Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access

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Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) is Pennsylvania's official public access geospatial information clearinghouse. [1] PASDA serves as Pennsylvania's node on the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). PASDA is a cooperative effort of the Pennsylvania Geospatial Technologies Office of the Office of Information Technology [2] and the Pennsylvania State University Institute of Energy and the Environment. [3] [1]

Contents

Early history

Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA), [4] the official public geospatial data clearinghouse for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania marked its 18th year in 2014. PASDA, which has grown from a small website offering 35 data sets in 1996 to the expansive user-centered data clearinghouse that it is today, has become a staple of the GIS community in Pennsylvania. PASDA provides access to thousands of data files, terabytes of data, and hundreds of Internet Map Services, Google Earth KML files, metadata, mapping applications, and other information like guides and tutorials. [5]

PASDA was developed by the Pennsylvania State University as a service to the citizens, governments, and businesses of the Commonwealth. PASDA is a cooperative project of the Governor's Office of Administration, Office for Information Technology, Geospatial Technologies Office and Penn State Institutes for Energy and the Environment of the Pennsylvania State University. Funding is provided by the Pennsylvania Office for Information Technology, Geospatial Technologies Office. The Pennsylvania State University provides additional substantial support to PASDA for system administration, database technologies administration, and infrastructure. The High Performance Computing Center at Penn State is also providing significant resources and support for PASDA. [5] PASDA is housed at Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment. The purpose of Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) is to serve as a comprehensive geospatial data digital library by providing free, universal access to geospatial data and information by, for, and about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PASDA has served for almost 20 years as the Commonwealth's node on the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), Geospatial One Stop, and the National Biological Information Infrastructure. [5]

Data & Metadata creation

The data made available through PASDA is provided by our data partners to encourage the widespread sharing of geospatial data, eliminate the creation of redundant data sets, and to further build an inventory (through the development and hosting of metadata) of available data relevant to the Commonwealth. PASDA serves as a resource for locating data throughout the Commonwealth through its data storage, interactive mapping/webgis applications, and metadata/documentation efforts. PASDA services are provided free of charge to all users and data providers. The data on PASDA is provided by federal, state, local and regional government agencies, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions throughout the region. [1]

Data updates to existing datasets come to PASDA at different intervals and are based on the update frequency of our data partners. Monthly, quarterly, and annual updates are the norm and include PennDOT, PA Department of Environmental Protection, PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Department of Health, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Chester County, Allegheny County, Lancaster County, City of Philadelphia, Southeast PA Transportation Authority, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, PA DCNR Rivers Conservation Program, and the Natural Lands Trust. [5]

The development of metadata on PASDA is one of the most important functions. The background of PASDA's metadata development has its origins in the development of the ANSI Z39.50 standard (also known as the ISO 23950 Search and Retrieval Protocol. [6] ) This protocol was originally designed for libraries to search and retrieve records from remote library catalogs. [7] PASDA's goal is not only to meet the existing metadata standards but also to create metadata in a format that supports easy search and retrieval of data. In the early stages of PASDA's development the metadata was either in HTML or text format and was subsequently parsed with a metadata parser. PASDA was one of the first clearinghouses to implement the use of extensible markup language. [8]

Services & Applications

PASDA provides direct access to download data via FTP. Currently, PASDA has approximately 60 terabytes of data for download including vector data, imagery, elevation and lidar. In addition to direct download, PASDA has developed multiple ways to access data. In 2000, PASDA was one of the first clearinghouses to address issues related to what is known as "clip, ship, and reproject"—a process by which large data sets can be clipped to a user specified geography, reprojected, and zipped for quick download. [8] [1] Subsequent advances, in particular the development of Internet Map Services, have, in part, eliminated the need for these specialized services. [9]

One of the most important developments in GIS in the past decade has been the ability to create Internet Map Services—also known simply as map services. [9] Map services allow users to consume or pull in data to their GIS software without actually having to download it thereby saving download time and storage space. [9] Map services have been some of the most heavily used features on PASDA and support multiple types of web based GIS applications. [10]

In addition to downloading data and creating map services, many GIS clearinghouses also have created web based GIS applications. [1] The applications available through PASDA include the Pennsylvania Atlas—a data visualization and download app, [11] the Pennsylvania Imagery Navigator—a data visualization, search and retrieval app for imagery and LIDAR, [12] and the Pennsylvania Mine Map Atlas. [13]

The Pennsylvania Mine Map Atlas is a joint project of PASDA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. [14] This Mine Map Atlas provides access to thousands of scanned, georeferenced underground mine maps in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. [14] It allows users to view their homes and see if any mines are beneath those homes. [13] The purpose of this effort is to identify houses and other structures at risk of mine subsidence, ground movement caused by the collapse of old, abandoned mines. [15] The final number of mine maps that will be provided through this application is expected to near 100,000 individual maps. [14]

PASDA has participated in numerous national and international level initiatives since its beginnings in 1996.

PASDA was an original member of the ESRI Geography Network and ESRI's ArcGIS.com. In addition, PASDA metadata is harvested by multiple data portals including Geospatial One Stop, Data.gov, and the National Biological Information Infrastructure. [16]

PASDA is an open data portal—meaning that is provides open, free, unrestricted access to data in multiple formats. [17] PASDA provides data storage, data access and retrieval, and metadata services free of charge to its data providers because access to data drives economic development, conservation efforts, and collaboration. [10] The data made available through PASDA is provided by data partners to encourage the widespread sharing of geospatial data, eliminate the creation of redundant data sets, and to further build an inventory (through the development and hosting of metadata) of available data relevant to the Commonwealth. [16]

The PASDA user base is extensive. Users come from a broad spectrum of organizations and backgrounds, from teachers and citizens to businesses and government agencies—PASDA provides free access to data, applications, and customization tools to meet the needs of every user. PASDA saw a dramatic increase of use in almost every sector driven in part by factors such as Marcellus Shale exploration, environmental conservation, economic development initiatives, expanded use of geospatial data in universities, non profits, and the private sector, and the increased interest from average citizens who are able to access geospatial information via PASDA’s data previewer and KML files without the need for specialized GIS software. [5]

The use of PASDA has continually increased over its history. In the past year, almost 2 million files were downloaded from the PASDA FTP site; while usage on the entire site topped 71 million hits, over 28 million page views, and over 1 million unique visitors. The PASDA web servers, which provide access to Internet Map Services and PASDA applications like the Imagery Navigator and PA Atlas supported over 57 million map views. The statistics this year demonstrate more than any other that there is a wide range of data that is of great interest to the user community. Data (and map services created from data) from partners at the PA Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Allegheny County, the DCNR PAMAP Program, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission received phenomenal use—with map service views and data downloads in the millions or hundreds of thousands. In addition, PASDA has created highly significant applications and services that dramatically increase the value of the data available. The Imagery Navigator supported almost 6.3 million views and the Aerial Photo Cache supported almost 22.4 million views. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geographic information system</span> System to capture, manage and present geographic data

A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. Much of this often happens within a spatial database, however, this is not essential to meet the definition of a GIS. In a broader sense, one may consider such a system also to include human users and support staff, procedures and workflows, the body of knowledge of relevant concepts and methods, and institutional organizations.

GeoTIFF is a public domain metadata standard which allows georeferencing information to be embedded within a TIFF file. The potential additional information includes map projection, coordinate systems, ellipsoids, datums, and everything else necessary to establish the exact spatial reference for the file. The GeoTIFF format is fully compliant with TIFF 6.0, so software incapable of reading and interpreting the specialized metadata will still be able to open a GeoTIFF format file.

A GIS software program is a computer program to support the use of a geographic information system, providing the ability to create, store, manage, query, analyze, and visualize geographic data, that is, data representing phenomena for which location is important. The GIS software industry encompasses a broad range of commercial and open-source products that provide some or all of these capabilities within various information technology architectures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QGIS</span> Open source desktop GIS software

QGIS is a free and open-source cross-platform desktop geographic information system (GIS) application that supports viewing, editing, printing, and analysis of geospatial data.

The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo), is a non-profit non-governmental organization whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open geospatial technologies and data. The foundation was formed in February 2006 to provide financial, organizational and legal support to the broader Free and open-source geospatial community. It also serves as an independent legal entity to which community members can contribute code, funding and other resources.

The concept of a Geospatial Web may have first been introduced by Dr. Charles Herring in his US DoD paper, An Architecture of Cyberspace: Spatialization of the Internet, 1994, U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory.

GeoPDF refers to map and imagery products created by TerraGo software applications. GeoPDF products use geospatial PDF as a container for maps, imagery, and other data used to deliver an enhanced user experience in TerraGo applications. However, GeoPDF products conform to published specifications including both the OGC best practice for PDF georegistration as well as Adobe's proposed geospatial extensions to ISO 32000, making them readable by applications such as Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, Avenza PDF Maps, Global Mapper, and others. GeoPDF products often include other advanced PDF features such as layers and object data which can add significant GIS functionality to the file, particularly when used with the TerraGo Technologies plugin to Adobe Reader or other TerraGo clients.

Geospatial metadata is a type of metadata applicable to geographic data and information. Such objects may be stored in a geographic information system (GIS) or may simply be documents, data-sets, images or other objects, services, or related items that exist in some other native environment but whose features may be appropriate to describe in a (geographic) metadata catalog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Web mapping</span> Process of using the maps delivered by geographic information systems (GIS) in World Wide Web

Web mapping or an online mapping is the process of using maps, usually created through geographic information systems (GIS) on the Internet, more specifically in the World Wide Web. A web map or an online map is both served and consumed, thus, web mapping is more than just web cartography, it is a service where consumers may choose what the map will show.

The GeoNetwork opensource (GNOS) project is a free and open source (FOSS) cataloging application for spatially referenced resources. It is a catalog of location-oriented information.

A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), also called geospatial data infrastructure, is a data infrastructure implementing a framework of geographic data, metadata, users and tools that are interactively connected in order to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way. Another definition is "the technology, policies, standards, human resources, and related activities necessary to acquire, process, distribute, use, maintain, and preserve spatial data".

A geoportal is a type of web portal used to find and access geographic information and associated geographic services via the Internet. Geoportals are important for effective use of geographic information systems (GIS) and a key element of a spatial data infrastructure (SDI).

The Arizona Geographic Information Council (AGIC) was established by executive order as Arizona's primary forum and oversight group for coordination efforts related to geographic information systems (GIS). AGIC identifies standards and implementation strategies to provide a framework for optimizing Arizona's investment in GIS. Through cooperation and partnerships, AGIC facilitates the acquisition, exchange and management of geospatial data and technology to benefit State agencies and the Arizona GIS community. AGIC meets on a regular basis and conducts an Annual GIS Conference to address statewide GIS issues, requirements and solutions.

The Barrow Area Information Database (BAID) is designed to support Arctic science with a special focus on the research hubs of Barrow, Atqasuk, and Ivotuk on the North Slope of Alaska.

Bhuvan is an Indian web based utility which allows users to explore a set of map based content prepared by Indian Space Research Organisation. The content which the utility serves is mostly restricted to Indian boundaries and is offered in 4 regional languages. The content includes thematic maps related to disasters, agriculture, water resources, land cover and also processed satellite data of ISRO. Bhuvan is known for its association with various sections of Government of India to enable the use of Geospatial technology. Bhuvan has since its inception enabled Indian government to host public geospatial data as Information layers for visualisation and public consumption. Examples of the types of geospatial layers include Toll Information System for National Highways Authority of India, Islands information System for MHA, Cultural heritage sites for Ministry of culture etc. The information for the platform is obtained from the government of India sources or through Crowdsourcing.

The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) was established by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to conduct a nationwide inventory of U.S. wetlands to provide biologists and others with information on the distribution and type of wetlands to aid in conservation efforts. To do this, the NWI developed a wetland classification system that is now the official FWS wetland classification system and the Federal standard for wetland classification. The NWI also developed techniques for mapping and recording the inventory findings. The NWI relies on trained image analysts to identify and classify wetlands and deepwater habitats from aerial imagery. NWI started mapping wetlands at a small scale. Eventually, large-scale maps became the standard product delivered by NWI. As computerized mapping and geospatial technology evolved, NWI discontinued production of paper maps in favor of distributing data via online "mapping tools" where information can be viewed and downloaded. Today, FWS serves its data via an on-line data discovery "Wetlands Mapper". GIS users can access wetlands data through an online wetland mapping service or download data for various applications. The techniques used by NWI have recently been adopted by the Federal Geographic Data Committee as the federal wetland mapping standard. This standard applies to all federal grants involving wetland mapping to insure the data can be added to the Wetlands Layer of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. NWI also produces national wetlands status and trends reports required by the United States Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TimeMap</span>

TimeMap Java is an open-source web mapping application, which was one of the first such applications to introduce generic time filtering and map animation on the web. TMJava is a comprehensive Java mapping applet which can run as a standalone application with local data, on a web site or as a two tier application with a backend server and independent metadata clearinghouse, supporting distributed data sources.

The Wind Energy Data and Information (WENDI) Gateway was established by the Environmental Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in March 2010 to support the United States Department of Energy's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program. It provided a digital library for wind energy-related data and information from a wide spectrum of sources—including data centers, scientific and technical journals, and geographic information systems (GIS), as well as the websites of government agencies, corporations and trade organizations. The gateway was taken offline after funding ended in August 2012. Much of its content was incorporated into the OpenEI site.

Geographic information systems (GIS) play a constantly evolving role in geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and United States national security. These technologies allow a user to efficiently manage, analyze, and produce geospatial data, to combine GEOINT with other forms of intelligence collection, and to perform highly developed analysis and visual production of geospatial data. Therefore, GIS produces up-to-date and more reliable GEOINT to reduce uncertainty for a decisionmaker. Since GIS programs are Web-enabled, a user can constantly work with a decision maker to solve their GEOINT and national security related problems from anywhere in the world. There are many types of GIS software used in GEOINT and national security, such as Google Earth, ERDAS IMAGINE, GeoNetwork opensource, and Esri ArcGIS.

GeoSUR is a regional initiative led by spatial data producers in Latin America and the Caribbean to implement a regional geospatial network and to help establish the basis of a spatial data infrastructure in the region. GeoSUR supports the development of free access geographic services useful to find, view and analyze spatial information through maps, satellite images, and geographic data.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 stories, A. summary of top; You, The Latest Geospatial Trends Emailed Direct to. "The Road Taken: The Evolution of GIS Data Clearinghouses From FTP to Map Services". www.directionsmag.com.
  2. ↑ "Information Technology". Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  3. ↑ "Institute of Energy and the Environment". Institute of Energy and the Environment.
  4. ↑ "Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access". www.pasda.psu.edu.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-01-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ Kelly, M.C., Baxter, R.E., & Haupt, B.J. (2008). The evolution of spatial data infrastructure (SDI) geospatial data clearinghouses: Architecture and services. In Encyclopedia of Data Warehousing and Mining, (2nd ed.). Hershey, Pennsylvania: Idea Group, Inc.
  7. ↑ Nebert, D. (Ed.) (2004). Developing spatial data infrastructures: The SDI cookbook (v.2). Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association. http://www.gsdi.org.
  8. 1 2 Kelly, M.C. & Stauffer, B.E. (2000). User needs and operations requirements for the Pennsylvania Geospatial Data Clearinghouse. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, Environmental Resources Research Institute.
  9. 1 2 3 Kelly, M.C., Haupt, B.J., & Baxter, R.E. (2009). Internet map services and Web GIS: The new paradigm in spatial and temporal data integration over the Web. In Encyclopedia of Database Technologies and Applications, (2nd ed.). Hershey, Pennsylvania: Idea Group, Inc.
  10. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ↑ "Pennsylvania Atlas". maps.psiee.psu.edu.
  12. ↑ "Pennsylvania Imagery Navigator and Download Tool". maps.psiee.psu.edu.
  13. 1 2 "Pennsylvania Mine Map Atlas". www.minemaps.psu.edu.
  14. 1 2 3 "Penn State, DEP collaborate on digital Pennsylvania Mine Map Atlas - Penn State University". news.psu.edu.
  15. ↑ "Pennsylvania Launches Online Mine Map Viewer | Business Journal Daily". Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  16. 1 2 "About PASDA - What is PASDA". Archived from the original on 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  17. ↑ Open data
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