Theresa Valentine (AND) and Jamie Hollingsworth (BNZ)
The GIS Working Group met in a breakout session during the Information Managers meeting and covered the following: GIS Standards for LTER Sites, LTERMaps demo, and GIS/Remote Sensing training needs. Other topics were briefly addressed.
The GIS Working Group discussed the process for setting GIS Standards for all LTER Sites. The group felt that there should be a base level of data that each site should be required to make available on their website. The working group plans on developing a formal proposal and presenting it to IM Exec and NISAC. There was a lot of discussion during this session and under the governance session on how to proceed with the requirements. We also discussed the need for having the metadata of this basic level data searchable with other site databases, and documenting the provenance of the data. A centralized portal for search, display, and access for the site GIS data should be developed.
Recommend list of basic level spatial data with associated metadata that each site will be required to have online are as follows:
1. Location data for the site headquarters (input into SiteDB)
2. Boundary polygon or research area(s), and a boundary of Interest for Site (extending outside the research area for DEM’s, imagery, etc).
3. Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
4. Imagery (Landsat TM or better scene with multiple years for comparison)
5. Research plot locations of core research plots (based on GPS)
6. Transportation network
7. Hydrography
8. Structures
9. Demographics: Historical demographic data for LTER sites have been developed through the ecoTrends project and are available at the Coweeta site or through a GIS web service developed at the Andrews LTER.
The LTERMaps Team provided a live demonstration of the project. LTERMaps is a cross-site effort between Andrews, Konza Prairie, Bonanza, Georgia Coastal, and Baltimore LTER sites. The project team began meeting through video teleconference calls in January of 2009 to review options for internet mapping and to develop a prototype for Phase 1 of the project. The Phase 1 prototype is an application that can be imbedded into a webpage using the Google MapsTM API. The advantages to this approach are the reliability and performance of Google’s satellite imagery, its familiarity to the public, lack of cost, and large user community. In addition, it will be relatively simple to add additional sites (for example, ILTER sites and NEON sites), and individual LTER sites will not be responsible for managing basic satellite imagery. Other spatial data (for example, site boundaries and climate stations) can be added to the Google base imagery for a customized view of the sites, and users can download the GIS formatted files from the webpage. Here is link to the demo site: http://gcelter.marsci.uga.edu/public/gis/LTERmaps.html
The group discussed GIS/Remote Sensing Training needs for LTER Sites and identified a need to conduct a survey of web mapping tools and skills at each site. The following training needs were identified:
1. GIS Data discovery training: how to find data and evaluate for appropriate use.
2. Higher end GIS training: (server and internet mapping applications, training that would work toward GIS Certification for site GIS personnel, modeling, and using the new Flex and Silverlight API’s)
3. Matching GPS data with remote sensing data (including LiDAR).
4. Google Maps training with IM’s and using LTERmaps to help sites imbed the technology in their web pages. The group would like to propose a workshop during winter of 2010 (post ASM proposal has been submitted).
Other topics:
1. Are there topics that the group should identify as GIS best practices? Suggestions were data transfer requirements and metadata.
2. Spatial data workbench? What is the status of the project? A website was found with information: (http://www.lternet.edu/technology/sdw/)
3. Barbara Nolen (JRN) agreed to track the Landuse/Landcover efforts that are evolving within the LTER Network.
4. Theresa Valentine (AND) to coordinate with emerging Spatial Analysis Committee
( http://asm.lternet.edu/2009/workgroups/lter-remote-sensing-data-informat... )
GIS Working Group members participated in several other ASM workshops on topics such as LiDAR, Integrating spatial and temporal data across the LTER nework, visualization, Maps and Locals, and land fragmentation.