehensive
relational data bases, and multidimensional digital models. Some
of the activities and studies the Spatial Applications Section
of the Nevada District was involved with in 1995 are:
Ash Meadows Ground-Water Discharge
Data Synthesis of Irrigation Drainage Areas
Geographic Information System for Lake Tahoe Basin
Ground Water Budget for Dayton Valley
Ground-Water Conditions in and near Newlands Irrigation Project,
Carson Desert
Ground-Water Conditions, Desert Valley
Humboldt Basin Mining Effects
Intermittent Recharge in Eagle Valley
Nevada Basin and Range National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
Railroad Valley Evapotransporation
Truckee-Carson Program, River Basin Modeling and Monitoring
Upper Carson GIS: Spatial Data Base for Water Rights Information
Virgin River Geomorphic Study
Walker River Assessment
Water Resources Data Report (ADR), Water Year 1994
Water Resources Evaluation of Spanish Springs Valley
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Water Resources: Protection, Monitoring, and Special
Studies
Thomas Ruzycki
Thomas Ruzycki, GIS Analyst
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
101 S. Webster St.
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921
Telephone: (608) 266-5241
Fax: 608-267-3579
E-mail: ruzyct@dnr.state.wi.us
A GIS Model to Determine Groundwater Contamination Susceptibility
from Agricultural Sources in the Red River/Sturgeon Bay Watershed—Door
Peninsula, Wisconsin
The geology of much of the Door Peninsula is characterized by
a shallow soil layer underlain with limestone bedrock that has
numerous sinkholes and fractures. It is also an agricultural
area in which the spreading of manure over fields is a common
practice. The purpose of this model is to determine the potential
for runoff from these fields to reach the groundwater.
The model inputs include several ARC/INFO coverages that characterize
the natural features important to groundwater contamination in
the area. These are soil attenuation, fracture traces, closed
depressions in the landscape, and miscellaneous geologic features
such as sinkholes, crevices, quarries, and exposed bedrock. In
addition, an ownership parcel coverage allows each parcel to be
assigned a value based on its potential to contribute to groundwater
pollution. This value is determined by the existence of the natural
features listed above. Also, each barnyard in a parcel is assigned
a value for animal units, which is an estimate of how much manure
is produced there. All data was compiled at a scale of 1:24,000.
Each parcel is assigned points for its average soil attenuation
weighted by area, the number of fracture traces and geologic features
present, the proportion of the parcel's area that falls within
a closed depression, whether that depression has a definable principle
outlet (sinkhole), and the number of animal units associated with
its barnyard. Also, for a buffered area around each parcel, a
lesser number of points is assigned for average soil attenuation
and the number of fracture traces and geologic features present.
The results are used to determine best management practices for
manure spreading in each parcel within the watershed.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Wildlife Analysis and Habitat Methods
Jeff Campbell
Pacific Meridian Resources
421 S.W. 6th Avenue,Suite 850
Portland, OR 97204
Telephone: (503)228-8708
Fax: 503-228-8751
E-mail: pmr@crl.com
Jim Schriever
Using a GIS in Habitat Conservation Planning
Modern land management practices require increasing levels of
information to successfully compete and comply with strict regulatory
and environmental constraints. To effectively consider the cumulative
impacts of various land management decisions on air, soil, water,
fish, and wildlife, and their associated economic impacts, these
effects must be addressed at the watershed, landscape, and regional
scales over varying time periods and in the context of active
as well as passive ecosystem dynamics and disturbance patterns.
Traditional site specific information must be integrated into
a broader view for large scale planning efforts. As more organizations
embark on watershed analysis and habitat conservation planning,
the ability to access a well constructed data base for repeated
analysis under changing management scenarios and regulatory constraints
will play a vital role in this process.
This paper discusses the use of GIS in developing habitat conservation
plans. These large scale planning efforts required extensive
amounts of data including a variety of GIS data layers. To insure
development of a cost effective GIS database, existing information
from a variety of sources and scales was integrated into a consistent
form for these projects. In addition to integrating existing
proprietary data, digital data from public or other sources was
used to create the extensive coverages necessary for watershed
and/or conservation planning efforts. Finally, Landsat TM image
data can be used to generate current vegetation conditions that
are consistent across ownerships and assist in change detection
analysis for monitoring.
Once complete, these databases were utilized to examine a wide
range of environmental, economic, and social factors that can
be affected by land management practices. Questions that were
examined include issues related to water and air quality, population
demographics, soil stability and compaction, historical, current,
and future vegetative conditions, fish and wildlife habitat, economic
impacts, monitoring, and future research needs. The resulting
database and analysis results were utilized as an aid to resource
managers in making more informed decisions with regards to a wide
array of land planning issues.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Wildlife Analysis and Habitat Methods
Robert Weih
University of Arkansas
School of Forest Resources
P.O. Box 3468
Monticello, AR 71656
Telephone: 501-460-1248
Fax: 501-460-1092
E-mail: weil@vamont.edu
Philip A. Tappe
School of Forest Resources, Arkansas Forest Resources Center
University of Arkansas
P.O. Box 3468
Monticello, Arkansas 71656
Telephone: 501-460-1352
Fax: 501-460-1092
E-mail: tappe@uamont.edu
Chris W. Bennett
School of Forest Resources, Arkansas Forest Resources Center
University of Arkansas
P.O. Box 3468
Monticello, Arkansas 71656
Telephone: 501-460-1292
Fax: 501-460-1092
E-mail: bennett@aumont.edu
Ron Thrill
Wildlife Habitat & Silviculture Laboratory, USFS
Box 7600 SFA Station
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
409-569-7981
fx 409-569-9681
s=r.thill/oul=30a@mhs-fswa.attmail.com
Applying GIS and Remote Sensing to Avian Research: A Case
Study on the Ouachita National Forest
Phase III of the Ouachita Mountains Ecosystem Management Research
study is designed to support operational implementation of ecosystem
management at the landscape scale. Four watersheds, from 1,250
to 3,080 hectares, were delineated in the Ouachita National Forest
and nearby private industrial forest. To facilitate planning
and design of bird surveys, a major component of the study, basic
geographic information system (GIS) layers such as hydrography,
soil types, road and stream locations, elevations, slope, and
aspect were developed to characterize the area. In addition,
distinct vegetation spectral types were identified based on unsupervised
analysis of multitemporal Landsat TM imagery. After collating
the GIS layers, 524 bird census points were established along
seventy-two miles of transect. The transects were positioned
to sample many different combinations of vegetation spectral types
and physical features of the landscape, as determined by the GIS
analysis. All bird census points were then located in the field
and their positions recorded with differentially corrected global
positioning system (GPS) coordinates. Habitat information, such
as basal area, canopy height, canopy coverage, vegetation density,
and vegetation vertical profiles, was also measured at each bird
census point. Preliminary first year results showed that a total
of 3,201 birds were encountered representing sixty-one species,
of which thirty-one species were neotropical migrants. Habitat
data collected at the 524 bird census points were used along with
more current multitemporal Landsat TM imagery to classify the
study area into actual vegetation categories. The spatial arrangement
of these categories was used to examine previously over- or under-sampled
areas and to modify bird census points for the 1996 sampling season.
In addition, analyses of avian communities as they relate to
stand and landscape level habitat parameters were initiated to
incorporate the spatial modeling features of the GIS.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Wildlife Analysis and Habitat Methods
Roman Dial
Department of Environmental Science
Alaska Pacific University
4101 University Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
Telephone: 907-564-8296
Fax: 907-562-4276
E-mail: rdial@tardaddy.wr.usgs.gov
John M. Stroud
Department of Environmental Science
Alaska Pacific University
8740 Hartzell Road, Ste 101
Anchorage, AK 99507
Telephone: 907-344-6613
Fax: 907-344-6813
E-mail: jstroud@ESRI.com
Estimates of modern extinction rates appear to be more speculation
than observation. Calculations of contemporary "mass extinctions"—based
principally on anticipated losses due to habitat destruction in
the tropics rather than on documented losses anywhere—are
not universally accepted. Using historical land use data compiled
by EROS of the USGS and terrestrial mammal data compiled by state
Natural Heritage Programs, this paper compares losses predicted
by species–area relations to observed mammal losses for each
of the forty-nine continental United States. We considered croplands
and urban areas as nonhabitat, and any other, nonaquatic land
cover type as habitat. We used GRID in ARC/INFO to count habitat
and nonhabitat pixels in each state. We then converted the raster
data to vector data to quantify the size of the largest habitat
fragment in each state. These habitat estimates provided area
data to estimate ranges in species loss. The results indicate
that mammal extinctions in forty-two out of the forty-nine continental
United States are greater than or equal to extinctions expected
from habitat loss alone. This suggests that applying species–area
curves to habitat loss usefully estimates a lower bound to extinction
rates and implies that the global extinction crisis is real.
Track: Environmental & Natural Resources
Session: Wildlife Analysis and Habitat Methods
Cheryl A. Hallam
U.S. Geological Survey
521 National Center
Reston, VA 22092
Telephone: 703-648-4525
Fax: 703-648-4250
E-mail: challam@usgs.gov
ARC/INFO Applications in the Antarctic Program of the National
Science Foundation
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been active in Antarctic
mapping and research for more than thirty years. Work has included
geologic and hydrologic research, as well as topographic and satellite
image mapping. During the last decade, mapping activities have
expanded to include the production of digital cartographic data.During
the past two years, the agency has established a program (funded
by the National Science Foundation) of digital cartographic data
support for scientific groups at McMurdo Station, Antarctica,
during the austral summer field season and at Reston, Virginia,
during the rest of the year. That program uses ARC/INFO and ArcView
to enter, manipulate, and analyze Antarctic research data. Databases
developed by the USGS, New Zealand's Department of Surveys and
Land Information, and the British Antarctic Survey have provided
a stable backdrop for scientific data, and Environmental Systems
Research Institute, Inc., software has helped the research community
tie their observations to those base data.The activities of the
last two years have produced various applications such as tracking
penguins and developing an information system to assist search
and rescue operations around McMurdo Station.Any use of trade,
product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does
not imply endorsement by the U.S. government.
Track: Government
Session: Accessing Government GIS and Data
Carol Brandt
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
Telephone: 202-366-6662
Fax: 202-366-3640
E-mail: carol.brandt@bts.gov
The National Transportation Atlas
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is distributing
a set of geospatial datasets in the National Transportation Atlas
(NTA). A common file structure was created for each geospatial
feature type dataset: points, lines, and polygons. The file formats
were designed to make it easier for the user to view and extract
the data. The datasets will be distributed in this format until
the Transportation network Profile is adopted as part of the Spatial
Data Transfer Standard (SDTS).
The datasets represent the transportation layer of the National
Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The NTA is comprised of:
network datasets, including roads and railroads; point facilities,
such as Amtrak stations and airports; and reference datasets such
as state boundaries and urbanized areas. The intent of this paper
is to introduce the NTA to the ARC/INFO community.
Track: Government
Session: Accessing Government GIS and Data
Janis Kerrick
Hewlett-Packard Co.
300 Apollo Drive
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Telephone: 508-436-5240
Fax: 508-436-5177
E-mail: jan_kerrick@hp-chelmsford-unix1.om.hp.com
Federal Government, Public Access to GIS
The Library of Congress and several geographic information companies,
including Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., and
Hewlett–Packard have established The Center for Geographic
Information to promote and enhance the collections and services
of the Geography and Map Division. The Center will coordinate
the contribution of resources and knowledge from a wide spectrum
of the GIS industry to: Aid the Geography and Map Division in
its transition to the age of electronic maps and digital forms
of geographic information through advice and financial support.•
Facilitate sharing the Geographic and Map Division's resources
electronically. Promote the use of GIS by libraries, academia,
industry and commerce, education, and the general public. Encourage
donations of digital spatial data sets by American and foreign
governments, industry, and academia. Advance the Library's publication,
education, and exhibition programs in geographic information and
cartography.The purpose of the paper is to provide an update of
the paper on the Library of Congress that was presented in Prague
this fall.
Track: Government
Session: Accessing Government GIS and Data
Dr. Blanche W. Meeson
NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center
Code 902.2
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
Telephone: 301-286-9282
Fax: 301-286-0268
E-mail: meeson@daac.gsfc.nasa.com
Wayne J. Dickson
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
2070 Chain Bridge Road,Suite 180
Vienna, Virginia 22182-2536
Available and Planned Remote Sensing Data Useful for GIS
Applications
Over the past twenty five years, enormous volumes of digital spatial
data have been collected through various techniques such as automated
mapping, geographic information systems, and image proccesing
applications. Data access to these large databases may be constrained
by the need for a geographic information system (GIS) or a desktop
mapping system, constraints that often preclude broader use of
spatial information. While these data are easily shared among
a smaller workgroup, the distribution of data cross an organization's
network or the internet, has been more problematic. This has
resulted in multiple copies of these data and various compression
routines applied to the larger image formats stored within these
databases. Without highly structured procedures or specific cataloging
(metadata) to manage this replication, the decisions and integrity
of these data are highly suspect.
A suitable client/server model that emphasizes asynchronous cooperative
processing between the client and the server tasks is discussed
as one of the means of distributing these large spatial databases
across the internet.
Track: Government
Session: Applications in Transportation
Dr. John Sutton
GIS/Trans, Ltd.
2081 Business Center Dr., Ste 145
Irvine, CA 92715
Telephone: 714-222-0701
Fax: 714-222-1081
Jennifer Agt
GIS/Trans, Ltd.
2081 Business Center Dr., Ste 145
Irvine, CA 92715
Telephone: 714-222-0701
Fax: 714-222-1081
Applications Showcase: Network Conflation
GIS-T/Conflate, an ARC/INFO application, merges highway networks.
It was specifically customized for Southern California Association
of Governments to merge their Thomas Brothers Base Maps (spatially
accurate) with their TRANPLAN transportation model networks (feature
rich, not spatially accurate). Due to the disparate purposes
for which the files were developed-the Thomas Brothers for mapmaking,
the TRANPLAN networks for developing transportation model forcasts-there
proved to be no attributes suitable for matching street segments
between the two files. Nevertheless, the SCAG networks have benn
matched over a five county area with a very successful mathc rate.
To give some idea of the magnitude of this task, the base year
model network had over 30,000 street segments and the Los Angeles
county Thomas Brothers map alone has over 295,000 arcs. The conflated-or
merged-networks have been used to prepare presentation maps of
transporation model forecasts. The next step for this application
will be the confation of SCAG's transporatation model transit
networks to the Thomas Brothers map.
Track: Government
Session: Applications in Transportation
Dr. John Sutton
GIS/Trans, Ltd.
2081 Business Center Dr. Ste 145
Irvine, CA 92715
Telephone: 714-222-0701
Fax: 714-222-1081
Terry Bills
Southern California Association of Governments
818 W. 7th Street, 12th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017-3435
Telephone: 213-236-1807
Fax: 213-236-1962
ArcView Transporation Model Interface for Regional Transportation
Planning
Traditionally, transportation modeling and GIS-T data analyses
have been performed independent of each other using proprietary
software programs. Even where the two datasets have been brought
together, the data have most often been shown as simple overlays
with no real integration between them. Indeed, the two datasets
may not be spatially rectified or conflated to allow the data
to be integrated. The benefits of integrating model networks
and transportation data are widely championed by practitioners
but rarely accomplished. The benefits include being able to perform
transportation impact studies, evaluate trip generation, mode
choice and trip distribution effects, assessment of environmental
impacts of planned projects, and the display of transportation
model results to visualize forecast traffic impacts. As well
as the creation of maps, integrating the datasets enable more
powerful data analyses to be performed including buffer analysis
and SQL queries of multiple tables in the GIS database. The paper
will describe the transportation GIS project implemented by Southern
California Association of Governments (SCAG) which integrates
the agency’s transportation street network, model networks,
land use, demographic and employment datasets using ArcView.
The datasets are integrated in the SCAG Geographic Data Interface
(SGDI). The SGDI provides a user-friendly interface to allow
the non-technical GIS user to access, query, display, analyze
and plot the transportation and planning data. The integration
of all the agency’s data in a single uniform environment
and in the same map base provides a powerful yet user-friendly
GIS application. The presentation will include examples of the
type of integrated transportation planning analyses that are now
possible using ArcView applications.
Track: Government
Session: ArcView Districting
Jinan Li
Thompson Associates
2929 Plymouth Rd, Ste 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Telephone: 313-665-9500
Fax: 313-665-4934
Steven Lane
City of Ann Arbor-ISD
100 N. Fifth Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
Telephone: 313-994-1849
Fax: 313-994-3031
Tom McMurtrie
ArcView Application for Solid Waste Collection Districting
City of Ann Arbor, Michigan
The City of Ann Arbor Information Services Division has developed
a districting application for the Department of Solid Waste.
This ArcView application is built on the principles of districts
and subdistricts. The Department of Solid Waste employees may
use this tool to more efficiently and quickly manage the distribution
and scheduling of the residential solid waste collection routes.
The department's 44,805 customer accounts are aggregated within
969 tractblock polygons, and these can then be assigned to any
of the five districts and thirty-six subdistricts. Based on an
existing GIS database, different project plans can be created,
modified, and stored. The system has the advantages of a simple
mouse-driven operation, strong functionality, and can be easily
adapted to other districting applications such as Voter Districts,
Police and Fire Districts, etc.
Track: Government
Session: GIS and Interagency Cooperation
Karl A. Hermann
University of Tennessee
National Biological Service Cooperative
17 Ridgeway Road
Norris, TN 37828
Telephone: 423-632-1452
Fax: 423-632-1612
E-mail: karl@utkux1.utk.edu
The Southern Appalachian Assessment GIS
The Southern Appalachian Assessment (SAA), conducted from November,
1994 through January, 1996, relied heavily on geographic information
system (GIS) technology and information. The multiagency effort
presented a challenge to cooperators on how to effectively work
together in achieving the goals and objectives of the assessment
within the constraint of a tight timeline. This paper focuses
on how the GIS component of the SAA met that challenge, with respect
to, organization, development, and implementation of an interagency
GIS.
In October, 1994, the cooperating partners of the multiagency
Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Program (SAMAB) decided
to collaborate on an assessment of the status and condition of
the ecological resources in the Southern Appalachian Region.
In addition, the regional assessment was to identify and prioritize
areas in need of additional protection or ecological restoration.
SAMAB is a consortium of federal and state agencies working in
partnership to promote ecosystem management and sustainable development
in Southern Appalachia. The membership includes: the National
Biological Service, the US Forest Service, the US Environmental
Protection Agency, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the National
Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Geological
Survey, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
the Army Corps of Engineers, the Appalachian Regional Commission,
the Economic Development Administration, and the States of Tennessee,
Georgia, and North Carolina.
It was recognized early in the SAA planning stage that GIS technology
and information would play a vital role in the assessment and
reporting processes. Thus the primary objective of the SAA GIS
was to coordinate and provide the SAA cooperators with an appropriate
multiagency GIS infrastructure and analytical support in the multiteam
organization of the assessment project. The GIS effort included
the identification, compilation, integration, and analysis of
ecological and supporting data for the assessment activities.
The effort also included providing the cooperators, other researchers,
and the public with appropriate access to the information. Given
that there were no proven designs or true success stories for
multiagency regional ecological assessments, the processes and
accomplishments of the SAA and its GIS component are important
for other potential multiagency efforts to consider.
Track: Government
Session: GIS and Interagency Cooperation
Mary Tabler
The Center for Mapping
The Ohio State University
1216 Kinnear Road
Columbus, Ohio 43212
Telephone: (614) 292-8706
Fax: 614-292-8062
E-mail: tabler@cfm.ohio-state.edu
GISOM: A Digital Map Conversion Project Highlighting Interagency
Cooperation
Budget tightening coupled with the requirement to do more with
less has prompted governmental units to explore and develop innovative
partnerships among multiple tiers of governmental units and
the private sector. Generating Information from Scanning Ohio's
Maps (GISOM) is a project that meets these demands. Sponsorship,
support and cooperation among the USGS, five Ohio state agencies,
the Center for Mapping and the private sector have made this
project feasible.
GISOM, which is managed by the Center for Mapping, is a four-year
analog to digital 7.5 minute topographic map conversion project
utilizing state of the art mapping technologies. Aproximately
one half of the state is complete. Many state agencies, organizations,
businesses, and private individuals are already using the data
to support spatial analysis and mapping activities. The GISOM
project illustrates the benefits to be accrued by all levels of
government and the private sector when cooperation and scarce
resources are pooled for a common goal. This paper examines the
interagency cooperation needed to accomplish a project of this
scope.
Track: Government
Session: GIS and Interagency Cooperation
Scott T. Shipley
USDOC NOAA SILVER SPRINGS
1315 East West Highway
U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 301 713 3557 x174
Fax: 301-713-0173
E-mail: sshipley@gmu.edu
Ira A. Graffman
David P. Beddoe
GIS Does the Weather
ESRI GIS tools have been investigated for processing "real-time"
weather data, including surface and upper air observations, lightning,
radar reflectivity, model output gridfields, and satellite imagery.
In addition to traditional weather applications, GIS enables
new applications which could impact office automation and operations
of the modernized National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast
Offices (WFOs) and River Forecast Centers (RFCs). Emerging design
strategies identify COTS GIS as one component of the tools available
for weather office management and weather forecasting. Sample
applications are demonstrated, including AV 2.1 as standalone
(with AutoCAD), AV 1 via Internet, and new experience with AV
3 and high performance weather processing systems.
Track: Government
Session: GIS Applications in Public Health
Phillis Adams
Kentucky River Foothills Head Start
106 E. Main Street
P.O. Box 744
Richmond, Kentucky 40476-0744
Telephone: 606-623-7233
Fax: 606-623-7235
Pam Clawson
Improve Service Delivery with a Health and Human Resource
Geographical Information System (GIS)
The Goal One software will be described. It includes child and
family information, a tracking program from birth, and county
resources with a mapping program (PC ARC/INFO, ArcView 2.1) .
Using this type of program will allow for compiling of a county
resources directory, mailing of immunzation reminders, and providing
maps, as needed, to service locations.
The software provides for a unlimited number of resources to be
entered into a computer. this resoruce database will grow into
a powerful tool to quickly see which community resources can be
tapped to provide the needed services for improving yourn children's
quality of life.
The Geographical Information System supports client-improved services.
Resources have been geographically located (position noted on
a hard copy and digital map) and given an agency identification
number that corresponds to its listing in the Directory. It will
allow a service worker to locate any entity on a detailed map
and query the database for its associated attributes. There are
numberous "layers" of information such as health services,
schools, community service agencies, fire and police departments,
emergency services, and child care agencies. Each of these and
many more can be overlaid with each other and a series of base
layers like cities, roads and miscellaneous geographic points.
Track: Government
Session: GIS Applications in Public Health
Wansoo Im
Vertices
308 Raritan Ave
Highland Park, New Jersey 08904
Telephone: 908-846-1991
Fax: 908-846-1965
Michelle L. Pajaczkowski
GIS Use in Regional Health Planning
While geographical information systems (GISs) are relatively new
to the health care field, Jersey Coast Health Planning Council
(JCHPC)/Local Advisory Board VI (LAB VI), has taken an innovative
step in the planning field by integrating GIS into several project
areas. In doing so, this regional health planning board funded
by the New Jersey Department of Health sought out the services
of VERTICES, a GIS consulting firm providing services in the health
care industry. Together, JCHPC and VERTICES have been exploring
ways in which GIS can enhance the health planning and decision
making processes JCHPC participates in.For instance, under New
Jersey's State Health Plan (Chapter 8:100-1.1), identified unmet
public health needs due to gaps in health care services may be
mitigated through the certificate-of-need (CN) process. During
CN proceedings, new or expanding health providers seek recommendation
for approval by a LAB (such as JCHPC) to provide the requisite
services to a specific region. The means by which a local advisory
board arrives at a decision to approve or disapprove a CN application
relies heavily on the information provided by each applicant,
as well as nonpartisan research performed by LAB staff.Since most
CN reviews involve the addition or apportionment of health services,
it is crucial to look at the distribution of services (supply
side), as well as existing community health service needs (demand
side). Therefore, by integrating the spatial analysis component
of GIS into the domain of CN reviews, planners are better equipped
to resolve the conflict and confusion that often accompany decision
making based on numbers and statistics. This paper will serve
to (1) illustrate GIS's capacity to enhance and even transform
several of JCHPC's planning and research activities, including
certificate-of-need review, and (2) heighten awareness regarding
GIS application in the health care field.
Track: Government
Session: GIS Applications in Public Health
Mark Fiorentino
RAM Communications Consultants, Inc.
10 Woodbridge Center Drive - Suite 900
Woodbridge, New Jersey 07095
Telephone: 908-602-6366
Fax: 908-636-5047
E-mail: mfiorentino@ram.net
Bill Looney
Techniques for Enhanced 9-1-1 Database Development with
Integrated Land-Records Maintenance
The databases supporting Enhanced 9-1-1 Emergency Response require
the collection and vigilant update of resident, telephone and
response-agency information. It is of critical importance to
establish road-naming and addressing schemes which are predictable
and unambiguous. It is also critical that the territories of
resonding agencies be clearlydelineated for overlay with address
ranges. Finally, for the ongoing usefulness of a developed address
system, a reliable maintenance program must be defined and carried
out, so that conditions do not revert to the now common addressing
chaos which must be corrected in the interest of public safety.
We discuss the reasons that address conditions are as they are
and what steps are commonly taken to correct them. We provide
information on the level of detail required to produce an adequate
database representatation of a community as well as the appropriate
mapping technology and data required. There are political and
practical issues relating to the collection and interpretation
of existing address information. There also are issues relating
to the method for maintaining a newly established system. These
issues must be dealt with in accomplishing the intended goal,
and are discussed as the obstacles which must be surmounted en-route
to that goal.
Using relational database and GIS-based methods, address and telephone
data can be collected and integrated with databases provided by
the local telephone-service provider and by the local tax-assessment
authority. We will demonstrate how the phone the 9-1-1 database,
the phone company service database and the assessor's parcel database
can all benefit from a relational link and data integration.
Track: Government
Session: GIS for Safety Management Programs
Ammatzia Peled
Pelled Gis Maping Ltd
University Of Haifa
Department Of Geography
Mt. Carmel Campus
Haifa,31905
ISRAEL
Telephone: (972) 4-8 343 591
Fax: (972) 4-8 343 763
E-mail: A.PELED@UVM.HAIFA.AC.IL
Basheer Haj-Yehia
Pelled GIS Mapping Ltd.
67 Scweitzer St.
Haifa, 34995 ISRAEL
Shalom A. Hakkert
Technion- Israel Institute of Technology
Transportation Research Institute
Haifa, 32000 ISRAEL
Arc/INFO-Based Geographical Information System for Road
Safety Analyses and Improvement
Road Safety involves three major components: the road system,
the human factor, and the vehicle element. Those three elements
interlaced, and linked through georeferencing traffic events,
are the basis of road safety analyses and improvement. The location
perspective seems to be the most suitable methodology by which
to analyze different traffic events.
Geographical Information Systems offer an advanced engine to drive,
both area-wide and location-oriented investigations. The possibility
to raise and solve, easily, problems related to street segments,
streets, intersections, and neighborhoods, may ease much of the
labour-intensive production effort. Thus, more emphasis may be
given to complex analyses and in-depth investigations. The paper
describes an Arc\Info-based (GIS) road safety analysis system.
This, newly developed, software package was desigend for Haifa
municipality in Israel and may be adapted very easily to any other
city, whether in Israel or elsewhere. The package was tested successfully
with accident data during a three-year period, and was adopted
as the basic tool for road safety management, analyses and improvement.
Work is carried out now to add a "Before\After" analyses
module. The modular design of the system enables to add, easily,
additional modules, as well.
Track: Government
Session: GIS for Safety Management Programs
Dwarakanath Bayapureddy
F-224
Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
Mc Lean, Virginia 22101
Telephone: 703-285-3091
Fax: 703-285-3105
E-mail: dbayapureddy@intergate.dot.gov
GIS for Identification of High Accident Locations
Many highway agencies have been using GIS for analyzing accident
data. Identification of problem locations is one of the most
important aspect of accident studies. The purpose of the paper
is to show how to use various modules of ARC/INFO to perform operations
such as fixed segment analysis, sliding analysis and spot analysis
for identification of high accident locations. A prototype GIS
system was developed for this purpose. Using the system, user
can merge accident and roadway data, match the accident data and
locations, analyze the data using fixed segment, sliding and spot
analysis, calculate frequency and rate of accidents, select a
variable for stratification to calculate mean and standard deviation
of accident rates and frequencies and sort the sections based
on selected criteria. The GIS will also call external C programs
to calculate accident characteristics and expert system to identify
prority sites.
Track: Government
Session: GIS for Safety Management Programs
Hiroaki Sato
PASCO Corporation, SEC
Higashiyma BLDG. 5F 1-1-2
1-1-2 Higashiyama
Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153 JAPAN
Telephone: +81 3 3715 1221
Fax: +81 3 3715 1421
E-mail: rplews@pasco.co.jp
Fujiko Shibata
Development of a Traffic Accident Data Management and Analysis
System Using Dynamic Segmentation
A system has been developed to manage and display data about traffic
accident locations easily, relating traffic accident integration
data with digital road maps. The system can also analyze the
data about circumstances concerned with traffic accidents in various
ways. The location data of traffic accidents are managed not
as XY coordinates but as the distance from the starting point
of each route, using Dynamic Segmentation. Using this method,
it is not necessary to input the location manually, thus the time
of creating data can be shortened, in addition to preventing input
errors. This paper describes the process of creating a route-system,
technical problems encountered and various solutions to those
problems. Considerations about a new route system process are
also discussed.
Track: Government
Session: GIS for Safety Management Programs
Ron Filian
The County of Riverside
P.O. Box 1090
Riverside, CA 32501
Telephone: 909-275-6807
Fax: 909-275-6814
E-mail: rfilian@co.riverside.ca.us
Jeff Higelin
The County of Riverside
P.O. Box 1090
Riverside, CA 32501
Telephone: 909-275-6807
Fax: 909-275-6814
E-mail: jhigelin@co.riverside.ca.us
Traffic Accident Records Integration of Engineering Systems
GIS has become an integral element of overall systems development
in local government. Responding to an ever increasing demand
for data and analytical capabilities, the County of Riverside,
California, has developed the Geographic Information System-Based
Accident Records System (GIS BARS) over a two-year period. The
GIS BARS Project is funded jointly by the County of Riverside,
the State of California Office of Traffic Safety, and the Federal
Highway Administration. Collision Info, an accident records program,
has recently been released by the project team. The key to the
successful development of this product is its ability to integrate
data from a variety of sources to view the "big picture"
in an effort to move away from cause and effect traffic engineering
to a proactive posture. Consideration and prioritization of data
conversion and integration are delicate processes in the ever
changing fiscal and political climate of local government in Southern
California. Collision Info offers integration of accident locations
with centerline, parcel, traffic volume, land use, and survey
GIS layers, and provides data links to traffic control device
and pavement management databases. The GIS BARS project and Collision
Info house and provide traffic accident data for twenty-six cities,
five California Highway Patrol areas, two California Department
of Transportation districts, and the unincorporated area of Riverside
County.
Track: Government
Session: Government GIS Applications
Michael Clark
Texas Legislative Council
BOX 12128, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711-2128
Telephone: (512) 463-1160
Fax: 512-463-9026
E-mail: lissmjc@capitol.tlc.texas.gov
Tobin Crain
Shane Groves
Robert White
GIS Application for Redistricting in the State of Texas
The Texas Legislative Council (TLC) has developed a GIS application
using ARC/INFO for the redistricting projects in the State of
Texas. Three main applications have been written to accomplish
this task: Redistricting Application (REDAPPL), Boundary Definition
System (BDS), and Spatial Integrated Cartographic Environment
(SPICE). These application programs have been written using a
combination of AML and C code. REDAPPL is used to assist legislators
and their staff to create house, senate, congressional, state
board of education, and Judicial districts based on TIGER, U.S.
census, and election data. BDS is a user interface system used
by the GIS specialist at the TLC to create and update cartographic
databases primarily for precinct coverages, voter tabulation districts
(VTDs), and updates to school district boundaries. SPICE is the
main menu-driven application for producing large numbers of maps.
The SPICE menu system allows operators to choose a specific map
for production and customize which features to show based on the
needs of the request. This paper discusses how each application
is used in the GIS application process for redistricting.
Track: Government
Session: Government GIS Applications
Piotr Jankowski
Department of Geography
McClure Hall
Moscow, ID 83843
Telephone: 208 885-6452
Fax: 208 885-2855
E-mail: piotrj@uidaho.edu
Timothy Nyerges
T.J. Moore
Alan Smith
Spatial Group Choice: A SDSS Tool for Collaborative Spatial
Decision Making
The trend in modern organizations towards flatter structures and
the involvement of many stakeholder groups in solving today's
spatial decision problems, have created a need for information
technology capable of supporting collaborative spatial decision
making. Such information technology has developed in recent years
for the computerized support of group decision making aimed at
solving business problems, e.g., market strategies, corporate
planning, product development, and others. Similar information
technology to support group decision making aimed at solving spatial
decision problems, e.g., site selection, choice of environmental
and economic strategies, and urban/regional development, are now
beginning to appear in the research literature. GIS, often designed
for spatial decision support, have lacked a capability to collate
interests and interactions to support collaborative spatial decsiion
making, particularly for face-to-face meetings. As a step towards
addressing this void, we present a spatial decision support system
for groups (SDSS-G) called Spatial Group Choice. A spatial problem
focusing on prioritization for habitat site development is used
as a backdrop to present the design and development issues. We
discuss the technical and social-oriented design guidelines adopted
for the development of Spatial Group Choice using a framework
that characterizes meetings in terms of spatial-temporal dimensionality.
We then describe the design and implementation of Spatial Group
Choice, including a "tour" of the software, using a
habitat restoration decision problem. We conclude with issues
unresolved and prospects for future development.
Track: Government
Session: Government GIS Applications
Steven Scherma
Linn County Planning and Building Dept.
P.O. Box 100
Albany, Oregon 97321
Telephone: 541-967-3816
Fax: 541-926-8228
Moving to the Desktop with ArcView and Avenue: A Land
Use Planning Application and Its Development
GIS is an important tool in any planning department and geographic
data is currently being produced at a rapid rate. Typically,
the training and equipment necessary to get an entire staff using
the available data in ARC/INFO is cost prohibitive. ArcView presents
a solution to this problem by allowing geographic data to be accessed
through the PC.
Unfortunately, most staff members do not want to learn another
software package no matter how easy it is to learn. At the same
time they want and need the benefits of the GIS. The solution
to this problem is to write Avenue applications that allow the
staff to do its routine tasks while needing minimal to no instruction
in the use of the software. This paper/presentation will discuss
the development of such an application and demonstrate the final
product. The application allows planners to pick a property by
a variety of methods and then automatically generates a soils
map, a floodplain map, a zoning map, and a notification map.
The application performs queries on an assessor's database and
automatically shades the selected properties and places property
information text and house markers. In addition, it creates an
assessor database report and a soils report. The application
utilizes DDE links to other office software and SQL requests to
an Oracle database. Its development presented a number of challenges
and the solutions to some of those challenges will be discussed
as a part of the application development process during the presentation.
Track: Government
Session: Implemetation of Local Government Applications
Ping He
Engineering Systems
355 South Grand Ave., Ste 2530
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Telephone: 213-625-7636/703-324-3594
Fax: 213-625-3824
Douglas Scott
City of Falls Church
Department of Financial Services
300 Park Avenue
Falls Church, VA 22046
Telephone: 703-241-5110
Fax: 703-241-5146
Yogendra Singh
6729 Hartwood Lane
Centervill, VA 22020
Telephone: 703-222-0383
Fax: 703-222-7107
Swapan Nag
Engineering Systems
355 South Grand Avenue, Ste 2530
Los Angeles, CA 90071
GIS Implementation at the City of Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church, Virginia is situated a few miles east
of Washington D.C. bordering Fairfax and Arlington counties.
Although only two square miles in area with 9,500 residents Falls
Church has a local government organization and infrastructure
similar to cities with much larger populations. This paper focuses
on the first four GIS applications developed on the City’s
GIS.
In 1994, a commissioned study identified city-wide GIS needs for
geographic data, hardware and software. The City contracted out
acquisition of digital photogrammetric data at 1”=100’
scale, and digital terrain models for 2-foot contour generation.
At the same time, a cadastre was registered to the photogrammetry,
using the City’s tax maps as source. The City selected IBM’s
RS/6000 AIX platform and a network of microcomputers to utilize
ESRI’s ARC/INFO and ArcView software for their GIS.
The City then contracted out the development of a comprehensive
GIS database design, followed by four key applications to demonstrate
the practical implementation of the design. Data layers and data
flow among the City agencies were mapped as part of the logical
design. The physical design implemented the logical relationships
on the selected ARC/INFO GIS platform with Oracle as the primary
relational database management system. The design incorporated
elements of the Spatial Data Transfer Standard to facilitate data
exchange between federal government, the neighboring counties,
and the City. Attributes for individual data layers were listed
and key attributes for relational linkage identified. A comprehensive
data dictionary was compiled. Many to many relationships among
parcels, ownership, buildings, addresses, and tenancy were resolved.
Redundancies and data duplication were eliminated through a normalized
relational design.
Four key applications were developed during the first phase of
GIS implementation: zoning, real estate assessment value analysis,
homeowner notification, and street sign inventory management.
In the zoning application, City zoning codes were defined within
the zoning coverage and existing zoning patterns reproduced in
ArcView. A zoning map was created by overlaying the zoning and
parcel coverages. The real estate application was developed by
establishing linkage between the City’s financial database
on the IBM AS400 with the GIS. Real Property Code (RPC) number
was the unique key utilized to set up linkage. Residential and
Commercial property values were thematically mapped. Patters
of high and low property values were clearly distinguishable for
different districts within the City. Automation of homeowner
notification around a 150’ annulus of a targeted parcel was
achieved using the same RPC linkage and them by them queries in
Arc View. Homeowner names and addresses were accessed, a mailing
list generated, and a wordprocessor used to merge each notification
with the related mailing label. The traffic sign inventory system
was developed to create an inventory map, classified by sign type.
Attribute data provided by the Public Works Department were entered
into the GIS and various maps and reports generated for traffic
sign management.
Successful implementation of GIS applications at the City of Falls
Church within a relatively short period can be directly attributed
to the commitment of City government to this new technology: effective
management of the GIS implementation program by the City and its
prime consultant; appropriate selection, support, and retention
of qualified consultants throughout the needs analysis, systems
selection, data acquisition, GIS database design-implementation
and application development phases of the project; excellent coordination
and cooperation among the various agencies involved; and the timely
provision of needed information and support to the GIS Application
development effort.
Track: Government
Session: Implemetation of Local Government Applications
James Heald
City of Austin
Department of Planning & Development
301 W. 2nd Street
P.O. Box 1088
Austin, TX 78767
Telephone: 512-499-6448
Fax: 512-499-2269
Putting GIS on the Desktop in a Large Planning Agency
The City of Austin Planning Department has a long history of using
GIS and other mapping technologies to deliver high-quality map
products to other City departments, businesses, and the general
public. Because of this experience, the City has a large inventory
of geographic data sets that could be used by the Planning staff
to improve decision making, if it were accessible. In August
1994 the department began an experiment with making GIS available
on the desktop of planners and other frontline staff people in
order to integrate GIS technology with daily operations. The
department also made the technology available to the public in
a limited way. While this would have been an ideal ArcView application,
ArcView was not available at the time on the VMS platform. The
GIS staff for the department built an easy-to-use, comprehensive
GIS Viewer using AML to get this program up and running. This
paper will look at the Viewer application and the functionality
it delivers to the desktop, how GIS is being used and the impact
that it has had on daily operations, and the challenges of translating
this application into ArcView as we move to a UNIX environment.
Track: Government
Session: Implemetation of Local Government Applications
Kamal Jalouqa
G. Zarqa Plan
P.O. Box 3276
Amman 11181
Jordan
Telephone: 962-6-795533
Fax: 962-6-649420
Municipal Information Systems in a GIS Environment
Municipalities all over the world deal with managing urban growth
and the provision of the necessary infrastructure which makes
this growth possible. Keeping and running an updated database
which is capable of representing the existing natural and built
environment and the management system has always been a matter
of serious consideration to these organizations. As data in the
broad form of knowledge is not always easy to acquire, keep, or
interpret as a basis for decisions affecting human interaction
in the rather complicated sphere of Urbania. The most difficult
part being the ability to represent the correlation between a
human activity and the way it is shaping space or the form of
the ecosystem. The introduction of geographic information systems
(GISs) has been of great help to the designers and beneficiaries
of municipal information systems. But this is only a theoretical
starting point; in practice we have seen only few successes to
prove the workability of such a claim. Municipal departments
are keeping records of people, business establishments, and buildings.
And it is not seldom that decisions, once needed, are taken without
sufficient reference to these records, simply because they are
not shapable into knowledge at the right time. This paper will
attempt to study the nature of information needs for various municipal
functions and the technical, administrative, human, and financial
dimensions of establishing a working municipal information system,
which will help the municipalities in performing their duties.
Two case studies will be used as a basis for the elaborations
illustrating the main topics of this paper: The Greater Amman
Municipal Information System developed around GDS S/W and The
Greater Zarqa Planning Information System developed on a PC ARC/INFO
platform. Both cases are from Jordan, but some generalities could
be established for countries of similar socioeconomic conditions.
Track: Government
Session: Implemetation of Local Government Applications
Roger E. Eastman
City of Sedona
P.O. Box 30002
Sedona, AZ 86339-0002
Telephone: 520-204-2125
Fax: 520-282-5348
E-mail: city@sedona.net
From Development to Application: Problem Solving Using
GIS in the City of Sedona
The City of Sedona, a rural community in north central Arizona
of approximately 10,000 people, has been slowly implementing a
Geographic Information System (GIS) for a number of years. The
struggles and the approaches taken by the City to finally implement
the GIS were discussed in a paper presented at the 1995 15th Annual
ESRI User Conference by this author.
This paper will focus on some of the applications of our evolving
GIS to address some of the growth issues and problems facing the
City of Sedona. The paper will show how the level of sophistication
of our GIS applications has grown based on the availability of
information for our data layers. Some of the initial cartographic
applications of the GIS will be discussed. The use of GIS to resolve
major challenges with the development and implementation of the
City’s wastewater system will be highlighted, with specific
reference to anomalies in the originally implemented billing mechanism,
and how GIS enabled the City to recover thousands of dollars in
lost revenues. The paper will conclude with a look at ongoing
challenges and problems, as well as the approaches taken to resolve
these.
Track: Government
Session: Important Data Automation Issues in Transportation
(I)
Gregory Plumb
City of Johnson City
137 W Market St.
Johnson City, TN 37604
Telephone: 423-434-6185
Fax: 423-434-6189
Preparing Networks for Routing Applications
One of the most powerful analysis capabilities in ARC/INFO is
the path finding, or routing, commands of the NETWORK module.
It is not always an elementary task, however, to use the module
for deriving or updating paths that are real-world solutions to
various routing problems. Its successful use presumes the GIS
specialist understands both the network data model and how it
needs to be manipulated for a particular routing application.
This paper discusses how to prepare and manage data elements
critical to the model. Issues include the management of turntables,
modeling one-way and multiple-pass streets, and contending with
the "stops-only-at-nodes" requirement. Spatial ordering
versus a user-interactive approach is also discussed for defining
zones to determine multiple routes.
Track: Government
Session: Important Data Automation Issues in Transportation
(I)
James W. Price
Univeristy of Georgia
201 N. Milledge Ave
Athens, GA 30602
Telephone: 706-542-6297
Fax: 706-542-9301
E-mail: james@bogey.lislab.uga.edu
Using the Georgia Department of Transportation's Road Characteristics
Database for Intersection Level Calibration: An Application of
the ARC/INFO Dynamic Segmentation Model
The George Department of Transportation's (GDOT) Planning Data
Services road characteristics database (RCFILE) and their digital
road maps include enough information to implement a dynamic segmentation
model. The RCFILE contains more than twenty events stored by
milepoint along each route. Events such as surface types and
bridges are stored in the RCFILE. The link between the RCFILE
and the digital map base enables a direct placement of the RCFILE's
events, with some restructuring, onto the digital road map. County
road maps produced by the GDOT contain such information as surface
type and bridge locations. By using the information in the RCFILE
and the digital road map, a route system was built and calibrated
to the intersection level. This paper covers the procedures used
in creating the routes, placing calibration labels, calibrating
the routes, and restructuring the RCFILE into more useable event
tables. The problems that occurred will be discussed along with
work-arounds and solutions.
Track: Government
Session: Important Data Automation Issues in Transportation
(I)
Jimmy X. Chen
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
1008 South Marguerita Ave., #1
Alhambra, CA 91803
Telephone: 213-922-2825
Fax: 213-922-2868 or 922-2849
The Application of ARC/INFO GIS in the Zone Building Process
of Transportation Modeling
This paper explores the application of ARC/INFO GIS in transportation
modeling, with a particular emphasis placed on traffic analysis
zone splitting and its centroid connector coding.
ARC/INFO GIS can be used in the zone splitting process by establishing
a correspondence table between old zone and new zone. If a new
zone is entirely (100%) in an old zone, polygon analysis (INTERSECT)
can be applied to old and new zone coverages. If an old zone
entirely (100%) in new zone, the new zone has 100 percent of old
zone socioeconomic characteristics. Most often, anew zone overlaps
with many old zones in various ways. Under this circumstance,
the new zone should be intersected with all old zones, and the
percentage share of each common area over each old zone can be
calculated. In the post-processing step, the products of each
percentage share with each old zone socioeconomic characteristics
can be summed up to yield socioeconomic characteristics for each
new zone.
ARC/INFO GIS is extremely helpful in coding zone centroid connectors
as well. A point coverage of population and employment densities
may be overlaid on the top of polygon coverage of traffic analysis
zone to determine the proper zone centroid location. Ideally,
a zone centroid should be connected with all links surrounding
the zone. In reality, however, some centroid connectors should
be excluded due to different physical barriers (rivers, railroads,
mass transit facilities, and other line features). By overlaying
these line features on the top of polygon feature (TAZ), we might
be able to better determine those most reasonable centroid connectors.
A zone centroid should not be connected with an intersection
node of highway network because of the requirement for determining
truing movement. To prevent this situation from happening, in
ARCEDIT, a node-to-node snapping distance should be set to zero,
and only node-to-arc coding is performed.
In addition, polygon manipulation analysis might be conducted
to adjust zone boundaries due to various reasons, such as heterogeneous
socioeconomic characteristics within the zone and new highway
functional classification, and so on.
Track: Government
Session: Important Data Automation Issues in Transportation
(II)
Rudy Stricklan
Mapping Automation, Inc.
335 North Alma School, Ste A
Chandler, AZ 85224-4301
Telephone: 602-829-3090
Fax: 602-732-0554
E-mail: rstrick@mapauto.com
Todd Augér
CAD/GIS Manager
Route 1 Box 216
Scottsdale, AZ 85256
Telephone: 602-874-8160
Fax: 602-874-8179
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's Measurement-Based
GIS
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC), a 52,000-acre
settlement of Native Americans adjacent to Scottsdale, Arizona,
is implementing a unique GIS to serve its citizens. Based on
ESRI's ARC/INFO software, the SRPMIC's GIS will develop an extremely
accurate cadastral measurement database maintained by surveying
and legal description data. Unlike traditional coordinate-based
mapping systems, the SRPMIC's measurement-based GIS will store
the originating surveying measurements to create an accurate,
verifiable cadastral base, rather than obtaining discrete coordinates
derived from digitizing existing source maps. By storing the
cadastral measurements, the SRPMIC's GIS database can be automatically
readjusted whenever datum changes or survey control modifications
occur. Additionally, an online record of the originating legal
descriptions, as well as a complete cadastral chronology, will
be stored simultaneously as the SRPMIC's digital cadastre is developed
over time. In effect, the GIS graphics representation for the
Community will be created and automatically maintained through
the input of textual legal descriptions. This paper examines
the database design and implementation issues for the SRPMIC's
measurement-based GIS and explores concerns endemic to Southwestern
Native American GIS developments in general.
Track: Government
Session: Important Data Automation Issues in Transportation
(II)
David Harrison
490 N. Burr Oak Ave, Suite #2
Oregon, WI 53575
Telephone: 608-835-3500
Fax: 608-835-7891
E-mail: dharrison@mandli.com
Steve Smith
Jim Zellmer
490 N. Burr Oak Ave, Suite #2
Oregon, WI 53575
Telephone: 608-835-3500
Fax: 608-835-7891
E-mail: jzellmer@mandli.com
Creating D-GPS Base Maps; Milepost, Sign, Georeferenced
Digital Images and Attribute Coverages for the Texas DOT
The Texas Department of Transportation recently began a pilot
project in the Odessa District to capture differential GPS, inertial
data, georeferenced digital images and inventory data on approximately
6000 miles of West Texas roads for their GIS applications. This
project is the culmination of an effort, begun within the District
in 1988, to display roadway information on digital maps.
Odessa's GIS aspirations began by simply manually coloring maps
to illustrate roadway sections to be evaluated during each pavement
analysis cycle. Because this process was cumbersome and time
consuming, it resulted in a less than satisfactory result. Soon
thereafter, the Texas DOT implemented a linear referencing system
(Texas Reference Markers or TRM) on the roadway network. This
system provided a method to identify each data element with a
unique key along with markers that were clearly visible in the
field. The Texas Reference Marker system became the backbone
of a roadway inventory and pavement condition database.
The Texas DOT has reviewed a variety of GIS software solutions.
As an interim step, and prior to the commencement of this current
project, the Odessa District along with TxDOT's Design Division
created GPS based county maps with alignments and reference markers
on them using SAS Graph. This method provided the District with
its first, clearly crude GIS capability. At the same time, the
District began to look at updating its photolog (last updated
in 1985) in 1992. The photolog was used to document remote project
sites, inventory project requirements and prepare plans in the
office.
The District began evaluating a variety of updated videologging
and software tools and planned to procure a new system in 1993.
That effort was cancelled. However, in late 1994 and early 1995,
the District again reviewed new imaging and software tools as
part of its GIS plans.
The District procured georeferenced digital images, o-GPS and
inertial data, Mandli Roadview IV software for ArcView 2.1 and
Mandli Rooadview Inventory Software. The georeferenced digital
images are used to populate, verify and update sign, feature,
bridge and surface condition inventories in a Sybase relational
database. The georeferenced images are stored on a 90GB RAID
(Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) based server so that all
network users have access to them. A RAID based solution provides
a very high performance server, compared to jukebox or obsolete
videotape based solutions.
The sign, surface condition and milepost databases are used within
Texas' ARC/INFO, ArcView, Roadview and Sybase environment for
analysis and planning purposes.
Track: Government
Session: Integrating GIS with Transportation Planning Models
M. Russell Bentley
Post Buckley Schuh and Jernigan, Inc.
1560 Orange Avenue
Winter Park, Florida 32789
Telephone: (407) 647-7275
Fax: 407-647-0624
E-mail: dmhuey@gate.net
Mark Boggs
Utilization of GIS in the Decision Making Process of a
Transportation Master Plan: The Interstate 4 Multi-Modal Master
Plan
The east-central region of Florida, including Orlando, has experienced
extremely dynamic growth in the past two decades. This has placed
a continual strain on the existing transportation network. The
region's primary transportation artery, Interstate 4, is experiencing
much of this strain. In order to alleviate this strain on I-4
and prepare for the future growth of the region, the State of
Florida Department of Transportation (District 5) is preparing
a comprehensive master plan to guide future improvements to I-4.
Alternatives vary in scope from the simple addition of lanes,to
the addition of extensive high occupancy vehicle lanes, park and
ride facilities, and urban rail systems.
As alternatives have been developed, GIS has been introduced as
a means of evaluation to decide which ones best meet the overall
needs and concerns of the region. It is the purpose of this paper
to describe the alternatives and illustrate how GIS is aiding
planners in this complex decision making process. Two primary
GIS applications will be described: the determination of wetland
impacts and right-of-way acquisition costs. Each application
will include a discussion of
database design and creation with high resolution aerial photography,
the spatial analysis, final reporting procedures, and benefits
of using GIS versus previous methods of evaluation.
Track: Government
Session: Integrating GIS with Transportation Planning Models
Michael Flood
770 Lynnhaven Pkwy, Suite 120
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23452
Telephone: 804-431-0049
Fax: 804-431-0812
E-mail: 73573, 1045@compuserve.com
Vic Siaurusaitis
8737 Colesville Road, Suite 1100
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Telephone: 301-588-080
Fax: 301-588-0856
Major Investment Studies in Transportation—GIS and
Traffic Modeling as Decision Making Tools
The MIS process for transportation projects involves the compilation
and analysis of data for a number of inputs. Specifically, environmental,
land use, social, cultural resource, and traffic data must be
assembled and analyzed in some platform that will provide for
easy interpretation at the decision making level. Integrating
the traffic model into ARC/INFO provides the project manager with
the ability to assemble, query and display the necessary information
for decision making and public display. The purpose of this
paper is to outline the possibilities of GIS for Major Investment
Studies in transportation, highlight the benefits of an integrated
traffic model and discuss the interaction between the analyst
and the decision maker. The authors will discuss a MIS currently
in thecompletion stage.
Track: Government
Session: Integrating GIS with Transportation Planning Models
Shih-Lung Shaw
Department of Geography
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton,Florida 33431-0991
Telephone: (407) 367-3297
Fax: 407-367-2744
E-mail: SHAWSL@ACC.FAU.EDU
Phillip Lall Dass
A GIS Analysis of Geographic Variations in Travel Characteristics
Travel characteristics studies have traditionally collected and
analyzed data at the zonal level (e.g., traffic analysis zones).
This aggregate approach precludes the possibility of examining
potentially important variations of travel characteristics at
a finer geographic scale. With the address-matching and map overlay
capabilities available through a GIS, transportation plnners
should no longer limit themselves to the constraints imposed by
the traditional aggregate approach.
This paper will report the procedures of implementing a GIS approach
to the Treasure Coast Travel Characteristics Study conducted in
south Florida. This study collected household and detailed individual
travel log data geocoded to either street addresses or street
intersections. ARC/INFO address-matching function was used with
the enhanced TIGER/Line address coverages of the three-county
(Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin Counties) study area to create
a complete household and travel characteristics GIS database.
This point coverage is accessible to users through ArcView 2
to make queries and to display travel patterns down to the details
of individual trip end locations.
In addition, the current Florida Standard Urban Transportation
Modeling Structure (FSUTMS) uses only household type, household
size and vehicle ownership as the structure variables in the definition
of trip generation tables; therefore, it implicitly assumes that
geographic locations have no (or insignificant) impact on the
trip generation patterns. In order to evaluate the validity
of this assumption, this paper uses buffer and overlay functions
to classify the trip ends according to two schemes of geographic
locations: proximity to central cities and proximity to major
highways. Summary statistics on selected key travel characteristics
(e.g., average trip rate and average trip length) are computed
for the different zones based on each of the above two proximity
criteria. Statistical hypothesis tests are then conducted on
the summary statistics. A test result of rejecting the null hypothesis
indicates that geographic locations may be an important variable
to be included in the definition of trip generation table structure.
This paper then proposes a set of GIS procedures to derive the
necessary data to be incorporated into the FSUTMS trip generation
modeling.
Track: Government
Session: Integrating GIS with Transportation Planning Models
Stephen R. Pritchard
Applied Geographics, Inc.
33 Broad Street
Boston, MA 02109
Telephone: (617) 367-8626
Fax: 617-367-8581
E-mail: steve@appgeo.com
Using ARC/INFO for High-Speed Ground Transportation Siting
Applied Geographics, Inc. (AGI) developed GIS applications to
assist the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTC)
in evaluating selected areas for their potential as high speed
ground transportation corridors (HSGT). AGI, as a subcontractor
to Parsons Brinkerhoff, developed a GIS database and methodologies
for placing and analyzing corridors from Boston, Massachusetts,
to Charlotte, N.C., and areas in the "Chicago Hub."
This paper will present the details of how ARC/INFO was used
to accomplish this project.
ARC/INFO was used to support several of the project's requirements,
including: handling the large area affected by the corridor;
placing alignments and curve geometry; making changes in the construction
type, stationing and location of an alignment; and, handling the
three dimensional nature of the terrain traversed by the corridor.
AGI collected a variety of vector data, including existing rail
and other transportation routes, land use information, and political
and urban boundaries. These were integrated with raster satellite
data into an ARC/INFO GIS database. This integrated database
provided the foundation for siting the alignments.
After the corridor was preliminarily sited using ARC/INFO, the
coordinates were passed to another program to generate a highly
precise geometric alignment, with proper curves, spirals, and
other characteristics needed to accommodate the requirements of
high speed ground transportation. This alignment was integrated
into ARC/INFO where it could be mapped and where the affects on
land use, proximity to urbanized areas, and other factors could
be quantitatively analyzed and reported.
Track: Government
Session: Land Records
Christi L. Stevens
LOJIC
700 W. Liberty
Louisville, KY 40202
Telephone: 502-540-6383
Fax: 502-540-6365
Managing Parcels with ArcStorm
This paper highlights experiences developing an ArcStorm parcel
management system. Managing parcels in an ArcStorm environment
holds many advantages over ARC/INFO's Librarian system. Concurrent
transaction management and feature locking show great potential
but bad performance becomes an issue when managing a large, multi-feature
parcel database.Improvements in performance will go a long way
in moving ArcStorm forward to being a truly functional transaction
management and storage facility for spatial data. Described in
this paper you will find the results of numerous benchmarks that
show how dual or multi-CPU processors may help. As well as you
will find tips that may help in the development of your own ArcStorm
Parcel Management system.
Track: Government
Session: Land Records
Robert Agnew
City of Las Vegas
400 E. Stewart Ave., 2nd Floor
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101-2942
Telephone: 702-229-6049
Fax: 702-385-7268
Jason E Lewis
Richard Wells
Large Urban Parcel Database: Update, Maintenance, and
Product Creation
Since its inception in 1988, the City of Las Vegas’ GIS group
has been involved in the creation of an urban parcel-based GIS.
We have digitized, received data from other entities, received
data from outside engineering firms and have provided same to
other entities and outside engineering. Our maps/profiles have
been used by FBI, BLM, various Federal Government Agencies, local
and state public safety agencies as well as other CLV Departments,
and outside (paying) customers.
We feel that a thorough discussion of how we 1) receive and process
base data (County Assessor Parcels), 2) update and maintain our
own datasets built from this base data (“detail” files
and librarian functions), and 3) the production of maps/plots
on demand for customers of this data (“plot-gen” and
“kathy”) would be very useful to many of the ARC-INFO
users who are following along behind us on similar projects.
During the 8 years since the City of Las Vegas first embarked
on it’s GIS program, we went from a Prime mini-computer to
Sun SPARCstations, and from 56,024 parcels to 181,000+ parcels.
We have written several AMLs to help automate the process of
receiving data from the County Assessor, to build additional
layers of data specific to the City from this base (parcel) layer,
the use of Librarian to perform additional QC on all the data
(assessor as well) and a couple of rather sophisticated AMLs to
produce plotfiles of desired areas with requested layers in a
mostly automated procedure.
While many of the other urban users are at least as sophisticated,
if not more so, we believe that our unique collection of GIS users
in the Las Vegas Valley, together with a single point of creation
for the parcel (base) layer provides us many opportunities to
give insight to others in similar situations.
Track: Government
Session: Land Records
Mike Weber
Johson County , AIMS Department
111 S Cherry
Olathe, KS 66061
Telephone: (913) 764-8484 Ext 6265
Fax: 913-791-1762
E-mail: mikew@kc.grapevine.com
Tim Sosinski
Black & Veatch
8400 Ward Parkway
K.C., MO 64114
Telephone: (913) 339-3845
Fax: (913) 339-3817
E-mail: SosinskiTM@bv.com
Digital Subdivision Plat Submittals CAD to ARC Procedures
Tried and Lessons Learned
The idea of surveyors and developers submitting digital plats
to a city or a county so that the plat could be translated directly
into an ARC/INFO coverage has been around for a long time. The
implementation of this concept however is not as simple as it
appears. Differences in the way the Land Plat is collected and
stored in the CAD environment is significantly different than
that employed within the ARC/INFO data model. The GIS technician
assumes that by importing a DXF file the plat will import as it
appears in the CAD environment. Converting the CAD data into
ARC/INFO begins with a careful data CAD layering and database
design and specific procedures for importing the CAD layers via
DXF. Topics covered by Johnson County and Black & Veatch
will include: 1) Differences in the CAD and ARC/INFO data model
2) limitations of the software during the import 3) varying snap
environments and tolerances which are dependent upon plat features
4) reassembling the plat in a parcel coverage 5) QA/QC issues
and approaches.
Track: Government
Session: Land Records
David Tulloch
Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 263-5534
Home (608) 833-8159
Fax: 608-262-2500
E-mail: LICGF@macc.wisc.edu
Steve Ventura
Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 263-5534
Fax: (608) 262-2500
Ben Niemann
Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 263-5534
Fax: (608) 262-2500
Earl Epstein
Measuring GIS/LIS Progress in Local Governments: Land
Records Modernization and its Outcomes
As local governments grapple with tough decisions about land records,
they seek answers about the modernization process and the value
of modernization efforts. To help address these issues, we have
designed and administered a multiple-state series of surveys studying
the modernization process. These surveys are designed to determine
the factors of modernization in the process, and the outcomes
of the process. Specifically, we will present a "snapshot"
and comparison of local government investments and efforts in
GIS/LIS in the states of Ohio and Wisconsin. In addition, we
will present a series of factors which have been found to promote
and/or inhibit modernization at different stages of progress.
Finally, we will discuss our research aimed at assisting in the
identification of the benefits of modernization. Specifically,
we are working to identify benefits of three distinct types:
efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. We will discuss the status
of our efforts towards the identification and measurement of these
outcomes.
Track: Government
Session: Land Records & Cadastral
Bart Guetti
PlanGraphics, Inc.
c/o Chester County DCIS
10 N. Church St.
West Chester, PA 19344
Telephone: 610- 344-6475 (V)
Fax: 610-344-6794
E-mail: b_guetti@mail.co.chester.pa.us
Developing a Land Records System Using ArcStorm and Oracle
The process of developing a totally reengineered system for the
management and tracking of a county's land records is no small
task, and while there are highly sophisticated tools available
to assist in this challenge, integrating them into a single system
requires a thorough understanding of the business rules and the
software being utilized to implement the system. This paper will
present the results of PlanGraphics experiences with Chester County
Pennsylvania's efforts to establish such a system and will cite
the experiences gained with ArcStorm, ArcTools, and Oracle in
developing a pilot parcel and planimetric data base in a distributed
computing environment. A discussion of ArcStorm's feature locking
and Oracle's integrity constraint capabilites and their impacts
on the process of updating the data base will be presented.
Track: Government
Session: Land Records & Cadastral
Marina Havan-Orumien
PlanGraphics, Inc.
1300 Spring St. Ste 306
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 301-588-8535
Fax: 301-588-5979
Mark Massucci
Chester County Department of Computing and Information Services
10 N. Church St.
West Chester, PA 19380
Telephone: 610-344-6475
Fax: 610-344-6794
Maureen Lavan
Reengineering Land Records Process in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania, has been in the process of implementing
a GIS to reengineer its Land Records System for two years. The
system is establishing direct links among the major departments
utilizing the GIS, WAN, RDBMS, and document imaging technologies
to streamline the handling of the property data. The County's
Land Records project consists of six core departments with plans
to expand to the entire County. The reengineering process at
the County consists of three major components. First—Establishing
Business Roles: the presentation will describe the procedure
followed for each department to gather the required information
and the tools used to verify the findings within each department.
The established standard operating procedures assisted the County
and its consultants in developing the new business roles used
to reengineer the land records process. Second—Institutional
Restructuring: the requirement for reengineering the Land Records
System originated with the County's decision to implement Uniform
Parcel Identifiers (UPI), a geographic coordinate based number.
Based on the current standard operating procedures, implementing
the UPI required establishing a new division within the County,
passing an ordinance, and changing the way documents were handled
in the County. The presentation will describe the institutional
requirements, in addition to the data needs and GIS tools that
were needed to implement the UPI. Third and final—Application
Development: the County chose ARC/INFO and Oracle software to
implement the County's Land Records System.
Track: Government
Session: Land Records & Cadastral
Gilles Boutin
DMR Group Inc.
2960 Laurier Boulevard
Ste-Foy (QuCbec) Canada
GIV 4S1
Telephone: 418-653-6881
Fax: 418-653-4428
E-mail: Gilles Boutine@dmr.ca
A Mission-Critical GIS Application
Background
In 1992, the Quebec Government (Canada) launched the Cadastral
Reform Program. The program will cost about $ 500 million and
will provide the Government (Ministry of Natural Ressources) with
a digital cadastral database of 4 million parcels. Over 13 years,
1500 contracts will be awarded to private land surveyors for cadastre
renewal and for mapping and geodetic work.
As part of the project, DMR Group was awarded a $ 27 million systems
integration contract to develop and operate information systems
for cadastral reform to be used by over 200 internal users. This
project is the biggest civil Geomatics contract to be carried
out in Canada; it represents more than 220 person-years of effort
over five years. DMR is responsible for the integration of hardware,
software and services (work engineering, systems development,implementation,
training, support and operation). DMR has brought together several
companies (including Digital Equipment, ESRI and Oracle) to supply
products and resources, or provide supplementary expertise.
The most GIS intensive applications developed include: (1) Management
of Cadastral Reform Program: planning, awarding and managing cadastre
renewal contracts (using existing digital maps as a basis); and
(2) Management of Cadastral Data: supporting data input (in a
normalized GIS format), quality control, data integration, data
updating through digital transactions coming from private land
surveyors, maps/files production for client use.
Scope of the Paper
This paper presents the project and focusses on the fact that
the system is a Mission-critical GIS application and that the
ARC/INFO application is transaction based and operational. The
paper presents the way those aspects of the project were dealt
with, both by the developer (DMR) and by the client.
Track: Government
Session: Law Enforcement Applications
Fred Hejazi
Digital Engineering Corporation
9841 Broken Land Parkway, Suite 106
Columbia,Maryland 21046
Telephone: (410) 290-5244
Fax: 410-290-5246
E-mail: digitale@ix.netcom.com
Monica Dombrowski
Automated Redistricting System for Law Enforcement
This paper will focus on an ARC/Info based Police Beat and District
realignment project. The client which was the Montgomery County
Police Department in Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. has
experienced rapid changes in its regional demographics. In order
to more efficiently distribute its available law enforcement resources
in response to the Community Policing Act, an automated, intelligence
based GIS engine was developed to create multiple redistricting
recommendation. The system takes into account existing roads,
natural barriers and various political features and based on the
reported Police workload, develops districting recommendations
for Police beats and Districts. The system is based on a redistricting
model developed in C and ARC/INFO AMLs. The system also interfaces
for both input and output to the County's Computer Aided Dispatch
(CAD) system.
Track: Government
Session: Law Enforcement Applications
Pauline Leinfelder
425 N. El Dorado St.
Stockton, CA 95202
Telephone: 209-937-8109
Fax: 209-937-8897
Gary Gorham
City of Stockton - MIS/GIS
425 N. El Dorado St.
Stockton, CA 95202
Telephone: 209-937-8808
Fax: 209-937-8897
Marlen Almeria-Khoo
City of Stockton—MIS/GIS
425 N. El Dorado St.
Stockton, CA 95202
Development of a GIS Crime Analysis Application Using ArcView
2.1
To assist the Police Department with its fight against crime,
the City of Stockton's GIS Division has developed an analysis
and mapping tool using ArcView and Avenue. The Police Department's
automated records system is in tabular format and does not lend
itself to geographical representation of criminal activity. The
ArcView Crime Analysis application is designed to allow investigative
officers to map trends and patterns, assists with research on
specific investigations and deploy staff to high activity areas.
A custom ArcView button menu provides police officers with a
powerful tool to build queries based on a criminal's physical
characteristics, type of crime, arrest information (charge, time,
date, location) and vehicle information (make, model, year, license
number.) With the click of a button, geocoded pin maps and project
specific tables are automatically displayed on the screen or sent
to a printer. The mechanics of map development have been fully
automated through ArcView and Avenue script. The easy to use
environment of the GIS Crime Analysis application allows police
officers to focus their efforts where they are needed most.
Track: Government
Session: Law Enforcement Applications
Chris Catren
Redlands Police Department
Redlands, CA
Telephone: 909-798-7694
GIS and Crime Analysis
Using GIS to aid in identifying crime paterns and series; how
to use GIS to aid in deploying department resources; and using
GIS to assist in linking possible suspects to crimes.
Track: Government
Session: Locating Natural Events and Industrial Plants: Application
Case Studies
Deborah M. Dumin
Natural Resources Center Department of Environmental Protection
79 Elm Steet
Hartford, CT 06106-5127
Fax: 860-424-4058
E-mail: Deborah.Dumin@po.state.ct.us
Ellen Cromley
Developing a Geographic Information System Based Rabies
Reporting System
In 1990, a wildlife rabies epizootic primarily involving raccoons
began spreading across the state of Connecticut. The Department
of Health maintains a rabies reporting system which tracks incidence,
human and domestic animal exposure, and the location of the exposure
by street address. Summaries of incidence are limited to the
aggregate level of the town. Integrating GIS with the reporting
system can aid epidemiologists, wildlife biologists and government
officials in analyzing and controlling the disease by providing
ready access to rabies exposure data and related natural resource
and demographic information at a site specific level. The proposed
system will enable the user to analyze associations among rabies
incidence, land use and land cover, terrain, human population
density and demographic characteristics at geocoded exposure sites
and to track temporal changes in rabies occurrence. The additional
capabilities provided by GIS can help expand our understanding
the dynamics of rabies distribution and aid in identifying populations
at risk.
Track: Government
Session: Management of Transportation System Infrastructure
With GIS
Graham Stickler
EXOR Corporation Ltd
Saville Court, Saville Place
Clifton,Bristol BS8 4EJ
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44-117-923-7594
Fax: +44-117-970-6591
E-mail: 101466.42@compuserve.com
Using GIS as a Data Integrator for Highways Management
Throughout the developed world there is substantial pressure to
reduce the amount of new road infrastructure being built and to
pay more attention to the better management of the existing road
network and associated information. As a result, responsible
agents at local, county, state and national levels are looking
to adopt sophisticated IT systems. These systems are based around
a central data store of the highways and associated inventory
which naturally have a strong geographical component. This paper
examines how GIS can be used as the data integrator and user interface
and thus become an essential part of such systems and discusses
the design issues associated with such an approach. At a practical
level the paper goes on to highlight why ESRI GIS is so well suited
for highways systems and describes a real-life application where
ARC/INFO and ArcView have been integrated with Oracle RDBMS to
provide a total solution for Highways
Track: Government
Session: Management of Transportation System Infrastructure
With GIS
Scott Higgins
Carl Vinson Institute of Government
University of Georgia
201 N. Milledge Ave.
Athens, GA 30602-5482
Telephone: 706-369-6062
Fax: 706-542-9301
E-mail: scott@gis.lislab.uga.edu
Comprehensive Pavement Management in Georgia Utilizing
the Route-System Data Model
The Georgia Department of Transportation's Planning Data Services
Bureau contracted with the University of Georgia's Government
Information Services Division to develop statewide basemap layers
to support GIS applications in the area of pavement management.
One of the major requirements of this initiative was to establish
a relationship between the basemap's route features and the DOT's
Road Characteristics Database (RCFILE). The RCFILE contains attribute
information (linear, continuous, and point events) for state,
county, and city level routes and is based on a county–route–milepoint
linear referencing system. The resulting basemap contains thousands
of ARC/INFO route features for each county which have been calibrated
and quality checked using attribute information pulled from the
RCFILE. This paper discusses specific database design issues
related to the Georgia DOT's Pavement Management System. Topics
discussed include (1) the Route-System Data Model, (2) using dynamic
segmentation, (3) working with route features, (4) the RCFILE,
and (5) supported pavement management applications.
Track: Government
Session: Management of Transportation System Infrastructure
With GIS
Peter Cook
GIS/Trans, Ltd.
675 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Telephone: 301-495-0217 x120
Fax: 301-495-0219
Argha Mukerjee
India Railways Board
New Delhi, India
Telephone: 91-11-672-025
Fax: 91-11-338-5035
India Railways GIS-Based Decision-Support System
This paper describes the implementation of a Long Range Decision-Support
System for the Indian Railways (IR) which has been under development
during the last two years. The system incorporates GIS (ArcView)
as a user interface, as means of storing and retrieving system
inventory and facility management data, as a link to transportation
models, and as an interface to a set of evaluation tools for investment
and marketing decisions. This set of functions provides an user-oriented
system that has greatly improved information available to IR managers
over the previous system, which depended on manual, hard copy
reports. The system added flexibility and analytic power as well
as spatial data that was not previously available in a timely
fashion to managers. The system has already identified major
costs savings in achieving rail line capacity expansion and is
contributing to the process of changing IR priorities to achieve
more cost-effective investments and marketing strategies. The
paper will describe data base and modeling issues as well as GIS
and analysis issues.
Track: Government
Session: Managing Disasters with GIS: Design, Planning,
and Response
Dave Hall
Lockheed Martin
1301 Virginia Drive, Ste 405
Fort Washington, Penn 19034
Telephone: 215-283-6960
Fax: 215-283-6996
E-mail: hall@fwo.vf.mmc.com
Problem Explored: Economically Acceptable Design and Development
of Disaster Monitoring and Mitigation Systems with Multiple Secondary
Functions
As the limited resources of national, state, provincial, and local
government budgets have increased demands placed on them, dual
or multi-use systems offer significant potential for economic
efficiency. Remote sensing and the exploitation of remote sensing
products provide the best methods of leveraging dual-use technology.
No government agency can afford a state-of-the-art geographic
information system (GIS)-based emergency management system that
stands idle in a just-in-case mode. Now is the time to exploit
multifaceted employment of remote sensing and GIS-based systems.
The success of this is directly dependent on the system design
and development.The products and benefits of remote sensing have
long been known to the military. Military and law enforcement
agencies require and use sophisticated GIS systems, but rarely
are they used for multifunctional applications outside their realm.
The dual use of these systems, as well as new and replacement
systems, has the potential to produce significant economies of
scale.Take for example a GIS-based emergency management system
located in California. To be responsive to emergency situations,
this type of system would have to create and maintain an up-to-date
comprehensive spatial database. One of its many emergency response
missions might be to provide remote sensing-based oil spill diffusion
model data to assist in control and cleanup efforts. Another
might be to provide near real-time image maps for forest fire
fighting efforts. Although this kind of system might be viewed
as critical, rarely would it be used on a full-time basis. As
its secondary mission, if the system was centered out of the University
of California, Santa Barbara, faculty and students could use the
systems to do research in remote sensing applications. If the
system were designed to meet multifunction applications, it could
also be used to provide GIS products to commercial companies for
their application. Lockheed Martin, Management & Data Systems
(M&DS) is building GIS and multispectral image processing
systems for military and dual-use, nonmilitary applications.
The systems range from those that are office based to totally
self-contained, air transportable versions. The keys to M&DS's
success include the exploitation of integrating commercial off-the-shelf
(COTS) hardware and software, enhancing and customizing the COTS
products to meet specific user requirements, and the development
of a capability to input an extremely wide variety of both raster
and vector data formats. Options for direct downlink imagery
receipt and other near real-time, remote sensing inputs and on-board
communication are other important system features. In designing
systems for multipurpose GIS applications, the greatest challenges
come from data management, data quality management and validation,
and the selection of data types to be applied to any given model.
In the real world it seems that the ideal data for any given
model is never available. Models must be designed to ensure they
are not dependent on only one form of data. If a helicopter landing
zone model must be run to support flood evacuation or relief efforts
and the perfect data type isn't available, it is critical that
alternatives be used to produce the needed results.This presentation
will address designing systems for multi-purpose GIS applications,
with specific emphasis on data management and the selection of
data types to be applied to any given model.
Track: Government
Session: Managing Disasters with GIS: Design, Planning,
and Response
David Torraca
County of Loudoun
Office of Mapping & GIS
1 Harrison Street, 2nd Floor
P. O. Box 7000
Leesburg, VA 20177
Telephone: 703-777-0367
Fax: 703-771-5075
Using GIS in Local Government: Supporting the National
Flood Insurance Program
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) manages the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Communities are required to adopt
floodplain management ordinances to be included in the program.
The Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) produced by FEMA is used
by private and public sector interests to determine the location
of flood prone areas. Locales that have experienced rapid suburbanization
have found the maps to be quickly outdated because of a lack of
current base information and exclusion of recent alterations to
the floodplain. By establishing a GIS floodplain database layer,
Loudoun County, Virginia, has been able to make more accurate
delineations and economically maintain the data. When overlaid
with other regularly maintained database layers, the information
becomes much more versatile and visible. Products and services
provided with the County's GIS include 1:2,400-scale floodplain
delineation maps, on-line queries, environmental assessments,
acreage reports, and data transfers to other County agencies.
Track: Government
Session: Managing Disasters with GIS: Design, Planning,
and Response
Douglas Richardson
GeoResearch, Inc.
7913 MacArthur Blvd.
P.O. Box 220
Cabin John, MD 20818-0220
Telephone: 301-320-0911
Fax: 301-320-0922
E-mail: larrcamp@worldweb.net
GIS Applications: User's Experiences With Emergency Planning
and Response
During a recent series of natural disasters, Americans have witnessed
the power of nature to quickly obliterate our carefully constructed
human habitats. When an emergency occurs, homes, powerlines,
roads, urban forest areas, and industrial sites undergo immediate,
drastic changes in condition and functionality. At these times,
even the most carefully prepared GIS portrays past history, not
current reality. This presentation focuses on the ability of
GPS/GIS technology to rapidly create up-to-the-minute, detailed
GIS map coverages. Governmental agencies and private industries
are adopting GPS/GIS methodologies for all phases emergency preparation,
mitigation, planning, and response. Case studies of disaster assessments
using GeoLink GPS/GIS mapping techniques during the recent floods
and hurricanes will be described as well as the process of GPS-based
data gathering and GIS translation.
Track: Government
Session: Managing Disasters with GIS: Design, Planning,
and Response
Paul Bryant
Applications Development Division
Information Technology Services Directorate
500 C Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20742
Telephone: 202-646-3607
Fax: 202-646-4652
E-mail: pbryant@fema.gov
Leslie Weiner-Leandro
Applications Development Division
Information Technology Services Directorate
500 C Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20742
Telephone: 202-646-4503
Fax: 202-646-4652
E-mail: lweiner@fema.gov
A Hurricane Strikes New York City—Projected Damages
Using the Consequences Assessment Tool Set Prediction Model
In an effort to quickly and accurately assess housing damage in
south Florida following the destructive impact of Hurricane Andrew,
staff in what is now the Federal Emergency Management Agency's
(FEMA) modeling Branch, (housed in the Applications Development
Division of the Information Technology Services Directorate) developed
a hurricane damage prediction model. Prior to the development
of the Consequences Assessment Tool Set, FEMA management and staff
typically obtained hurricane damage assessment information from
state and local governments. This predictive model, an adaptation
of a nuclear attack simulation model previously developed at FEMA,
compared Hurricane Andrew's impact to the detonation of 16 100-kiloton
nuclear bombs, estimating housing damage with greater accuracy
than other predictions. Since Hurricane Andrew, the model has
been used as an important damage assessment tool for every hurricane
since Hurricane Emily in 1993. In addition, the model was used
to predict damage from a fictitious storm, Hurricane Paul, created
for a preparedness study in New York and New Jersey. Hurricane
Paul was simulated to match the magnitude of the famous 1938 New
England Hurricane and to follow the same track as the 1901 hurricane
that impacted New York City.
The purpose of this paper is fourfold: 1) to describe how the
model was used to predict damages from this imaginary storm; 2)
to detail these predicted damages using ArcView 2 and ARC/INFO
Grid; 3) to discuss informal planning options and recommendations
based on the model's damage predictions; and 4) to discuss possible
future model applications and uses.
Track: Government
Session: Managing Land Records: The Experiences of NovaLIS
Technologies (Atlantic LRMI)
Gwen MacNairn
1550 Barrington Street, Suite 1522
Halifax, NS, Canada
B3J 3K5
Telephone: 902-423-1800
Fax: 902-429-8988
E-mail: gmacnairn@1rmi.com
Lessons Learned Piloting Land Records Applications with
End Users
The LRMI (Land Records Management Infrastructure) Project has
incorporated a high degree of end-user participation across three
levels of government and the private sector. Since 1994, a methodology
which draws heavily on end-user involvement in prototyping and
piloting has been developed to produce results under aggressive
schedule constraints. Using a finite time-frame effectively to
coordinate feedback from the end-users in a way that enhances
the development cycle presents a variety of challenges to any
third party developer interested in achieving a successful implementation.
Critical issues include scheduling suitable resources, producing
acceptable deliverables, solving "show-stopper" problems
and supporting the technical environment. This paper discusses
these challenges and how they are being resolved in a way that
is mutually beneficial to all parties.
Track: Government
Session: Managing Land Records: The Experiences of NovaLIS
Technologies (Atlantic LRMI)
Nancy Vanstone
Province of Nova Scotia
P. O. Box 216
Halifax, NS, Canada
B2X 3N6
Telephone: 902-424-2328
Fax: 902-424-5872
E-mail: nvanstone@gov.ns.ca
Robin Mullin
1550 Barrington Street, Suite 1522
Halifax, NS, Canada
B3J 3K5
Telephone: 902-423-1800
Fax: 902-429-8988
E-mail: rmullin@lrmi.com
Partnerships: The Key to Building an Integrated Land Records
Management Infrastructure (LRMI).
Building and maintaining an integrated land information system
requires cooperation between agencies at various levels of government
and presents significant opportunity to partner with the private
sector in the establishment of the technical infrastructure.
This presentation discusses the opportunities for partnership
in land records and the key to successful partnerships learned
from the development of the LRMI.
The province of Nova Scotia, in partnership with municipal government
and a private firm, NovaLIS Technologies, Inc., is improving the
business functions of Land Title Registration, Property Mapping,
Property Assessment and Land Use Planning through the development
of a land records management infrastructure (LRMI). This information
infrastructure conbines ARC/INFO, relational databases, document
imaging, and work flow management to support re-engineered business
processes.
Track: Government
Session: Managing Land Records: The Experiences of NovaLIS
Technologies (Atlantic LRMI)
Joe McEvoy
Privince of Nova Scotia
P. O. Box 216
Halifax, NS, Canada
B2X 3N6
Telephone: 902-424-6091
Fax: 902-424-5872
E-mail: jmcevoy@gov.ns.ca
Darryl Dutton
1550 Barrington Street, Suite 1522
Halifax, NS, Canada
B3J 3K5
Telephone: 902-423-1800
Fax: 902-429-8988
E-mail: ddutton@lrmi.com
Assessment Analysis using GIS with an Integrated Land Records
Management Infrastructure (LRMI).
Integrating GIS with Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) functions
provides a powerful tool for assessment analysis. We will share
our experience in developing an assessment analysis decision support
system along side an OASIS mainframe assessment system. The assessment
database provides a starting point for an integrated land records
management infrastructure (LRMI) incorporating property ownership,
property mapping and integration with local government zoning
and permitting. We will discuss the potential of the LRMI to
enable a process of continuous re-assessment.
Track: Government
Session: Managing National GIS Projects
Bryan A. McFadden
Texas General Land Office
1700 N. Congress Rm. 880
Austin, Texas 78701-1495
Telephone: (512) 463-5415
Fax: 512-463-5029
E-mail: bmcfadde@glo.state.tx.us
The Transboundary Resource Inventory Project: Creating
a Standardized GIS for the US–Mexico Border
The Transboundary Resource Inventory Project (TRIP) is a regionally-based
binational effort to map shared natural resources of the United
States-Mexico border region. TRIP will create a mechanism to
inventory, collect, and make accessible information about transboundarynatural
resources such as airsheds, aquifers, rivers, oil and gas reserves,
and flora and fauna.
The first objective of TRIP is to build a sustainable partnership
between geographic information providers and users to meet the
growing need for consistent, comprehensive information about the
border area and its resources. The second objective of TRIP is
to provide a consistent digital basemap of both sides of the border.
The border is experiencing dramatic population and economic growth,
and current data and maps are insufficient for up-to-date analysis.
Maps and data sets relating to the border region are created
and maintained by seperate entities and use differing, often incompatible
standards. TRIP will establish a system to provide accurate and
comprehensive data to resource managers, research analysts, and
planners in business and government.
To meet its objectives, TRIP is working to create a standardized
digital base map and Geographic Information System (GIS) for
translating, integrating, storing, and displaying transboundary
data. Extraordinary cooperation between the United States and
Mexico is needed to acquire updated aerial photography, develop
a consistent base map, and reconcile national differences in mapping
standards and data management practices. TRIP is securing that
cooperation through an emerging binational partnership between
the U.S. and Mexican federal agencies, state and local entities,
universities, and research centers.
Track: Government
Session: Managing National GIS Projects
Mike Adam
CSIR
P.O. Box 395
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Telephone: +27 (12) 841-3992
Fax: +27 (12) 841-2689
E-mail: madam@scir.co.za
An ArcView II Based System to Support the Reconstruction
and Development Program (RDP)
Within South Africa the data to support the Reconstruction and
Development Programme (RDP) is widely available. However, the
responsibility for collecting and maintaining much of the data
lies with many different organizations spread across the country.
As such, the data formats, collection levels and frequency of
updat of the data tend to vary considerably.
The RDP fund is obviously not bottomless. As such, the various
provinces of South Africa have to allocate their funds in the
most effective ways possible. this requires that those areas
where the most benefit can be accrued, or that the areas that
are in most need be pinpointed, and that development funds be
focused there.
An ArcView II system has been develped by the CSIR that allows
planners and decision makers within the provi nces to have access
to a much current data as possible. The system, while very simple,
allows access to approximately 600 different variables, covering
aspects such as the economy, population and development needs,
infrastructure, the enviroment and administration. This "attribute"
data can be put into perspective with other spatial data layers
such as roads, rivers and lakes, towns, existing forestry and
land-cover.
Track: Government
Session: Managing National GIS Projects
Xiaochun Di
Institute of Geography
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Building 917 Beishata, Beijiao
Beijing 100101
Beijing, P.R. CHINA
Telephone: 8610-491-4240, 491-5096
Fax: 8610-217-4142 \491-1544
The Largest Land Resources Spatial Database in CHINA
In China, we are facing a serious problem, that is the population
growing and land resources limited. It is a very urgent issue
for how to manage and use the resources that are left. Therefore,
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has spent four years establishing
the Largest Land Resources Spatial Database (LLRSD) in the nation
with ARC/INFO Geographic Information System (GIS) software. By
using the LLRSD, we can provide the accurate resource data and
their geographic locations for helping the Center Government to
do better decision making in the fields of resource management,
utilization, and economic development, etc.
Track: Government
Session: Managing National GIS Projects
Deserene Worsley
Administrative Management Section
GIS Group
P.O. Box 66128
Washington, DC 20035-6128
Telephone: 202-616-3971
Fax: 202-616-2184
Robert Berman
Housing Section
P.O. Box 65998
Washington, DC 20035-5998
Telephone: 202-307-3100
Fax: 202-514-1116
Effective Use of Publicly Available Data in the Enforcement
of Antidiscrimination Laws
GIS was installed in the Civil Rights Division to handle the redistricting
workload resulting from the 1990 Census. GIS has become the cornerstone
support application for the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.
Since the introduction of GIS for redistricting, the system has
quickly become a strategic tool for other division enforcement
activities. We have leveraged our investment into other areas
of Civil Rights enforcement, specifically housing discrimination,
including mortgage lending and property insurance, employment
discrimination, and education opportunities discrimination. Our
successes have also fostered the establishment of GIS efforts
in other areas of the Department of Justice, including the Bureau
of Justice Statistics, the Criminal Division and environmental
equity initiatives. We would like to present and discuss some
of our work that was used in enforcement actions against a large
bank for mortgage lending discrimination, an insurance company
for insurance discrimination, and a rental company for racial
steering. The cases exemplify how using GIS technology in conjunction
with HMDA, TIGER and other publicly available data, we presented
compelling evidence in digestible formats that helped convince
potential defendants to resolve their matters voluntarily.
Track: Government
Session: Military Installation Land Management
William D. Goran
Champaign, IL
E-mail: w-goran@cecer.army.mil
Government/Industry GIS Partnering: Coordinating an Integrated
Push/Pull Approach
In the spatial technology arena, government is both a technology
innovator and a technology consumer. Too often, however, government
technology development investment activities are disconnected
from government technology acquisitions. In recent years, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer laboratories have been working with
GIS industry leaders to better integrate the Corps of Engineers
development investments in spatial technology with the Department
of Defense (DOD) spatial technology acquisitions.
One example of this government industry spatial technology partnering
is the open geodata interoperability specification (OGIS), which
was initially conceived through a Corps laboratory research effort,
is now being developed through an industry consortium, will soon
be tested on various military installations, the offered by industry
as an extension of their spatial technology product line and eventually
purchased by many DOD consumers.
Other examples include the development of the Tri-Service Spatial
Data Standard, and recent partnering led by the Tri-Service CADD/GIS
Center, between the U.S. Army Construction Engineering research
Laboratory, the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
and the Installation Spatial Technology Advisory Board in the
development, fielding and application of GIS based decision support
technologies for land management on military installations.
Track: Government
Session: Military Installation Land Management
Diane Schallert
Environmental and NR Division
Fort Lewis, WA 98433-5000
Telephone: 206-967-4985
Fax: 206-964-2488
Fort Lewis Environmental and Natural Resources Division
of the Public Works Converts to ESRI COTS GIS
Fort Lewis has been developing GIS applications for the Environmental
and Natural Resources Division of Public Works for over eight
years. The GIS Lab has provided database development, analysis,
and map production for numerous environmental programs including
cultural resources, forestry, wildlife/habitat management, pollution
prevention, NEPA, and other Army programs. For the majority of
that period, FRASS (Geographical Resources Analysis Support System)
was implemented. GRASS was developed by USA-CERL for the U.S.
Army and was deployed to numerous installations including Fort
Lewis. Recently, however, considering the uncertain outlook for
further GRASS development and support, and as other off-the-shelf
software has developed and overtaken GRASS capabilities, the GIS
lab has migrated to the GIS that fit their needs better, that
being ARC/INFO and ArcView. Now the GRASS database must be converted
to ARC format, and analysis, display, and output must be relearned.
This conversion, thogh possible, is not automated or simple,
and takes a great amount of time to perform correctly. We hope
to make this process clearer for those who have invested their
time, money and efforts into developing their GRASS datbases and
yet feel the need to expand their GIS horizons.
Track: Government
Session: Parcel Mapping with GIS
Dave Totten
Plus 3 Software, Inc.
One Dunwoody Park
Atlanta, GA 30338
Telephone: 800-235-4972
Fax: 770-396-4290
E-mail: dmtotten@aol.com
Parcel Mapping with ArcView
Parcel mapping is by no means new technology, but easy-touse coordinate
geometry, automated legal descriptions, scanned plats, and dynamic
updates to land record databases make parcel mapping for ArcView
2.1 an innovative approach to an old problem.
Track: Government
Session: Parcel Mapping with GIS
Pierre Mullin
1550 Barrington St.
Suite 1522
Halifax, NS
CANADA
B2X 3N6
Telephone: 902-423-1800
Fax: 902-429-8988
E-mail: pmullin@lrmi.com
Portable and Reusable LIS Software Component Technology
Fully integrated Land information Systems (LIS) represent a significant
opportunity for public and private agencies that manage land records.
This technology can serve as a catalyst to re-engineer operations
and significantly improve service in the areas of Real Property
Assessment, Title/Deed Registration, Land Use Management and Property
Mapping. However, the scope and complexity of the technology
required to achieve these goals is often a barrier to realizing
these benefits. This paper discusses the concepts and architecture
surrounding a reusable and tailorable suite of land records "business
objects" which can be used to implement an LIS solution using
object-oriented software product technology. This discussion
will address the issues of object functionality, data model extensibility,
system integration, GIS architecture and run-time environments.
Track: Government
Session: Planning and Growth Management
Edward W. Gaffin
Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission
2332 Royal Drive
Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017
Telephone: 606-331-8980
Fax: 606-331-8987
Integrating GIS and Information Technology into the Comprehensive
Land Use Planning Process: The Northern Kentucky Area Planning
Commission
The Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC) is responsible
for developing a twenty-year planned land use study for Kenton
County, Kentucky, and updating that plan every five years. Presently
the commission is updating that plan. Located in the Cincinnati,
Ohio, metro area, Kenton County is a dynamic community of 145,000
people in twenty-one cities in both an urban and rural setting.
As the lead agency of a five-member GIS consortium, the NKAPC
is able to utilize a detailed GIS database containing planimetric,
cadastral, sewer, and demographic information to identify subjects
to be addressed in the land use plan.The purpose of this paper
is to discuss how the commission is utilizing ARC/INFO GIS and
other information technology, such as database and statistical
software products, to better analyze the large amount of data
available to allow professional planners and appointed planning
commissioners to make the most informed decisions they can and
also to allow for the continuous monitoring of the effectiveness
of the land use plan update.
Track: Government
Session: Planning and Growth Management
Gary Moll
American Forests
P.O. Box 2000
Washington, DC 20013
Telephone: 202-667-3300 ext 220
Fax: 202-667-7751
E-mail: gmoll@amfor.org
GIS Technology Is Being Used to Plan and Manage the Built
Up Part of a City Infrastructure
GIS technology is being used to plan and manage the build-up part
of a city infrastructure; however, the natural elements of this
urban ecosystem have not been adequately incorporated into this
process. The value of urban trees for storm water management,
energy conservation, or air quality, for example, are not part
of the decision making equation. This condition is rapidly changing.
American Forests has developed a technique to map and analyze
and put a dollar value on urban ecosystems. The technique, called
Urban Ecological Analysis, creates a GIS map that integrates into
the land use planning process. The Urban Ecological Analysis
technique has been conducted in five U.S. cities. ARC/INFO and
ArcView software have been used for mapping and analyzing urban
ecological data sets. In recent months a new ArcView application
called CITYgreen was developed to streamline the Urban Ecological
Analysis technique. This application will allow local people
to participate in analyzing the value of their community ecosystems.
It will also give them a platform for discussing community management
and development issues with community leaders. The potential
value of an urban ecosystem is substantial. Using data from the
five cities, we estimate the total value produced by the urban
ecosystem nationally is around $40 billion.
Track: Government
Session: Planning and Growth Management
Tim Lesser
Cabarrus County Government
GIS/IS Department
65 Church Street
Concord, NC 28025
Telephone: 704-788-9838
Fax: 704-788-8146
Vacant Land Analysis
As urban development envelops the rural landscape, issues concerning
preservation and development potential arise as factors for various
planning strategies. As vacant land steadily decreases, how much
land should be set aside for either development or preservation?
Environmental, as well as human, factors influence decisions
concerning where development or nondevelopment will locate. This
paper will determine where vacant land parcels exist throughout
Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and analyze development potential
of those vacant parcels (high/medium/low) according to soil and
floodplain data. Thus, from this environmental analysis, and
from existing human factors of county zoning classifications,
major thoroughfares, water and sewer lines, and railway, the determination
of "usable vacant land" will be derived for development
potential. "Usable vacant land" is defined as locations
that possess high development potential and are within the human
criteria for immediate development. Is there enough existing
"Usable vacant land" located where the human factors
can easily exploit the development potential of vacant land?
Locations of such parcels are essential for the economic vitality
of the county. Therefore, planning strategies will have to decide
either to expedite change, to open more opportunities for development
potential, or preserve land for future generations.Cabarrus County
is located northeast and adjacent to Mecklenburg County/City of
Charlotte. The county, especially on the western edge bordering
Charlotte, has been experiencing major population growth and development.
This data will not only aid in more efficient development strategies
but will also enhance the understanding of surrounding landscapes.
Track: Government
Session: Planning to Handle Natural Disasters Using GIS
Xiaoyi Zhang
Dewberry & Davis
8401 Arlington Blvd.
Fairfax, VA 22031-4666
Telephone: 703-849-0674
Fax: 703-849-0182
Develop an Automation Procedure for FEMA Digital Flooding
Insurance Data—Q3 Products (Programming for Data Process
Automation, Conversion, and QCQA)
Q3 is FEMA new digital flood insurance data products. It is seamless
county-wide database. The final Q3 products will be available
for both vector data, such as ARC/INFO coverage, FEMA DLG, MapInfo
format as well as Metadata, and raster data, such as canned panel
maps later next year.This paper will discuss the Q3 data model,
data capture and data conversion. It will focus on how to implement
automation process using different programming technique for a
large database design and data production line. It will also
examine different mathematics and statistical models for checking
and fixing both topological and attribute errors, such as one-node
polygons, counting true vertex polygons, silver polygons as well
as validity of attributes. Finally, it will discuss Q3 delivery
format such as ARC/INFO coverage, DLG file and MapInfo format—differences
and solutions.
Track: Government
Session: Public Access Issues
Christopher Thomas
City of Ontario
303 East "B" Street
Ontario, California 91764
Telephone: (909)986-1151 x4219 0r 4469
Fax: (909)391-0692
E-mail: cthomas@pe.net
Peter Witherow
City of Ontario
303 East "B" Street
Ontario, California91764
Kiosk-Oriented Applications: A Gateway to GIS for the
Casual User
The vision of GIS technology filtering into the masses has long
been a goal of many GISprofessionals. The advent of desktop
GIS solutions combined with a drive to offer public access to
government data and the growing popularity of the Internet is
taking this vision a reality. However, the path to successfully
implementing applications for casual users can sometimes take
some interesting twists and turns. Like many organizations,
the City of Ontario, California, has joined the crusade to develop
applications the casual user can utilize via "kiosk"
oriented interfaces. The final products include public access
GIS through the municipal library, reusable applications, and
front counter kiosks. The purpose of this paper is to describe
the history of kiosk development, to convey the reactions of the
casual GIS user, and to demonstrate examples of Avenue based interfaces.
Track: Government
Session: Public Access Issues
William Mattingly
700 W. Liberty St.
Louisville, KY 40202
Telephone: 502-540-6353
Fax: 502-540-6564
The Highs and Lows of Designing a Parcel Public Access
System Using ArcView2
Providing public access to GIS data has long been a goal of the
municipal government agencies which have been creating and maintaining
these systems. The high cost of the necessary hardware and software
has kept most agencies from providing this service. During the
past year, a public access system was designed using ArcView for
the Jefferson County Property Assessor. The assessor has been
providing public access for many years, but this information has
been limited to the tax roll only. The large parcel database
(280,000 parcels) has only been available in the form of standard
tax maps. A system was designed to provide the public access
to the GIS which combines both the map and tax roll. This paper
outlines the process of designing such a system and highlights
the successes and difficulties which occurred along the way.
Track: Government
Session: Street Centerline & Address Matching
Fardosht Amirpanahi
P.O. Box 22777
3555 Timmons Lane
Houston, TX 77478
Telephone: 713-993-4519
Fax: 713-621-8129
Parcel Matching vs. Address Matching
The traditional method of address matching requires that the roads
have full address attributes. Even then, the "best match"
would be an interpolated point somewhere along the road.
This paper discusses my algorithm for "Parcel Matching".
This technique uses the annotation attribute (street number)
form the parcels coverage and annotation attribute (street name)
from the roads coverage to match an address event to its correct
parcel. This method is particularly useful for utility companies
or appraisal districts that have a GIS system with coverages that
originated from CAD systems. These coverages have annotations
with no real attributes other then text and coordinates. With
"Parcel Matching", we can methodologically attach a
foreign key to the parcel annotation. This foreign key then can
be used to relate other attributes to the parcel annotation.
My algorithm for "Parcel Matching" adds address intelligence
to nearly 95% (1.4 million) of all parcel in the Houston Light
& Power base map.
Track: Government
Session: Street Centerline & Address Matching
Lee Meilleur
Minnesota Legislative Coordinating Commission
70 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155
Telephone: 612-296-0098
Fax: 612-296-1321
E-mail: lee@commissions.leg.state.mn.us
Computing Automated Street-Centerlines from Road Rights-of-Way
While Maintaining Parcel Centroid Data within Street-Centerline
Topology
A unique approach which combines raster and vector spatial processing
techniques was developed for generating vector road center-lines
utilizing vector road rights-of-way. This process also explores
the ability to automatically build address topology into the
street centerline vectors utilizing parcel centroid topology.
This data model has been researched and tested using a local
government land records database provided by the Dane County,
Wisconsin, Land Information Office. This data model uses the
Euclidean Distance functions of Grid to produce an integrated
vector parcel/street centerline database.
Track: Government
Session: Street Centerline & Address Matching
Tim Sosinski
Black & Veatch
8400 Ward Parkway
K.C., MO 64114
Telephone: 913-339-3845
Fax: 913-339-3817
E-mail: SosinskiTM@bv.com
A Set Construction and Editing Tools for Street Centerline
Files
For many years now one of the more beneficial tools in planning
applications has been the intelligent street name file. Whether
in the form of a GBF DIME file, TIGER file or a proprietary database
the street centerline file with street names and address ranges
have assisted cities and counties in address matching, census
aggregation and pavement management.
However, in many cases, agencies are caught with graphics centerline
files that have little or no intelligence and are looking tools
to improve the quality of their centerline file. In order to
accomplish this task Black & Veatch instituted a series of
applications that: 1) set the direction of street segments based
upon a theoretical address range guide quad, 2) evaluates street
segment "chains" on a coordinate basis rather than an
address range basis, 3) performs "intelligent pseudo node
elimination" that eliminates pseudo nodes while retaining
valid street segment name and address data and 4) However, in
many cases, agencies are caught with graphics centerline files
that have little or no intelligence and are looking tools to improve
the quality of their centerline file. In order to accomplish
this task Black & Veatch instituted a series of applications
that: 1) set the direction of street segments based upon a theoretical
address range guide quad, 2) evaluates street segment "chains"
on a coordinate basis rather than an address range basis, 3) performs
"intelligent pseudo node elimination" that eliminates
pseudo nodes while retaining valid street segment name and address
data and 4) propagates address ranges from address point data
file. This suite of tools allows users to audit and edit their
centerline file by taking full advantage of GIS automation capabilities
by exploiting graphic and database manipulation procedures.
Track: Government
Session: Urban Planning & Growth Management (I)
Norm Brown
Integrated Water Technologies, Inc.
P.O. Box 2610
Santa Barbara, CA 93120-2610
Telephone: 805/565-0996
Fax: 805-565-0886
E-mail: iwt@pacrain.com
Nils Larsen
1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite I
Santa Barbara, California 93108
Telephone: (805) 565-0996
Fax: (805) 565-0886
E-mail: iwt@pacrain.com
Purchase of 1.4 Million Acres of Private Land in Nevada
by the Nevada Land & Resource Company: GIS Evaluation of
Land and Natural Resource Information
In Fall 1995, the Nevada Land & Resource Company ("NLRC")
purchased 1.4 million acres of land from the Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe Railway Company in northern Nevada's Humboldt River
Valley. The land is distributed within 9 counties and has a
wide variety of existing and potential uses including urban development,
minerals extraction, water resource development, geothermal energy
production, and oil and gas development.
As part of the pre-purchase evaluation, NLRC's GIS and natural
resources consultant, Integrated Water Technologies, constructed
a GIS database of land targeted for purchase. The database includes
information on the location of sections with saleable land; corresponding
mineral leases; Public Land Survey System ("PLSS") boundaries;
major infrastructure; topography; water-related features including
regional hydrographic basins; and regional land use, land ownership,
and natural resources. Using GIS tools, the database provided
critical information for:
•Evaluating existing mineral lease rights associated with
the saleable land;
•Identifying the proximity of saleable land to known locations
of geothermal wells and springs, infrastructure, urban areas,
oil and gas wells, mines and geologic rock types;
•Comparing lists of saleable land holdings developed by several
different groups;
•Identifying water resources administered by the Nevada State
Engineer in 42 hydrographic basins containing the saleable lands;
•Categorizing rock types for regions with saleable lands;
and
•Generating maps of land holdings in the context of related
leasing and resource information for use in the purchase negotiations.
Evaluations performed using the GIS database gave NLRC opportunity
to address data discrepancies and concerns of several interested
parties in a systematic manner, with great flexibility for integrating
different data types in a common GIS environment. The database
will continue to be used for management of the land and related
natural resource assets acquired by NLRC.
Track: Government
Session: Urban Planning & Growth Management (I)
Raj Singh
MIT School of Architecture & Planning
Room 9-514
105 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
Telephone: 617-258-7567
Fax: 617-253-3625
E-mail: rajsingh@mit.edu
Exploiting GIS for Sketch Planning
A geographic information system (GIS) has traditionally been used
as a way for organizations to create, manage and analyze spatially
referenced data in highly structured ways. Many planners, however,
avoid GIS because the way they analyze data (or the way they perceive
their analytic techniques) is not accommodated by the standard
GIS toolkit.
This paper focuses on the needs of urgan designers, and argues
that what urban design is about--understanding the urban realm
by finding patterns in the landscape—is theoretically well
suited to the adoption of GIS technology. Therefore, the problem
is to create tools that serve this aspect of the planning profession.
Two main areas emerge as critical. One is creating a toolkit
of standard sketch planning functions that takes advantage of
the ability of TIS to integrate numerous and disparate data sources.
The other involves building into the system a level of customization
demanded by the creative professionals engaged in urban design.
Using ArcView version 2 as the starting point for our GIS interface,
a prototype pattern finding application is created. The goal
of this application is to allow the designer to combine their
knowledge of the area with the analytic power of GIS to discover
hard to find patterns in the city. The ability of GIS to answer
questions that are important to urban designers is tested by applying
the techniques Kevin Lynch espoused in The Image of the City (1960)
to the City of Boston, Massachusetts. In particular, we try to
find nodes (concentrations of activity) using only digital data.
Track: Government
Session: Urban Planning & Growth Management (I)
Xiaohui Wang
330 W. Church Street
Bartow, FL 33830
Telephone: 941-534-6469
Fax: 941-534-6021
Merle Bishop
Polk County Planning Division
330 W. Church Street
Bartow, FL 33830
Telephone: 941-534-6084
Fax: 941-534-6021
Jim Malless
Polk County Planning Division
330 W. Church Street
Bartow, FL 33830
Telephone: 941-534-6021
Eugene Henry
Carl Metz
Celeste Murdock
Phillip Scearce
Rodger Simmons
Using GIS in Development Activity Tracking: An Inter-System
Effort
Local governments have been seeking effective methods to track
development activities taking place in their jurisdictions for
years, yet not many of them have been successful, mainly because
of the large volume of development activities and limited resources
to track them. As rapid urban growth mostly happens in the unincorporated
areas surrounding a metropolis, the burden of growth management
often falls to the county governments in these areas. The purpose
of this paper is to share with the GIS community the experience
the Polk County Planning Division has gained from its development-tracking
practice using GIS (ARC/INFO) and RDBMS over the recent years.
While GIS is mostly employed to deal with spatial/geographic
information, RDBMS is one of the most widely used software to
collect, store, and analyze development-tracking data among local
governments. The conclusion drawn from this paper will encourage
cooperation between GIS managers and database administrators in
their efforts to bring both systems together to track land development
activities.
Track: Government
Session: Urban Planning & Growth Management (II)
Robert E. Baumgardner
740 West Sunset Way
Issaquah, WA 98027
Telephone: 206-313-5805
Fax: 206-313-5804
E-mail: kuwreb@AOL.com
Kuwait Infrastructure Maintenance Management System
To meet the challenges of the 21st century, the Kuwait Ministry
of Public Works has launched a large-scale computerized, in-house
Infrastructure Maintenance Management System (IMMS) to assist
in the maintenance of the public works infrastructure on a nation
wide basis. The system will provide access to accurate, up-to-date
information on each infrastructure component allowing management
to quickly assess performance, identify maintenance and rehabilitation
requirements and develop short and long term budgets. The system
is initially being implemented for roadways, bridges, sanitary
and storm sewers and street right-of-way features. The stem will
help ensure that there will be adequate infrastructure to meet
development needs and that the maintenance of this infrastructure
is managed to provide for sustainable growth.
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a key component of the
IMMS providing graphic query and display for integrated analysis
and planning. Users can “point and click” on any infrastructure
component or group of components and bring up the corresponding
attribute files that show their characteristics, condition and
maintenance status and history. The IMMS GIS interface allows
users to query and display infrastructure components based on
their physical and performance characteristics and on their maintenance
status and history.
Track: Government
Session: Urban Planning & Growth Management (II)
Alejandro Rojas
Cra 30 #24-90 Piso 2 Torre B
Bogota, Colombia
Telephone: (571) 269-9625
Fax: (571) 269-6747
GIS: Tool for Local Development of Santa Fe de Bogota
Objective: Based on the Forming City Plan—Formar Ciudad—(1995-1998)
of the City Major Antanas Mockus and with the purpose of contributing
to the planning and the control of projects, the Cadastre developed
a prototpye design as a tool that permits the Central administration
and the distrital enterprises to do a georeferenced information
analysis for a better handling of the plans, their execution and
the integrity of the data.
For this project the following resources were used:
- Digital Cartography of Bogota
- ARC/INFO Software
- ArcView 2.1 for Windows
- 486 Microcomputer
Track: Government
Session: Using GIS to Manage Travel Demand
Pau Serra
Departament de Geografia Humana
Divisio I
Universitat de Barcelona
Cr. Baldiri i Reixac s/n
08028-BARCELONA (SPAIN)
Telephone: 34-3-4409200
Fax: 34-3-4498510
E-mail: pauserra@trivium.gh.ub.es
Derek Thompson
Department of Geography
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301-405-4063
Fax: 301-314-9299
E-mail: dt11@umail.umd.edu
ARC/INFO Data Models and Tools For Urban Area Transit Demand
Analysis
An appreciation for transit demand analysis in urban areas requires
an understanding of not only what factors influence the demand
for public transportation services but also some of the practicalities
inherent in empirical studies. Our efforts to teach underghraduate
students some basic principles about travel and transportation
through data analysis using the ARC/INFO and ArcView software
have led us to identify some interesting practical matters which
get in the way of an easy path to understanding.
We have undertaken some experiments to establish some of the impacts
of data availability and the data types and algorithms available
in the software. We aim to demonstrate the impact of spatial data
type and necessary manipulations to select areas for analysis,
obtain statistical summaries and measurements, and undertake spatial
interaction modelling. After presenting a schema of possibilities,
the paper will give examples of experimental results for selected
tasks: (1) measures of distance, (2) the creation of accessibility
surfaces, (3) the assignment of aggregates for polygons to the
bounding arcs of polygons, and (4) the assignment of scalar quantities
from one set of polygons to a different set.
The statistical results from the exercise of different procedures
or assumptions cast light on the pitfalls of using data of certain
types, e.g. polygon counts when demand is needed for arcs, and
the limitations of the underlying data models. In this way students
can obtain an appreciation for the realities of data analysis
and the sensitivities of model algorithms to the properties of
the input data.
This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education,
the University of Maryland, and the ESRI Inc.
Track: Government
Session: Using GIS to Manage Travel Demand
Jimmy X. Chen
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
1008 South Marguerita Ave., #1
Alhambra, CA 91803
Telephone: 213-922-2825
Fax: 213-922-2868 or 213-922-2849
GIS Versus MIS: An Exploration on the Applications of
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Major Investment Studies
(MIS)
This study explores the potential uses of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) in Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Major
Investment Studies (MIS) process, with a particular emphasis
placed on alternatives analysis.
In identifying the corridors for major transit investments, flow
analysis in ARC/INFO Network module can be used to determine those
corridors meeting the minimum requirement of having more than
15,000 daily riders as required by FTA. In addition, buffering
analysis can be conducted to make sure that the corridors selected
have sufficiently high population and employment densities.
In developing do-nothing, TSM (Transportation System Management),
and major investment alternatives, GIS can be a strong tool in
displaying transit networks with line numbers, stops, frequency,
speed and other operating characteristics annotated. This will
greatly visualize different alternatives.
In comparing different alternatives, GIS can effectively do buffering
analysis around station locations within a specified walking distance
(e.g. a half-mile radius). Moreover, proximal analysis can be
performed to identify those sensitive land uses adjacent to the
transit project, e.g. cemetery, earthquake faults flood plains,
and so on. GIS can be used to overlay transit line (line feature)
on the top of zonal socioeconomic data (polygon feature). This
will help maintain a good compatibility between transportation
and land use.
In assessing environmental impacts of transit project, GIS can
not only identify nearby sensitive land uses, but also conduct
spatial aggregation to generate corridor-level mobility and air
quality results. For example, TAZ-level (TAZ stands for Traffic
Analysis Zone) VMT and VHT can be aggregated into corridor-level
VMT and VHT. Likewise, grid-level emission figures can be aggregated
into corridor-level emission figures.
In summary, GIS can be a very powerful tool in assisting FTA’s
Major Investment Studies (MIS). This is especially important
for the Los Angeles area, because so many heavy rail projects
need to go through MIS process as mandated by FTA.
Track: Government
Session: Using GIS to Manage Travel Demand
Robert W.E. Antonisse
GIS/Trans, Ltd.
8555 16th Street, Ste 320
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 301-435-0217
Fax: 301-495-0219
Bobby Harris
GIS/Trans, Ltd.
8555 16th Street, Ste 320
Silver Spring, MC 20910
Regional Ridematch System Using ArcView
This paper discusses the implementation of a Regional RideMatch
system using ArcView 2.1 The original development of this system,
GIST/Rideshare, took place to meet the requirements of the RideFinders
Network (now Commuter Connections) of the greater Washington,
DC area. Centered on the District of Columbia, the RideFinders
service area stretches south to Richmond, Virginia and north to
the Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan area and its GIS database
includes more than 300,000 street segments and 8,000 landmarks.
The selection of ArcView as the basis for this system was motivated
by the need for ease of use by non-technical users such as rideshare
operators, and the need to integrate the ridematching with the
rest of the agency's GIS functions. Recently, the Association
of Monterey Bay Area Governments selected this GIS-based solution
for their rideshare program. Much of the customization of the
software to meet Amber's particular requirements will be done
by AMBAG staff, demonstrating the flexibility that can be built
into ArcView applications. With the release of ArcView 3.0, significant
enhancements-such as routing from a specific street address to
another street address instead of from node to node-will be possible.
Track: Government
Session: Using GIS to Protect The Public Health
Gerard Aiken
The Orkand Corporation
2635 Century Parkway, Ste 1050
Atlanta, GA 30345
Telephone: 404-639-0720
Fax: 404-639-0740
E-mail: gba2@atsoaa1.em.cdc.gov
Michael Perry
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Department
of Health and Human Services
Atlanta, GA 30333
Ronald Parker
Dana Abouelnasr
Developing User Interfaces in ARC/INFO for the Federal
Facilities Information Management System (FFIMS)
The agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has
initiated a program to design and maintain a national information
management system for use in the execution of selected Superfund
projects. The Federal Facilities Information Management System
(FFIMS) will be used by health assessors and technical staff to
gather and use data from federal, state, and external sources
to make public health and emergency response decisions.
Users will access the system through a customized geographical
information system (GIS) in ARC/INFO. Included is a graphical
user interface (GUI) that allows persons without much knowledge
of GIS theories or ARC/INFO commands to use the system. The primary
feature of the GIS is its quick display of geo-referenced sites
of study. Users can choose "heads-up" display or colorplotted
maps for ease of distribution. Other features of the GIS are
the spatial analysis of contaminant patters, buffering of sites,
plume delineation, and demographic display and analysis. These
tools will simplify quick analysis for emergency response requests
and complete health assessments.
The FFIMS project will be updated continuously for the next few
years. This paper describes the early stages of the development
of the system's GIS and the prototype GUIs. Also described are
the decision making processess involved in constructing this large
and dynamic project.
Track: Government
Session: Using GIS to Protect The Public Health
Janet L. Heitgerd
ATSDR/DHAC/PRB
1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop E-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone: 404-630-0634
Fax: 404-639-0653
E-mail: jbh0@atsdha1.em.cdc.gov
The Use of Geographic Information Systems in Assessing
Exposure and Reported Disease Clusters
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR),
a public health agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, was mandated by Congress as part of the Superfund legislation
to assess the health of populations living in the impacted areas
of hazardous waste sites. In order to fulfill this mandate, ATSDR
conducts public health investigations that both identify potentially
impacted populations and assess the health of these exposed populations.
The use of geographic information systems (GISs) to integrate
and manage disparate data sources has facilitated the design and
analysis of health investigations and has resulted in better public
health decisions. At the same time, however, it has accentuated
the limitations of current databases to make those decisions.
In this paper, we illustrate the importance of GIS as an epidemiological
tool for cluster investigations by examining longitudinal environmental,
health outcome, and population data for a Superfund site in the
United States. One of the principal environmental problems identified
at the site was groundwater contamination that was likely caused
by activities taking place over the last thirty years at a nearby
major airport. Trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination occurred
in a number of public drinking water wells located in a large
plume northwest of the airport. Although the public drinking
water wells were closed in 1981, residents in the plume area report
concerns about possible TCE exposures and increased risk of adverse
health outcomes. For example, health surveys in the area have
suggested increased risk of lupus, but have not verified cases
or exposure status. This paper offers GIS methods to help evaluate
those health concerns. The results of the data analysis highlight
the strengths and limitations of making public health decisions
about disease clusters within the context of available data sources.
Track: Government
Session: Using GIS to Protect The Public Health
John Crellin
ATSDR/DHAC/SSAB
1600 Clifton Road MS E-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone: 404-639-0635
Fax: 404-639-4507
E-mail: jrc6@atsdhal.em.cdc.gov
Laura Barr
ATSDR/DHAC/SSAB
1600 Clifton Road MS E-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone: 404-639-0645
Fax: 404-639-4507
E-mail: ly65@atsdhal.em.cdc.gov
Danika Holm
%ATSDR/DHAC/SSAB
1600 Clifton Road MS E-56
Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone: 404-639-6066
Use of GIS in the Murray Smelter Public Health Assessment
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has
begun using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology as
an integral tool during the development of public health assessments
(PHA). GIS is particularly useful for identifying human exposure
pathways and obtaining demographic information. Health assessors
used GIS in the development of the Murray Smelter National Priorities
List (NPL) PHA. The abandoned lead smelter facility operated
in Murray, Utah, from 1902 through 1949 and contaminated the area
with arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Assessors contoured data for
soil lead concentrations in Murray site area and used those concentration
contoured data for soil lead concentrations in the Murray site
area and used those concentration contours to identify areas contaminated
with soil lead concentrations of 500 to more than 5000 parts per
million (ppm). Assessors identified the number of individuals
living in areas where lead levels were of possible health concern
by clipping census data into those areas with lead levels above
500 ppm. The results supported the need for a health investigation
of residents living on the site. Assessors also compared soil
lead concentrations with drinking water well locations to identify
wells that might need to be tested to see whether soil contaminants
have moved into groundwater. GIS also provided a map comparison
that allowed assessors to determine whether the area contaminated
by past smelter emissions had been identified and sampled. Use
at sites such as Murray Smelter has helped ATSDR determine that
GIS is a very useful tool for defining the spatial relationship
between site contaminants and the people living near a site.
Track: Government
Session: Using GIS to Protect The Public Health
Kevin S. Liske
ATSDR/DHAC/EICB/EIS
1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop E-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone: 404/639-0674
Fax: 404/639-0656
E-mail: mfm4@atsdha1.em.cdc.gov
Exposure Assessment of Populations: Integrating GIS, Environmental
Modeling, and Spatial Analysis Techniques
The role of exposure assessment in investigating and understanding
environmental health issues is to provide the linkage among environmental
information and analyses, consequences of exposures to toxic substances,
and human health effects. In the past, the inability to link
spatial and temporal distributions of chemical concentrations
in the environment to potentially exposed populations efficiently
and accurately made comprehensive exposure assessment analyses
a difficult and time consuming. The use of GIS makes it possible
to manipulate multi-layered, spatially distributed databases easily
and to query topological attributes that may be unknown a priori
to obtain spatial relationships of interest to environmental health
scientists. An example is the relationship among environmental
pollutant concentrations, socioeconomic and other demographic
distributions, and the occurrence of adverse health effects for
targeted populations.
As part of its legislative mandate to implement the health-related
portions of Superfund, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR) has embarked on a program to refine the quantification
of past, present, and future exposures to toxic substances in
populations living near hazardous waste sites. GIS enhances the
application of environmental modeling tools developed for exposure
assessment analyses by providing the ability to quantify the relationships
between environmental and demographic distributions and the incidence
of disease patterns. By integrating GIS, environmental modeling
tools, and spatial analysis techniques, environmental health scientists
can co-analyze health outcome and environmental data. The process
allows them to estimate the influence of nearby sources of environmental
pollution on the incidence of disease patterns in surrounding
populations, thereby making public health implications from exposure
assessments more reliable and timely for the targeted population.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Acquiring and Integrating Defense and Intelligence
Data
Brett G. Cameron
TASC, Inc.
12100 Sunset Hills Road
Reston, VA 22090
Telephone: 703-834-5000 Ext 2335
Fax: 703-318-7900
E-mail: bgcameron@tasc.com
An ArcView Tool for Search Prioritization
Many military and intelligence analysts have a need to search
for targets of a particular type. Often, broad area search reduction
can be accomplished more rapidly by applying spatial operators
on specific site-factor data. A generic tool that would allow
a user to flexibly define the search parameters based on personal
experience and current intelligence would be of great benefit.
This paper will discuss a generalized approach to developing
a multi-purpose search tool within the ArcView environment. Topics
to be included: the use of a development environment such as
Galaxy to build a custom window, the implementation of an ARC/INFO
server to perform GRID analysis; and the use of Remote Procedure
Calls to accomplish interprocess application communication (IAC)
between Galaxy, ArcView, and ARC/INFO.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Acquiring and Integrating Defense and Intelligence
Data
Steven W. Hansen
The MITRE Corporation
Burlington Road
MS - K302
Bedford, MA 01730
Telephone: 617-271-7326
Fax: 617-271-2352
E-mail: swh@mitre.org
Spatio-Temporal Reasoning for Multi-Source, Multi-Media
Information Fusion
The Multi-Source Intelligence Integration and Analysis system
(MSIIA) is a prototype system developed to explore a broad range
of technologies related to multi-sensor/source, multi-media information
expolitation and fusion. The MSIIA system represents all intelligence
source information in a common infrastructure by representing
the informations spatial, temporal and attribute qualities. Based
on this representation, a large amount of diverse intelligence
products from a multitude of reporting systems can be integrated
and analyzed with respect to each other and in the context of
space and time. The prototype has explored and exploited a broad
range of emerging technologies including spatio-temporal data
bases, constraint based fusion reasoning, user modeling for analyst
fusion strategy capture and multi-media integration. MSIIA has
also been used to prototype advanced analytic capabilities for
highly focused tasks (e.g., reactive TEL tracking) to investigate
the ability to dynamically integrate new information sources and
rapidly provide analytic tools to the analyst. This briefing
will present an overview of the MSIIA architecture, discuss specific
technical advances and challenges and finally discuss several
focused applications of the system and the lessons learned from
these efforts.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Acquiring and Integrating Defense and Intelligence
Data
Douglas Richardson
7913 MacArthur Blvd
P.O. Box 220
Cabin John, MD 20818-0220
Telephone: 301-320-0911
Fax: 301-320-0922
E-mail: larrcamp@worldweb.net
GeoLink GPS/GIS: A Terrain Reconnaisance Tool
Efficient Terrain Reconnaissance requires a field mapping system
which can rapidly capture large volumes of field data in a user-defined
format, such as FACC, for translation into multiple GIS formats.
This presentation outlines the GeoLink GPS/GIS Field Mapping
and Vehicle Tracking System's proven capabilities in the integration
of military-standard GPS receivers with multiple data collection
tools, such as raster images, laser rangefinders or binoculars,
electronic sensor readings, digital cameras, and videologging.
Years of field-tested GeoLink QA/QC features also ensure continuous
data integrity. GeoLink's 'open systems' architecture is compatible
with leading GPS products and GIS environments including ARC/INFO,
GRASS, and ERDAS formats, guaranteeing a mapping program which
will integrate with new GPS and GIS technologies as they evolve.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Acquiring and Integrating Defense and Intelligence
Data
Robert Aldridge
Camber Corporation
635 Discovery Drive
Huntsville, AL 35806
Telephone: 205-922-3585
Fax: 205-922-3599
E-mail: robert@camber.com
Camber Corporation Provides ARC/INFO Support to Bosnian
Peace Talks
The Bosnian Peace Talks held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
just outside Dayton, Ohio successfully ended in an agreement initialed
by Franjo Tudjman of Croatia, Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia, and
Alija Izetbegovic of Bosnia on Tuesday, November 21 after three
weeks of negotiating. The agreement, signed at a formal ceremony
held in December 1995 in Paris, marked the end of 43 months of
civil war in the former Yugoslavia.
Crucial factors in the success of the peace talks were the agreement
to a 51%–49% territorial split between the Bosnian Federation
and the Serbian Republic and the production of maps showing the
exact alignment of the line dividing the territories. Camber
Corporation personnel were called upon to provide ARC/INFO support
to a mapping team consisting of personnel from the Defense Mapping
Agency, Defense Mapping School, Topographic Engineering Center,
ERDAS, Cambridge Research, and 3M Corporation.
The intent of this paper is to inform others about the efforts
of the mapping team, with specific emphasis on the role played
by ARC/INFO software and the Camber personnel using it.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Data Inference and Integration
Betty J. Evans
Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories
PO Box 999, MS K9-55
Richland, WA 99352
Telephone: 509-372-6058
Fax: 509-372-6397
E-mail: bj_evans@pnl.gov
Dr. Thomas F. Lundeen
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
PO Box 999, MS K9-55
Richland, WA 99352
Telephone: 509-372-6055
Fax: 509-372-6397
E-mail: tl_lundeen@pnl.gov
Robert G. Best
Remote Sensing Laboratory
PO Box 1912, M/S RSL-23
Las Vegas, NV 89125
Telephone: 702-295-8099
Fax: 702-295-8040
Albert L. Guber
Remote Sensing Laboratory
P.O. Box 1912, M/S RSL-23
Las Vegas, NV 89125
Tel: 702-295-8622
Fx: 702-295-8716
Team Leader: An ArcView-Based Inspection and Data Collection
System
To improve the effectiveness of treaty inspections, the Department
of Energy's Office of Non-Proliferation and National Security
has tasked the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Remote
Sensing Laboratory to cooperatively develop a portable customized
Geographic Information System to support treaty inspections.
The system, called Team Leader, uses an ArcView interface to integrate
Global Positioning Systems, multi-media, and advanced communication
technologies to provide remote users with on-line access to vital
data needed during nuclear inspections. Team Leader provides
the ability to access previous inspection data (e.g. maps, aerial
photographs, reports, photographs, equipment information, and
voice notes) for fast and efficient briefings prior to the inspection
and for real-time data retrieval during the inspection. An inspector
can use Team Leader to capture positional data, digital photographs,
voice notes, equipment information, and text reports georegistered
to the inspector's position or a selected feature in real-time
during the inspection. Inspection teams can employ Team Leader
to communicate with each other, display inspection team positions,
automatically send new data, and transfer requested data between
teams. Team Leader is implemented on two different hardware platforms,
a suitcase unit using a laptop PC for on-site inspections and
a personal unit using a belt-mounted PC with a miniaturized "heads-up"
binocular display for in-facility inspections. Team Leader was
created to support inspections, but it is also directly applicable
a wide range of field-based data collection applications including
environmental activities, surveillance activities, and utilities
management.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Data Inference and Integration
Brian Graff
U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center
ATTN: CETEC-TD-TD
7701 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-386
Telephone: (703) 355-0071
Fax: 703 -355-3176
E-mail: bgraff@tec.army.mil
Inferring Bridges From Digital Cartographic Sources Using
ARC/INFO
The location of bridges is of great importance to military planners
on both a strategic and tactical level. In addition, identification
and maintenance of bridges is vital to our nation's infrastructure.
Major bridges are essential to maintaining connectivity of a
road transportation network. Given the importance of bridges,
it is crucial to have both the locations and attributes of bridges
in a GIS to facilitate military planning and operations.
However, global digital data on bridges is either very sparse
or non-existent. There are currently several digital cartographic
data sets that contain bridge information. On a global scale,
the 1:1 million scale Digital Chart of the World (DCW) contains
road bridges as both point and line features. However, due to
the small scale, only the most significant bridges are in the
DCW. Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) also produces a 1:50000 scale
product called Interim Terrain Data (ITD), which stores bridges
as point and line features. However, ITD does not exist for much
of the world.
Thus, the issue is how to quickly build a GIS database over an
area of interest that contains bridges. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Topographic Engineering Center (TEC) is working on this
problem as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency's (ARPA)
sponsored Terrain Feature Generator program. The traditional
approach is to manually digitize and attribute bridges from existing
hard-copy maps or imagery. However, this is a time-consuming
task. The option that TEC has pursued is to use a variety of
digital cartographic sources to infer the locations of bridges.
Using ARC/INFO, TEC has combined the road network from DCW with
a vector potential drainage network automatically extracted from
a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Using topology, provided by
ARC/INFO, together with terrain knowledge, TEC has written an
AML to determine where drainage and roads cross. The nodes where
these crossings occur are tagged as potential bridges. In addition,
TEC has inferred potential bridge locations from combining: 1)
roads extracted from scanned maps in a semi- automated procedure,
and 2) the drainage network extracted from a DEM.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Data Inference and Integration
Monica Mroz
US Defense Mapping Agency
3200 South Second Street
Saint Louis, MO 63118-3399
Telephone: 314 263-4728
Fax: 314-263-4381
E-mail: mrozm@dma.gov
Richard Becherer
US Defense Mapping Agency
3200 South Second Street
Saint Louis, MO 63118-3399
Telephone: 314 263-4728
Fax: 314-263-4381
Kimberly Berger
US Defense Mapping Agency
3200 South Second Street
Saint Louis, MO 63118-3399
Telephone: 314 263-4728
Fax: 314-263-4381
E-mail: bergerk@kms.gov
Judith Packman
The Defense Mapping Agency World Vector Shoreline Revision
and Conversion Project
The U.S. Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) is currently in the process
of revising and converting its World Vector Shoreline (WVS) digital
database product. The revisions include the addition of bathymetry
data, the generalization of the original 1:250,000 scale product
into five additional smaller scale libraries, and the implementation
of adaptive tiling, as well as other changes. The data conversion
portion of this project consists of importing the existing WVS
database into ARC/INFO, and on completion of the revision process,
exporting the six WVS libraries into DMA's Vector Product Format
(VPF) according to the WVS product specification. This paper
discusses the procedures developed by DMA for revising and converting
WVS using ARC/INFO.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Data Inference and Integration
David Swindle
P.O. Box 660023
Dallas, TX 75266-0023
Telephone: 214-205-5462
Fax: 214-205-7012
E-mail: swindle@esy.com
Barry Barlow
HYSAS Spatial Data Management
The Hydrographic Source Assessment System (HYSAS) is a major spatial
data initiative sponsored by the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA).
The paper is an overview of HYSAS and its vision of a digital
data warehouse for information to support the conventional nautical
cartographer as well as the electronic chart maker. The Master
Seafloor Digital Database (MSDDB) is the multi-layer result of
this vision. The unique problems addressed are those encountered
in the design of a very large spatial database of global extent
serving a wide variety of users, and the further constraints of
multi-level security and data privacy. Emphasis is placed on the
commercially available software capability to produce, manage
and display the MSDDB.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Decision Support Systems for Base Mangement
Thad K. Tilton
Ut. State Univ.
Department of Geography and Earth Resources
UMC 5240
Logan, UT 84322
Telephone: 801-797-3783
Fax: 801-797-4048
E-mail: doug@nr.usu.edu
Douglas R Ramsey
Use of ARC/INFO to Examine Environmental Associations of
Prehistoric Archeological Sites
The Hill Air Force Range Complex (HAFR) is a nearly 1 million
acre bombing range located in theGreat Salt Lake Desert of western
Utah. The prehistoric inhabitants of this area were nomadic
hunter-gatherers who took advantage of seasonally available resources,
although limited agriculture was practiced briefly during the
Fremont Period. The HAFR has only recently been surveyed, with
40 Fremont and Late Prehistoric archaeological sites identified
thus far. This paper uses ARC/INFO GIS software along with a
fairly extensive environmental database in order to examine the
association of environmental factors with the location of prehistoric
archaeological sites. In carrying out the study, ARC/INFO was
used to store, synthesize, and analyze environmental and archaeological
data from various sources. Among the environmental variables
examined were distance to water, slope, elevation, vegetation,
aspect, and relief. Random control points were placed throughout
the study area and each variable was assessed as to its relationship
to archaeological sites vs. control points (i.e., random occurrence).
The statistical significance of each variable's association to
site location was then assessed.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Decision Support Systems for Base Mangement
Louis Zachos
P.O. Box 201088
Austin, TX 78720-1088
Telephone: 512-419-6113
Fax: 512-454-8807
E-mail: louz@radian.com
Teresa Johnson
GIS and Environmental Data Management, United States Air
Force, Air Combat Command
ARC/INFO and ArcView 2 were used to provide an Environmental Data
Management and Decision Support (EDMDS) GIS to the US Air Force.
This application collected together layers of information that
included infrastructure, environmental property condition, aerial
photographs, maps, scanned photos and documents, and databases
to provide a tool for briefing and preparing reports for regulators,
the public, and the various Air Force commands. This paper will
describe the overall scope of the project, which included 19 Air
Combat Command bases, and also focus on one base to demonstrate
an individual application and some of the benefits that were realized.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Decision Support Systems for Base Mangement
David Wilson
Booz, Allen and Hamilton, Inc.
4975 LaCross Road, Suite 313
Charleston, SC 29406
Telephone: 803-529-4810
Fax: 803-529-4856
ArcView-based Military Training Range Control System (RCS)
The Range Control System (RCS) provides an integrated ground-air
picture of military tactical training range facilities. NISE
East sponsored Booz, Allen & Hamilton to develop the RCS for
Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton. The system provides range
safety officers with real-time aircraft tracks and surface range
facility activity status information as overlays on a digital
map of the MCB Camp Pendleton training range complex. The RCS
interfaces to an FAA Air Route Surveillance Radar (ASR-9) via
a Navy Radar Air Traffic Control Facility (RATCF) Direct Altitude
and Identity Readout (DAIR) Gateway computer for the air track
information and to the US Army-developed Range Facility Management
Support System (RFMSS) to obtain range facility status/usage information.
The RCS is hosted on commercial, off the shelf (COTS) Pentium
computers with the Windows NT operating system. Software development
is required for 1) customizing the operating environment to create
an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI), 2) developing radar
data collection algorithms, and 3) providing connectivity to the
RFMSS database for range usage data. ArcView is easily customizeable
with Avenue allowing the development of the GUI. Radar data collection
algorithms were written in C for speed, and the resulting aircraft
tracks were output to an ArcView graphics list. Range status
information is obtained via Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC)
with the RFMSS data base data. Structured Query Language (SQL)
calls to the data base extracted needed data into an ArcView table.
ArcView provides spatial references and integrates available map
data, including geopolitical boundaries, transportation, environmentally
sensitive areas, and hydrography. The GIS solution allows the
using activity to capitalize on existing public works and environmental
data. The RCS is an open system and is highly configurable to
meet individual user requirements.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Defense Uses of GIS
Chris Chiesa
Envriormental Research Institute Michigan
1975 Green Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Telephone: 313-994-1200 ext 3791
Fax: 313-994-5824
E-mail: chiesa@erim.org.
DTED/Topo: A Production Environment for Digital Elevation
Database Development
Digital topographic data are a critical information component
for most environmental GIS applications. A recent survey of GIS
users engaged in natural resources and environmental management
activities indicated that topographic information is used by 83.2%
of the respondents. (Geographic Technology Markets, Vol. 1, No.
1, GIS World, Inc.) Digital Elevation Models (DEM) are available
from the US Geological Survey (USGS) for the entire US at a horizontal
resolution of approximately 100 meters (3 arc-seconds); 30 meter
resolution data are available for about one-half of the US. Digital
Terrain Elevation Data (DTED), similar to the 3 arc-second DEMs,
are available for large regions of the world from the Defense
Mapping Agency (DMA)—for military users and contractors only.
For those areas, however, where digital elevation data have not
been produced or are not publicly available, the only practical
alternative is the creation of a digital elevation database from
existing hardcopy topographic maps—a very labor intensive
prospect. Traditional photogrammetric techniques, or even newer
satellite-based elevation extraction methods, would be prohibitively
expensive and time consuming for all but small-sized areas.
Starting with activities on a United Nations Food and Agricultural
Organization (UN/FAO)-sponsored project to identify and map poppy
cultivation in Afghanistan (ERIM Final Report 250800-1-F, August,
1993) and proceeding through EAGLE VISION support activities for
Operation SUPPORT HOPE in Rwanda, ERIM has developed and refined
procedures for preparing Digital Elevation Models from scanned
topographic map sources. The process is technologically challenging—involving
raster scanning, image processing, semi-automated feature extraction,
raster-to-vector conversion, coordinate transformation, and surface
generation technologies.
This paper explores, through a series of application projects,
the evolution of ERIMs DEM-from-Topo process. Initial efforts
relied extensively on operator knowledge of ARC, ARCEDIT and ARCPLOT
environments as well as the DEM production process. Subsequent
projects built upon this base by developing ARC Macro Language
(AML) programs and menus to simplify labor intensive steps in
the process. Recently, these AMLs have been reengineered to
provide a more user-effective interface for all phases of the
map-to-DEM process. The resulting AML application, DTED/Topo,
supports the development of DMA DTED-formatted DEMs from hardcopy
topographic maps in a production environment. A main menu guides
the user through the DEM development process and includes appropriately
sequenced quality control steps. An underlying database tracks
various interim data products from the original scanned map through
the creation of the final DTED cell, recording data creation and
quality control information. As a final step, an accuracy assessment,
compliant with DMA standard procedures, is conducted. The resulting
DEMs may be converted from ARC/INFO's GRID structure to either
a generic raster image format (.BIL) or to DMA's DTED format.
For regions of the world where no suitable DEM exists, hardcopy
topographic maps can be used to cost-effectively develop a digital
elevation database. Terrain features generally do not change,
so virtually any vintage topographic map is a potential candidate.
DTED/Topo provides a production environment for efficiently producing
DEMs from scanned map sources - exploiting information previously
created and mapped at only a fraction of the original map preparation
cost. It achieves a significant reduction in labor over manual
digitizing methods. Through integrated QC steps, operator errors
can be detected and corrected—or even eliminated—early
in the DEM production process. Developed with AMLs, DTED/Topo
integrates into existing workstation ARC/INFO settings.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Defense Uses of GIS
Jeff Malovich
TASC, Inc.
12100 Sunset Hills Road
Reston, VA 22090
Telephone: 703-834-5000 X7003
Fax: 703-318-7900
Using Data Extraction for GIS Database Population and Visualization
A key problem for users of information systems—information
analysts, decision makers, planners—is the magnitude of data
that has become available as a result of improvements in the acquisition
of machine-readable text and the dissemination of textual documents
across proliferating networks. It is estimated that the total
amount of textual data in the world is doubling every 12 to 15
months. The rapidly growing breadth of information sources makes
it increasingly difficult to distill information for analysis.
Tools are needed to mine information on an ongoing basis to bring
out key, relevant facts for analysis, and to support interfaces
to analytical tools.
Assisting a user to rapidly filter and assimilate useful information
from a variety of data sources is a major way to leverage the
individual's productivity, and meet the mission-critical objectives
and deadlines of the organization. Data Extraction provides a
method for having the computer read vast quantities of textual
information and identify components of information that are pertinent
to the user's interests. This information can be presented as
attributes (e.g., Buyer, Seller, Date), and used to populate databases.
Capabilities currently exist that can read several months of
a daily newspaper, identify topics of interest, extract relevant
information, and present it to the user within seconds. Additionally,
the extracted information can populate database tables with relevant
attributes. This data then becomes a repository of information
available to the organization.
Data Extraction can also be used to glean spatial information
(countries, cities, landmarks, etc.) which can then be used in
conjunction with a GIS to display spatial constructs. These constructs
may involve activities between countries (e.g., trade between
the U.S. and Mexico), cities, or regions, and can be displayed
spatially for easy understanding. Combining Data Extraction with
spatial tools used for data visualization and presentation provides
substantial assistance in allowing users to formulate, explore,
and evaluate textual content using visual characteristics.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Defense Uses of GIS
Collings, Col. ABS, OBE
Head, Information Systems
Headquarters, Land Command
Erskine Barracks
Wilton, Salisbury
Wiltshire SP2 OAG
Battle Management Software for the British Army
A prototype command and control software project providing battle
management functions for the British Army using Windows NT and
ArcView products in a client-server architecture.
Presentation and lessons learned by the project using rapid application
development techniques will be given.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Defense Uses of GIS
Dave Goehler
Englewood, CO
Aeronautical Charting Using GIS at Jeppesen Sanderson
Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc. (Jeppesen), stands alone as the world's
premier aeronautical chart publisher. Over the years the complexity
and amount of flight information matched the growth of aviation,
and Jeppesen kept ahead of these changing needs by assuming a
strong leadership position both in the private and the governmental
sectors. As aviation's leading supplier of flight information,
Jeppesen pioneered the publication of enroute charts and approach
charts beginning in 1934. In addition to being instrumental in
the establishment of the National Flight Data Center, Jeppesen
also published the first standard arrival (STAR), standard departure
(SID), and profile descent charts in the early 1960s.
High demands on an existing chart compilation system and development
of a new corporate database prompted Jeppesen to review commercially
available software suitable for chart generation and maintenance.
Jeppesen organized a team of experts that began the software
evaluation in early 1995. The team set out to determine if Jeppesen
could improve chart production efficiencies by integrating a new
database concept with the latest chart production hardware and
software technologies.
Jeppesen sent a request for information, containing over 100 questions
regarding potential vendors' interest and technical capabilities
to 28 companies. Ultimately, ESRI's ARC/INFO software was selected
for a proof-of-concept and a follow-on pilot project. Potential
aeronautical chart production efficiencies were demonstrated by
a small prototype version of the new corporate database and an
ARC/INFO-based chart production system.
ESRI and Jeppesen completed an implementation plan in February
of 1996 and are currently developing a detailed system design.
The first phase of the new charting system is expected to be
operational in the first quarter of 1997.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in K-12 Education and Libraries
Harold McWilliams
TERC
2067 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
Telephone: 617-547-0430
Fax: 617-349-3535
E-mail: Harold_McWilliams@terc.edu
Paul Rooney
Mapping Our City: A Progress Report on GIS as a Tool in
Urban Education
How can GIS resources and technology have their greatest impact
in urban educational settings? How can urban students use GIS
to understand their community, be involved in improving it, and
have an influence on the decisions that affect their community's
future? How can GIS be implemented in actual school systems? Mapping
Our City is a two-year project funded by the National Science
Foundation that is attempting to answer these questions. The
project is developing an introductory unit: Mapping Our Neighborhood—A
Guide to Getting Started with GIS, model curriculum units that
use GIS as a tool in science investigations, and a guide for
educators, A Resource Guide for GIS in Urban Education. The project
is being carried out by TERC, a non-profit R & D corporation
in Cambridge, MA. Although the project is located in Boston,
its results are intended for national and international application.
The research and development goals being pursued in Mapping Our
City grow out of the recommendations of the First National Conference
on the Educational Application of Geographic Information Systems
(EdGIS) held in Washington, D.C., in January, 1994. We will share
the results of our work during the first year of the project and
discuss our development plans for the second year of work.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in K-12 Education and Libraries
Dr. Monica Ramirez
Northern Palm Beach Campus
3970 RCA Blvd., Suite 7000
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Telephone: 407-691-8520
Fax: 407-691-8502
E-mail: ramirema@aol.com
GIS: Paradigm Tool in Environmental Education
Responsible environmental behavior has been cited as the ultimate
goal of environmental education. Existing empirical studies indicate
that this goal is not being met in schools across America. Environmental
educators have the responsibility to produce human beings with
what is called an "environmental ethic." With this
in mind, Florida Atlantic University and the School District of
Palm Beach County developed a GIS curriculum for grades 9–12,
which was approved by the Florida State Department of Education
as "Geoscience." The curriculum was implemented during
the 1994–1995 school year at Jupiter Community High School.
Based on the success of this course, the GIS program has been
expanded to include the middle school level, where GIS is taught
as three separate courses in grades 6–8.WHY GIS? GIS technology
is the tool that empowers students to solve real-life problems.
GIS produces students with an environmental ethic and fosters
a transformation in students' self-esteem and value systems.
The mechanics of GIS reveal the realization that environmental
problems are really science-related social problems.RESEARCH:
Research was conducted to determine how GIS instruction was a
crucial factor in improving and changing students' attitudes in
environmental education. The High School Environmental Literacy
Instrument (courtesy of Florida Institute of Technology) was administered
to two high school groups: Jupiter High School students enrolled
in the GIS course and Jupiter High School students enrolled in
a regular environmental science course using the state-adopted
environmental science curriculum. Preliminary results indicate
that students who participated in the GIS class were more familiar
with ecological issues and foundations than the environmental
science group; they also demonstrated improved self-reported behavior
on environmental issues, demonstrated a higher awareness in perceived
environmental knowledge and action, and were able to conduct a
more in-depth environmental issue analysis. Final results to
be presented at the ESRI conference.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in K-12 Education and Libraries
Susan Lindell Radke
Berkeley Geo-Research Group
51 Crest View Drive
Orinda, CA 94563
Telephone: 510-254-0951
Fax: 510-254-0955
E-mail: SLRadke@aol.com or geodesy@ced.berkeley.edu
GEODESY: Geography Development—An Educational Series
for Youth
Berkeley Geo-Research Group (BGRG), in collaboration with NASA's
EOCAP'94 Program and ESRI's Developer Program, is developing a
comprehensive and integrated application of remote sensing and
geographic information systems for K–12 schools. This application,
GEODESY (Geographic Development: An Educational Series for Youth),
is designed to bring the power and intelligence of the well-established
spatial information industry into the K–12 school arena.
The major components of GEODESY are remote sensing and GIS software
built upon ESRI's ArcView 2 product, a customized local data set,
training, and a curriculum-based graphic user interface designed
in accordance with the 1994 Geography for Life Standards. This
interface focuses on integrating earth's physical and human systems
to provide a complete geography curriculum tool for grades 4,
8, and 12. Funding through NASA's EOCAP'94 Program has allowed
BGRG to focus on a two-year pilot study for the development of
GEODESY.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in K-12 Education and Libraries
Ferhan Kilical, Ph.D.
The Catholic University of America Resources, Inc.
School of Architecture & Planning
Crough Center, Room 123
Washington, DC 20064
Telephone: 202-319-5187
Fax: 202-319-5728
E-mail: KILICAL@CUA.EDU
Adil Kilical, Ph.D.
The Catholic University of America Resources, Inc.
School of Architecture & Planning
Crough Center, Room 123
Washington, DC 20064
Telephone: 202-319-5187
Fax: 202-319-5728
E-mail: KILICAL@CUA.EDU
District of Columbia Public School System (DCPS) Facilities
Master Plan Using GIS
The District of Columbia Public School System (DCPS) currently
operates 164 schools and their associated administrative buildings.
The "Task Force On Education Infrastructure For The 21st
Century" (Task Force), established by DCPS Superintendent
in February 1995, was asked to develop a long term strategy to
modernize the public school facilities in the District of Columbia.
In order to verify and update the 1992 facilities assessment,
PRI conducted a visual inspection of the schools as well as their
broken and/or malfunctioning building systems. In addition to
conducting the school inspections, PRI prepared a unit price list
for all observed deficiencies. The deficiencies were classified
into major building components established by the DCPS. PRI then
created a deficiency cost database for the 164 schools using the
observed deficiency quantities and adjusted 1995 unit prices.
Furthermore, the database was created to include status information
on the 164 operating DCPS schools, such as name of the school,
additional educational programs, average class size, student enrollment,
school capacity, community accessibility, comfort and usefulness
ratings of various spaces, handicap accessibility, room closings
due to health or safety considerations, and rating of facility
components like roof, windows, boilers, and drinking fountains.
GIS themes utilized include ward boundaries, school locations,
attendance zones, and streets. The deficiency cost data, as well
as the status data, was then reviewed and restructured by PRI
to enable tabular entry. A total of more than 120 GIS fields
for each of 164 schools was prepared to enable logical queries,
charts, graphs, etc. Using this GIS application as a decision
making tool, DCPS can realistically estimate what major components
in schools must be repaired / replaced, the time frame required
and the level of maintenance, repair and capital replacement funding
that will be necessary for each of the two 5-year funding cycles
anticipated its capital budget through the year 2005.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in the University Environment (I)
Paul Davis
Department of Geography
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301-405-4050
Fax: 301-314-9299
E-mail: pdavis@geog.umd.edu
Frank Lindsay
Department of Geography
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301-405-4050
Fax: 301-314-9299
E-mail: flindsay@geog.umd.edu
Derek Thompson
Department of Geography
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301-405-4063
Fax: 301-314-9299
E-mail: dt11@umail.umd.edu
Visualization Aids for Improving Undergraduate Student
Learning of Geography Using ArcView
[suitable for cartography, college, and K-12 education tracks]
As ArcView functionality expands and geographic databases are
more readily available uses of geographic information systems
software become more rigorous, varied, and complex. In our case
in teaching geography to undergraduate students who are both geographically
naive and cartographically naive one pedagogic challenge is to
provide guidance as to the appropriate choices of mapping techniques
for different types of data and purpose. The guidance is provided
by on-line tutorials primarily, so as to use precious class time
primarily for instruction in the geography concepts not the practical
visualization or spatial analysis skills.
Consequently we are devising a series of learning aids, implemented
in ArcView. Simplified and customized menus lead the students
to choices about three main topics: (1) data preparations for
mapping; (2) different types of maps; and (3) the creation of
fine finished cartographic products. While we do offer guidance
for the production of high cartographic quality products, the
emphasis is on topics (1) and (2) as most important for the preparation
of working maps that allow geographic analysis to be well supported,
but without the requirement for the creation of a final map.
The materials for different types of maps cover the range of the
available visualization tools in ArcView, contain hints for how
to make the maps, and examples of good practice. The first topic
covers issues like scales of measurement, how to map count data,
the use of histograms, and the like.
The presentation will show the interface and examples of the various
Avenue scripts. Some of the cartographic tutorial material will
also be shown. Some preliminary assessment will be made of the
costs of producing the materials, the involvement of undergraduate
students in the process, and the student reactions.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in the University Environment (I)
Frank Yee
ACIM Co.
1 Ferncreek Dr.
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
Telephone: 310-378-8087
Fax: 310-378-2478
E-mail: frankyee@msn.com
Avenue on CD, A Multimedia Training Tool
Avenue, the object oriented development language used with ArcView
has had a computer based multimedia training system developed
for it. This course on CD-ROM enables prospective users to benefit
from the best educational experience using the ESRI class outline
and sample problems with commentary on nuances of the language
from an authorized instructor, and, at the same time, repeat lessons
in any order, view lessons from a TV is desired and do this in
ones own time frame. Besides a better pedagogy, the CD–ROM
course represents a considerable savings over sending students
to a remote location for a class.This presentation will show the
Avenue on CD-ROM Training Course and describe the programming
and video processing necessary to develop the course. Shown and
discussed will the VideoCD cassette which is an economical means
to view the CD–ROMs on a regular home television, however,
also being able to play your music CDs.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in the University Environment (I)
Chuck Nelson
California State University, Chico
Geograhical Information Center
Chico, CA 95969
Telephone: 916-898-5969
Fax: 916-898-6781
E-mail: cnelson@oavax.csuchico.edu
Chris Crown
California State University, Chico
Geograhical Information Center
Chico, CA 95969
Telephone: 916-898-5969
Fax: 916-898-6781
E-mail: ccrown@oavax.csuchico.edu
Geographical Information Center, CSU, Chico Experiencial
GIS Education
The role of exposure assessment in investigating and understanding
environmental health issues is to provide the linkage among environmental
information and analyses, consequences of exposures to toxic substances,
and human health effects. In the past, the inability to link
spatial and temporal distributions of chemical concentrations
in the environment to potentially exposed populations efficiently
and accurately made comprehensive exposure assessment analyses
difficult and time-consuming. The use of GIS makes it possible
to manipulate multilayered, spatially distributed databases easily
and to query topological attributes that may be unknown a priori
to obtain spatial relationships of interest to environmental health
scientists. An example is the relationship among environmental
pollutant concentrations, socioeconomic and other demographic
distributions, and the occurrence of adverse health effects for
targeted populations. As part of its legislative mandate to implement
the health-related portions of Superfund, the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has embarked on a program
to refine the quantification of past, present, and future exposures
to toxic substances in populations living near hazardous waste
sites. GIS enhances the application of environmental modeling
tools developed for exposure assessment analyses by providing
the ability to quantify the relationships between environmental
and demographic distributions and the incidence of disease patterns.
By integrating GIS, environmental modeling tools, and spatial
analysis techniques, environmental health scientists can coanalyze
health outcome and environmental data. The process allows them
to estimate the influence of nearby sources of environmental pollution
on the incidence of disease patterns in surrounding populations,
thereby making public health implications from exposure assessments
more reliable and timely for the targeted population.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in the University Environment (I)
Nancy Aguirre Gutiérrez
Center for Remote Sensing and GIS Research
Carrera 30 No. 48-51
Edificco CIAF, of. 104
Santa Fe De Bogota
Cundinamarca
Colombia
Telephone: 571-368-10-57
Fax: 571-368-09-50
E-mail: codazzi@uniandes.edu.co
Hugo Villota
Elena Possada
Uriel Perez
GIS Training and Education Through Research: A Latin-American
Experience
The Center of Remote Sensing and GIS research (CIAF), founded
in 1967, is actually part of the Colombian National Geographic
Institute "Agustin Codazzi" (IGAC); it has been a regional
Center for training and research, and today is responsible for
the development of GIS and remote sensing applications which supports
the other technical areas of IGAC: Cartography, Geography, Cadaster
and Agrology. Training, reseach, consulting and technological
transfer are, both at national and regional level (Latin America
and Caribbean regions), part of our current activities. Key aspects
of the Center's research activities include digital mapping, image
processing and GIS for land cover assessment, cadastral surveys,
applied geomorphological and geological surveys, soil surveys,
and basic geographic information analysis. During the last three
decades, CIAF has trained more than 4000 professionals involved
with the resource and environmental management from governmental
and non governmental organizations in Latin American - Caribbean
countries including Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Ecudador,
Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Uruguay,
Jamaica and Puerto Rico, among others. The purpose of this paper
is to lay out the GIS training experience in a Governmental Institute
(IGAC) at regional level, its main achievements and constraints,
and to show some GIS applications developed from a training—through
reseach—experience.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: GIS in the University Environment (II)
Scott Madry
Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis
Department of Natural Resources, College Farm Rd.
Cook College, Rutgers Universtiy
New Brunswick, NJ 98903-0231
E-mail: madry@ocean.rutgers.edu
The GlobalARC global database for use with ARC/INFO and
ArcView
Global environmental data sets must be made more widely available
to the research community on media that are easily used to support
global scale research. The Center for remote Sensing and Spatial
Analysis of Rutgers University and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) have signed
an agreement that allows Rutgers to make available on CD-ROM GlobalARC,
the new ARC/INFO version of the Global GRASS Digital data sets
1, 2, and 5. This data set includes 84 themes and a total of147
raster layers from various sources; including global elevation,
vegetation, green leaf biomass (AVHRR composites), national boundaries,
soils, and marine productivity (Coastal Zone Color Scanner), among
others. The GlobalARC CD-ROM can be used with both ARC/INFO and
ARCView 2. This paper describes the global database project,
the data set, and its ability to support global research and teaching.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Hands-On GPS Workshop for ESRI Business Partners
Catherine Mansfield
Surveying and Mapping jDivision
485 Potrero Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Telephone: 408-481-7925
Fax: 408-481-8699
Matthew Florio
GPS for GIS Data Capture
This session is designed to explain the operation of the Global
Positioning system (GPS) for GIS data capture. The session is
geared toward individuals interested in learning about the GPS
technology and how GPS related to GIS. The session will consist
of a lecture followed by a live demonstration (for interested
participants), with hands-on operation of GPS/GIS equipment.
GPS is a worldwide nativation and positioning system funded and
operated by the US Department of Defense. GPS receivers use timing
signals from a constellation of satellites to compute geographic
coordinates. These coordinates are displayed on the field unit,
saved into memory for later use, or transmitted by radio for immediate
use. GPS allows workers in many diverse fields capture spatial
data as well as descriptive information about these data. These
data can then be exported to any GIS, database or CAD for analysis
and manipulation.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: New Approaches to Teaching GIS in Higher Education
Craig Wissler
University of Arizona
SRNR/ART ,BSE 203
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Telephone: (520) 621-9588
Fax: 520-621-8801
E-mail: craig@nexus.srnr.arizona.edu
Michael R. Kunzmann
The University of Arizona
125 Biological Sciences East
Tucson, AZ 85721
Telephone: (520) 621-7282
Fax: (520) 670-5001
E-mail: mrsk@npscpsu.srnr.arizona.edu
George L. Ball Ball
Carolyn A. Audilet
D. Phillip Guertin
Teaching GIS in a Heterogeneous Networked Computing Environment
Geographical information systems are increasingly being used in
a teaching environment for a wide range of academic areas. Recently
at the University of Arizona, School of Renewable Natural Resources,
several GIS-related courses have been developed to exploit the
academic and institutional benefits of a GIS instructional program.
These benefits include (1) the creation of institutional, instructional,
and research databases, (2) an increase in the interdisciplinary
and interdepartmental use of GIS and, (3) the creation of a GIS
technical talent pool for a wide array of research and educational
based programs. With rapid changes in hardware, software, and
computer operating systems, there are significant challenges
in maintaining a quality educational experience. While GIS excels
at an interdisciplinary level, the task of teaching a wide range
of students from various academic backgrounds and with differential
computer literacy skills is a significant challenge. This is
especially true in a heterogenous computing environment comprised
of distributed data, and various combinations of GIS software
packages and computer operating systems. This paper will examine
some the experiences we have gained in developing a UNIX, DOS,
and Windows-NT based GIS teaching facility at The University
of Arizona.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: New Approaches to Teaching GIS in Higher Education
Jon W. Kindschy
Natural Sciences
University of California, Riverside, Extension
1200 University Ave.
Riverside CA 92507
Telephone: (909) 787-5804
Fax: 909-787-2456
E-mail: jkindschy@ucx.ucr.edu
Jennifer R. Campbell
GIS Management Education
GIS technologies reflect the evolution of information systems
over the past three decades. Today's organizations, public and
private sector alike, are becoming aware of the benefits of using
GIS to meet their goals. To assist in this effort, UCR Extension
developed a course of study designed for administrators, managers,
technical professionals, decision makers, and others involved
in building and implementing information systems.
The curriculum focuses on the issues of implementing a GIS faced
by upper and middle management. Emphasis is placed on understanding
project management concepts, data and systems integration, exploring
public policy and legal issues, data base design, spatial relationships
and other interdisciplinary aspects of GIS.
This paper discusses the value of GIS education for adult learners.
Topics to be covered include a year in review, challenges and
successes, surprise outcomes, and trends in GIS education across
the country.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: New Approaches to Teaching GIS in Higher Education
Josef Strobl
Salzburg University
Hellbrunnerstrasse 34
Salzburg, A-5020
Austria
Telephone: +43 662 8044 5203
Fax: +43 662 8044 525
E-mail: jstrobl@geo.sbg.ac.at
UNIGIS—Distance Education on the Internet
Due to the ongoing expansion of GIS into ever more institutions
and fields of application, there is without doubt a high and increasing
need for qualified individuals to fill a number of job functions.
In order to meet this need by offering academic GIS education
to professionals already in the workforce, the global UNIGIS distance
learning diploma has been conceived by a group of European universities.
In this 2-year course basic concepts are delivered via printed
course texts, with ArcView and Idrisi for Windows serving as
platforms for practical exercises. Recently, access to the Internet
has been made compulsory for course participants, opening up a
whole new world of enhanced ways of instruction, learning and
communication. The presentation will demonstrate how the Internet
today can serve as a unifying pivot for the presentation of educational
materials, interactive learning, generation of feedback and assessments
and communication between and among students and instructors.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: New Approaches to Teaching GIS in Higher Education
Suzannne Timani
Khatib & Alami
Onnig Bayramian, Technical Daovdlarian Bldg.
Corniche El Mazraa
P.O. Box 14-6203
Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: 212-478-1689
Fax: 212-478-1689
E-mail: kablo@calvacom.fr
Onnig Bayramian
GIS in the Lebanese Education
The rise of modern Geographic Information Systems (GIS) coincides
with sixteen years of war in Lebanon (1975-1991). At the time
GIS, with the wide spreading of personal computing, was witnessing
its first public appearance in the United States and the Western
world Lebanon was struggling to maintain some kind of sanity in
a country torn by civil wars and chaos. It was in such an environment
and professional milieu that GIS first made its appearance in
Lebanon. The kickoff initiative was launched at the Faculty of
Engineering and Architecture of the American Universtiy of Beirut
(FEA/AUB). March 16, 1990 was a day to be remembered. The group,
faculty, students, and guests, was to disperse only when the impact
of the mortars and shells started getting louder and closer.
Since that day, the GIS community in Lebanon continues to grow
both in size and knowledge.
The years to follow exhibited great talents, enthusiasm, and pioneering
spirits. Through a series of orientation seminars and work shops,
GIS has been introduced to almost all the universities in Lebanon,
the Institute of Internal Security Forces at the Ministry of Interior,
and the Mitiary Academy at the Ministry of Defense. In 1996,
GIS made its first appearance in schools.
All through these years Khatib & Alami (K&A) and ESRI
have worked hard to promote both GIS education and GIS in education.
In this respect, donations of ESRI's products such as ARC/INFO
and ArcView and local training support by K&A played a major
role in achieving this objective.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Out of Thin Air: Use & Acquisition of Space and
Flight Data
Zdenek Martinec
Military Topographic Institute
518 16 Dobruska
Czech Republic
Telephone: 0042 443 27737
Fax: 0(042)443-21532
Faigl Jiri'
Creating a Military GIS Database and Using It for Standard
Military Topographic Map Production
This AML application is a complex technology for GIS database
creation, data capturing, and cartographic production.Standard
Czech military topographic maps production is the first application
of this database. The cartographic process includes automatic
symbolization and generalization of database features and automatic
map frame generation for map scales of 1:25,000 and 1:50,000.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Out of Thin Air: Use & Acquisition of Space and
Flight Data
Ed Quinn
1210 Massillon Rd
Akron, OH 44315-0001
Telephone: 216-796-3387
E-mail: equinn@ldsa.com
Data for GIS: The Coming Transformation
Increasingly, GIS technology is being asked to address major issues
in a timely, cost-efficient manner. The need for information characterizing
the state [andmeaning of the state] of all elements of the environment
are pushing GIS data collection to increased spatial resolution
and finer levels of attribution. Despite increases in budgetary
allocations, the demand for data and services continues to overwhelm
resources.
Data collection and processing technologies are about to undergo
a period of technological innovation driven by the emergence of
both new markets and new sources of information. The flood of
new commercial imaging capabilities, increased information sharing,
and the realization of the impact of GIS technology on farming,
environmental remediation and numerous other applications are
providing the impetus for this transformation.
This paper presents a perspective on some of the aspects of the
coming revolution. An overview of various technologies which can
be applied to resolve issues in the near term will be included.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Producing Data for Active Military Engagements
James Nolan
Attn: CETEC-OD-DC
7701 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-3864
Telephone: 703-428-7890
Fax: 703-428-6070
E-mail: jnolan@tec.army.mil
Hasty Data: Constructing Data For Time Sensitive Operations
Recently, there has been a push to provide digital topographic
data to commanders in the field faster than ever before. This
“Hasty Data” requirement presents many problems to the
typical terrain analyst, for even today much of the compilation
of topographic data is done manually. Many if not most of the
terrain analysts at USATEC have little GIS and/or ARC/INFO experience.
Because of the strict timeline of the exercises scheduled to
test the “Hasty Data” concept, it became necessary to
develop a means for analysts to interface with ARC/INFO and produce
accurate digital data. The data produced for these exercises
are attributed with a subset of codes form the Interim Terrain
Data (ITD) and are termed Minimum Essential Data”, MEDS,
and how this data is compiled and output using a series AMLS and
menus which are integrated with Arctools.
Track: Interdisciplinary
Session: Producing Data for Active Military Engagements
Daniel Visone
7701 Telegraph Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22315-3864
Telephone: 703-355-2920
Fax: 703-428-6302
E-mail: dvisone@tec.army.mil
Linda Graff
Seamless Integration of Commercial Off-The-Shelf and Government
Off-The-Shelf Software to Meet the Army's Terrain Analysis Requirements
This presentation will give an overview of: the integration of
ARC/INFO, Erdas Imagine, and Government development algorithms
to meet the terrain analysis requirements of the Digital Topographic
Support System/Quick Response Multicolor Printer (DTSS/QRMP);
the process of the functional allocation of these requirements
to the selected COTS and GOTS software products, the implemented
design; and the "lessons learned" while attempting a
"seamless" integration.
The DTSS/QRMP is