Programmatic Generation of Web Map Services

Deployment of NPS Inventory & Monitoring Datasets

George Wright Society Conference – March, 2011

Inventory Map Services – Search and Display

IRMA Services and Inventory Data:

ReferenceService

Unit Service

TaxonomyService

SpeciesServices

Need ways to consume these services outside of the NRInfo portal, plus make geospatial inventory data viewable by non-technical GIS users.

Inventory managers make use of these services to share their completed data.

Over 1000 natural resource inventory references exist in the Reference application.

These references have Holdings pointing to geospatialdata, usually as zip files containing SHP files, rasters, etc.

However, the only thing a user can do is download the zip file – they can’t visualize the data without opening it in GIS software…

Existing Inventory references

AK Inventory Program needs identified

Top 10 web mapping application requirements for the AK Region:

1. The main goal of the web mapping application would be to allow users to search, view, and if desired, download our GIS related inventory data (veg, soils, basecarto) without requiring them to have a GIS application on their desktop

2. The web mapping application could be an inset on one of our web pages, or it could be its own page for more detailed viewing/searching.

3. It could allow the viewer to search for data based on a geographical and/or time search. For instance, it could allow them to window in on an area, or click on a network or park outline, or plot point, and specify a time period. It would then zoom to the area and display data for that given period of time.

4. It would allow the user to search/display/select our inventories (veg, soils, basecarto) based on network, park, geographical area.

5. It would have basic GIS functions. Users should be able to view our GIS data layers (raster and vector datasets), perform simple queries (i.e., view attribute information by using the identify button, select data using a pick-list type SQL query builder, etc.), plus obtain metadata, and export/download data using map extents, selected features, or entire datasets.

6. Ideally, GIS data layers would be tied in some manner to the rest of the inventory "package" (i.e., reports, plot data, pdf map products, etc.).

7. It would be nice, but not essential, if the interface allowed users to modify symbology and create a pdf map of their view, and/or export data layers to KML files for viewing in GoogleEarth.

8. It would also be nice, but not essential, if GIS data layers could be served as WMS and/or WCS layers, so users are not required to download our data to consume it within a GIS. This would reduce the need for downloading data, reduce data storage needs, and allow the most current and authoritative data to be viewed.

9. It would be nice if it was somehow connected to the National I&M Natural Resource Inventories Tracking Database (

10.Ease of use and simplicity in design is more important than lots of bells and whistles.

Context and benefits of approach

Inventory teams control format and publication

Leverages investments in IRMAAllows for compliance with NPS

documentation (reference) standardsAvailable to other data providers and

access points (clients)Consistent with desired interagency

(esp. USFWS) directions

Overall architectural landscape

NRMapWorks *

NRMapViews *

• Back-end workhorse components

• Responsible for creating map services from candidate references / holdings

• Front-end Silverlight viewing web application

• Drop into ASPX, ColdFusion, HTML web pages; configurable

• Displays and interacts with map services created by NRMapWorks

Auto-Enabling Inventory Reference Holdings as Map Services

ReferenceService

FetchReference

InventoryReference

Holdings

Keywords

NRMapWorks

Docs

GeospatialDatasets

Photos

2. If holding has an MXD and its related datasets, create an ArcGIS Server map service

1. If Keyword like ‘%Map Package’ and Reference is linked to an Inventory,check the holdings…

Benefits of Map ServicesAccessible by many clients:

- map viewers in inventory, park, network web pages; IMR interactive maps, NPMap;

GoogleEarth/Maps, ArcExplorer/ArcGIS Online, ArcMap, Climate Geodata Portal

Allows direct ‘version’ control by data steward – always sharing the most up-to-date maps

Single source:- data stewardship (already posting References) - data visualization (esp. for non-GIS users)

Stewardship Considerations:

Reference owner structures the record correctly and controls when a map service gets created.

If a holding is deleted or the reference is deleted, the map service gets deleted.

Reference owner/steward controls the display,

naming, and extent of the resulting map service and

its layers.

Enabling a Map Service

Add VMI Unit Link

Add map package keyword

Activate Holding and Reference

Enabling a Map Service

Search and Display of BLCA Veg Map Service

Enabling a Map Service

Viewing Inventory ‘Bundles’

Status and Next Steps

Prototyping functionality with AK Inventory Program staff using AK inventory references (base carto, vegetation/landcover, soils).

Working out the kinks in terms of how to structure inventory references.

Beta-testing by AK staff began in late November. Anticipated deployment in late March on AK inventory web pages (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/akro)

Use Map Viewer as search interface for Inventory datasets