Topographic Maps for Peace and Development

Topographic base maps are used in providing base data that is needed in development planning, infrastructure development, risk reduction and management, and environmental protection of the environment.

A two-year mapping project called “Topographic Mapping for Peace and Development in Mindanao” is being implemented by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) in partnership with the Japanese Government that aims to bring about socio-economic and peace development in Mindanao. An attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will be monitoring the activities. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has awarded the project with ¥1 billion or about R300 million worth of grant.

Compared to Luzon and Visayas, Mindanao has the oldest maps, dating back in 1950s. Maps of Luzon were made in the 1970s and is regularly updated. According to DENR, the only thing that hinders them in updating the topographic maps from Mindanao is its peace and order situation.

In the project implementation agreement signed last January 2010, JICA shall send a project team and transfer technology to the Philippines while NAMRIA and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will facilitate the involvement of other government and non-government organizations.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said that the project aims to update the 205 topographic base maps covering Mindanao at 1:50 000 scale. “Outputs of the project include reports, satellite images, ortho-image maps, ground control point coordinates, and 1:50,000 scale digital topographic data for geographic information system (GIS) application which will be distributed to local government units. These will serve as base information data that will help developers in their development projects in the region,” he added.

Sources:

Manila Bulletin ( August 18, 2010): http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/273013/namria-pushes-digital-map-project

Philippine parcel maps now available online

The Philippine Chamber of Real Estate and Builder’s Association (CREBA) announced that the Philippines now has its first fully-automated Web GIS parcellary mapping services called MapSys. It is located at www.mapsys.ph and was designed and built by CREBALAND, the technical arm of CREBA.

According to Atty. Manuel M. Serrano, CREBA’s founder and chairman, this new mapping facility can generate an accurate lot plan and information-packed vicinity map for any given parcel in the country, right in front of the user’s computer screen.

MapSys contains multi-layers of spatial information, such as major and minor road networks, rivers, waterways networks, railroad networks, LGU-approved land use, SAFDZ, land cover, Ecozones, administrative boundaries (from the provincial down to the barangay level), elevation and slope, fault lines, banks, schools, churches, hospitals, commercial/industrial establishments, tourist establishments, utilities and many others.

The map service is available nationwide and globally on the internet. Serrano said, “the map is immediately downloadable after the user enters the parcels technical descriptions from either a title or a survey plan or any other source document.”

MapSys aims to resolve the most common problems of brokers, potential buyers, banks, and investors by pinpointing a land parcel that is for sale and saves the buyer from an expensive and exhausting visit to the site.

The system uses tie points, which is the official geodetic control points, to assure the users of the accuracy of the relative geographic position/location, configuration and boundaries of the parcel as shown in the map outputs. The system also uses a scale that adjusts to the size of the parcel.

“MapSys is extremely user-friendly and does not require orientation for its use”, added Serrano.

Source:

Manila Bulletin (February 6, 2010)

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/242175/creba-launches-web-mapping-service

Call for Action: The Challenges and Opportunities of Spatial Data Infrastructure

Last January 2010, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. Buildings collapsed, roads heaved, and the damaged to power and communication lines virtually left the city blind. People were confused in the absence of guidance on where to go; the rescuers did not know where to begin. As the world stood still, humanitarian support poured in. In the midst of chaos, a direction was made. Roads were cleared with singular intent of providing the veins through which rescue and emergency support passed through. Unknown to many, the provision of such passable roads amidst the ruins was made through the use of Spatial Data Infrastructure.

Spatial Data Infrastructure is composed of policies, standards and procedures under which organizations and technologies interact to promote more efficient use, management and production of spatial data. SDI becomes a necessary tool for communications and for building stability in this uncertain world. But, as the SDIs continue to grow, a lot of questions, challenges and opportunities also arise to test the capabilities of this base data.

In answering the calls for help in the Haiti earthquake, various sectors and organizations created geospatial/mapping data to help the rescuers. The problem, however, was the differing interfaces and web protocols that made it difficult to bring data together and analyze them.

Some of the key challenges facing the implementation of SDI are: how to incorporate new technologies, how to deal with the differing quality of data, how to expand SDI into different fields or practices (ex. Business or environment), how to put in place the policy, financing, and governance mechanism that will promote and sustain SDIs through time.

Technology grows faster than one can imagine. Almost on a daily basis, a new technology or gadget is being introduced to us. This holds true in the use of SDI. Most SDIs have developed new functions such as mapping services and web features. Also, new tools are now available like the satellite imagery viewer, participatory mapping and mobile applications. All these make important how data can be readily available for use by the public.

The rapid access to data and information is crucial to the economic, environmental and social well-being of our global society. Geographic reference is needed in areas such as health, education, and social welfare, and in answering this challenge, there is a need to have standard protocols that will cut across uses and demands in our current situation.

An example where there is a growing requirements for spatial data infrastructure is in the area of environmental management. To achieve sustainable economic development and protection of sensitive natural resources, land managers need to have a deep understanding of the characteristics and special features of the territory they are working on. This understanding comes from developing an SDI on their own or making an inventory of what information already exists from other sources.
The US National Research Council’s Mapping Science Committee produced a report that recommends guidelines that can help SDI through its challenges and opportunities. These recommendations are as follows: (1) Effective national policies, strategies and organizational structures for integration of national spatial data collection, use, and distribution, (2) procedures should be established to foster access to information, and (3) a spatial data sharing program should be established to enrich national spatial data coverage. This defined the elements of NSDI and provided a conceptual framework for an enhanced spatial data infrastructure.

The key ingredient to a successful SDI implementation then is the cooperation and willingness to respond to society's needs. There are still hindrances, but solutions are also available. Metadata, data access mechanisms, standards for interoperability and other suggested best practices for implementing geospatial technologies are now accessible to those who are interested. The challenge is for us to open up our eyes to all the tools available in our quest for sustainable development.

Condensed from the original article by:

Moeller, John. Spatial data infrastructures: Challenges and opportunities. Directions Magazine (July 28, 2010). http://www.directionsmag.com/articles/spatial-data-infrastructures-challenges-and-opportunities/122331

Other sources:

National Academy Press

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4895&page=9

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2105&page=1

Image Source:

http://sdi08.rosa.ro/

Mapping to Conserve Coastal Habitats

Two scientists, who are part census takers and part detectives, went on mapping the coastal habitats in the six counties of Georgia, USA. Jacob Thompson and Eamonn Leonard with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, mapped the coastal habitats with the main goal to describe the characteristics of the coasts so that the local government can avoid developing on the most rare and most sensitive spots.

According to Thompson, a natural resource biologist, there has been a lot of growth in the coastal habitats, and that they are expecting more development in the coming years, “We want to work with counties to ensure that rare habitats are preserved before everything gets developed.”

With the coast expected to see its population increase in the next 20 years, the Woodruff Foundation granted the project with USD 700,000 grant. The project is part of the Coastal Georgia Land Conservation Initiative, which is a three-year collaboration of the Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Conservancy, and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.

A website is also developed and is expected to be launched later this August to enable different parties to interact with the habitat maps that have been developed.

Sources:

GeoSpatial World

http://www.geospatialworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18201:researchers-map-rare-coastal-habitats&catid=52:application-natural-resource-management&Itemid=1

Savannahnow.com

http://savannahnow.com/news/2010-08-13/ga-researchers-map-rare-coastal-habitats

Exploiting the Benefits of Spatial Infrastructure

According to the Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), the Conservation Department and the Economic Development Ministry of New Zealand, their country is not taking advantage of the benefits of spatial infrastructure. This results to losing almost $1.3 million in productivity. The Land Information office has been looking for technology firms to be able to develop innovative websites.

Jan Pierce, LINZ Customer Service General Manager said that new services are likely to be aimed at typical users of land data. With this, the public will able to make use of the maps and map data, but the users may have to pay to use the services. “Linz’s intention is that cost should not be a barrier to access”, added Pierce.

Earlier this August, the New Zealand Government released its NZGOAL Policy, which provides assistance for releasing Government Information and material to the public for reuse. Pierce added that any move by LINZ to charge for access data would not conflict with the policy, that they are developing their services in accordance of the NZGOAL on charging data access and use. “The LINZ datasets are so important to geospatial analysis and decision-making that research has shown that the poor access to that data has shaped and limited the way that many people and organisations have established their geospatial capability.”

Source:

Geospatial World

http://www.geospatialworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18206:new-zealand-to-exploit-benefits-of-spatial-information-&catid=58&Itemid=28&Itemid=1

http://www.mynetbizz.com/travelweb/index.php/hotels-and-flights-reviews/travel-tips/new-zealand-travel-guide/

Local mapping of H1N1 virus in Texas

Penny Carpenter, a Geographic Information System (GIS) teacher at the Lubbock Independent School District in Lubbock, Texas, made a special project for her students last April 2009 when the H1N1 Virus started spreading around the globe. She thought that using GIS tools would be helpful in monitoring flu outbreaks in their area. The first step that she and her students tried to answer is the question, “What counties in Texas are confirmed with H1N1 Virus?”

Her students knew that the outbreak started in Mexico, so they began collecting reports of infections in border towns. They created a list of counties in a spreadsheet and the data on confirmed cases. They then created a base map of Texas counties and joined the maps attribute table to the spreadsheet data on the county name field. When the appropriate breaks for the data range were done, the confirmed cases of the virus were mapped using graduated colors.

They found out that the highest number of confirmed cases is from the most populated areas, but not border counties. By adding another layer that shows the roadways and airports, they saw that most of these areas were connected to a major roadway.

When the first confirmed case of the virus was announced in Lubbock County, a local network featured the work of Carpenter’s students. Carpenter shared that she was more than just building maps, she also motivates her students to look into the relevant real-world issues, “When students can visualize and see the data on a map, they begin to analyze. And this promotes higher-level thinking skills.”

Source:

GIS Educator

http://www.esri.com/library/newsletter/giseducator/gised-winter10.pdf

GIS Project Helps in Improving Access to Clean Water

A group of university students and two professors from the University of Redlands (U of R) in Redlands, California, went to the communities across sub-Saharan Africa to help map the sources of water in the area as well collected water use information. They used Geographic Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to classify water access points like wells and lakes.

The maps that were made are useful in providing the local people with accurate locations of water sources. The field collection and their model maps are going to be useful in the implementation of sustainable practices in poor nations. Maxwell Baber, associate professor at the U and R stated, “Anything that we can do to improve water quality is going to have a major impact on the population.”

For 15 days in May 2008 and 2009, the team went on field mapping and classifying the water access points with the help from the local villagers, guides, and personnel from Rwanda National University and Millennium Villagers Project (A project established to in Africa for alleviating poverty in Africa using integrated community driven activities).

Using Garmin GPS equipment and ArcGIS, the students built a database of the water sources and classified them as shallow well, open pit, lake, deep borehole, water tap or cistern. They also interviewed individuals who fetch water in the water access points that they mapped. The survey provided information on water use, household location and size, distance to the water source, and the seasonal availability of water.

This field experience also gave the student hands-on experience in learning how GIS Technology can help in supporting projects that study the relationships between human and environment. “For a few days in May, students had the opportunity to help improve the community’s access to clean, safe water”, said Katherine Noble-Goodman, a visiting lecturer in Environmental Studies at U of R. The faculty and students of U and R continued in editing and revising the project data. They are running analyses and creating spatial models to predict the productivity for new borehole well site locations.

Source:

http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/winter0910articles/improving-access.html

Looking Beyond Spatial Data Infrastructure

Spatial Data Infrastructure is usually seen as a new innovation or a new type of technology. Most of us may tend to neglect it because of ignorance. We do not know what it is for and what can it do.

But what we do not know is that SDI has been existing for about 70 years now. Although it may provide the simplest maps, or just plain ideas and concepts on geography, for decades its products have been used by various sectors.

Beryl Markham, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from London to North America, wrote what probably is the best description of what a good map (and a well-designed SDI) can provide. She wrote in her book “West with the Night” (1942):

A map in the hands of a pilot is a testimony of a man’s faith in other men; it is a symbol of confidence and trust. ... A map says to you "Read me, follow me closely, doubt me not." It says "I am the earth in the palm of your hand. Without me you are alone and lost." Were all of the maps in the world destroyed and vanished under the direction of some malevolent hand, each man would be blind again, each city be made a stranger to the next, and each landmark become a meaningless sign post pointing to nothing. ... Here is your map. Unfold it, follow it, then throw it away, if you will. It is only paper. It is only paper and ink, but if you think a little, if you pause a moment, you will see that these two things have seldom joined to make a document so modest and yet so full with histories of hope or sagas of conquest.

These words hold the very nature of and goal of Spatial Data Infrastructures:

Faith and trust in each other – SDI’s foundation is built in faith and trust from different people of various fields and sectors. The provision of data from SDI shows the confidence that people have in technology.

The earth in the palm of your hands – through SDIs, we can look into both the local and global perspective of the mapped data. It answers the basic human questions “Where am I? Where am I heading next?”

Without it, you are alone and lost – most people would not be able to perform tasks accurately if not for the data provided by SDI and without the ability to communicate geographically.

Each would be blind, each city be made a stranger to the next, and each landmark becomes a meaningless sign post pointing to nothing – maps make us knowledgeable of places that we have never been before. Geographic knowledge can create a thread that connects people together.

Unfold it, follow it, then throw it away, if you will – paper maps can be thrown after using them, but today, with the help of SDI, geospatial data can be kept, updated and modified for future use.

SDI has been established in the US government which provides a new initiative regarding mapping and geospatial information. On April, 1994, an executive order entitled “National Spatial Data Infrastructure” (EO 12906) was established by the United States of America. It described SDI as “the technology, policies, criteria, standards and people necessary to acquire process, store, distribute, and improved utilization of geospatial data.” The executive order also states that the Federal Geographic Data Committee, which was formed in the establishment of the EO, should involve the state, local, and tribal government in the development and implementation of pioneer projects, as well as consult the experts of the academe, private sector and professional societies.

From these initiatives, Spatial Data Infrastructure has grown and became an integral part of information networks. From the simplest data sharing, it has sprung into a dynamic and evolving infrastructure that has the capacity to integrate various data, technology and systems. SDI is also seen as a national asset, which can be used in different scales, from the local, national to global levels.

With the help of Spatial Data Infrastructure, the world can be seen as an organic whole and not as disconnected pieces. Through time, the data we have becomes better and more innovative. As people use SDI more, organizations and various sectors will have more option in implementing the best practices and spatial information infrastructures that supports the needs of the society.

Condensed from the original article:

Moeller, John and Grumman Co, Northrop. Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) - Why Should We Care About Them?. (February 22, 2010). http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php? article_id=3414

Additional Sources:

http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo12906.htm

http://www.karenblixen.com/gale.html

Conserving Resources in Natural Caves with GIS

Students from Browning and Bigfork High Schools, in Northwestern Montana, have been volunteering since 2003 to map and conserve the natural resources in natural caves of Glacier National Park.

In the spring of 2009, a grant worth $10,000 from Best Buy, enabled the schools to purchase computers and GIS software, with the help of Denny Rae, a GIS specialist from Flathead County, and Bern Szukalski, ESRI’s cave and karst program coordinator. Rae approached Hans Bodenhamer, the teacher of the students, proposing to incorporate GIS in his curriculum.

After having installed the software, Bondenhamer asked help from Ben Sainsbury, a GIS specialist at Central Washington University, to help teach the kids in inputting data and learning more about GIS. After a month, all the data from the past five years of volunteering in the Glacier National Park have been entered in the software.

Bigfork High School uses GIS in geo-referencing the maps. They also filled-in a vector image of the cave as a separate layer so that if it was turned on, it can show the orientation of the cave. The over-laying topographic map serves as the background for the raster cave maps and other layers.

Other layers were also developed about the general information of the maps such as the entrance, elevation, length and depth of the cave, the average air temperature and the classification of the cave resource significance.


Source:

GIS Educator
http://www.esri.com/library/newsletter/giseducator/gised-winter10.pdf

Creating Maps for Landslide Risk Management in Pakistan

In January 2010, a series of landslides occurred in Atta Abad in the Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan. This caused the blocking of the Hunzen River and resulted to the rise of the river's water level. About 20,000 residents have evacuated as some areas are completely submerged in flood water, while some downstream communities are vulnerable to flash floods.

Two Google Map users from Lahore and London, respectively, Omer Shiek and Jabran Rafique, created a website, http://www.local.com.pk/hunza/, which provides data for disaster risk management in Pakistan. Google Maps have made the publishing of post-disaster imagery possible which allowed Shiek and Rafique to identify the locations of health centers and shelters. The website is recognized in the UN-SPIDER as a primary source of information in the Hunza disaster. UN-SPIDER provides universal access to all types of space-based information and services relevant to disaster management.

Jabran stated that the gap in the map information was obvious. He added that they have used the Google map maker as their baseline data, and started adding other features like roads, submerged areas and roads.

“We hope that our effort to make reliable information more widely available will help disaster relief managers and decision makers save lives and prevent more damage to the fragile economy of this remote region. In contributing to Google Map Maker, my desire is to establish a basic framework around which we can document, understand and bring transparency to the events taking place around me. We, as a mapping community, need to better demonstrate the benefits of online collaboration and the utility of tools such as Map Maker for rapid dissemination of information”, said Omer, when asked about their motivation for this project.


Source:

Google Lat Long Blog
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/06/map-makers-respond-to-pakistan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/SbSV+(Google+LatLong)&utm_content=Google+Reader

UN-SPIDER

http://www.un-spider.org/