gssg - gig geospatial information group standardizing antarctica – a challenge for the scar...

GSSG - GIGGeospatial Information Group

Standardizing Antarctica – a challenge for the SCAR Geospatial Information Group

Steffen Vogt (IPG University Freiburg / Germany)

Henk Brolsma, Ursula Ryan, Lee Belbin (AADC Australian Antarctic Division)

Australian Antarctic Data CentreAustralian Antarctic Division

GIG

Outline

Introducing ourselves:

Who are we?What are we doing?

Implementing ISO TC211 work- an application-oriented view

Example 1: feature catalogueing – SCAR Feature CatalogueExample 2: metadata – SCAR KGIS Project

GIG

SCAR GIG: Who are we?

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an inter-disciplinary committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

SCAR is charged with the initiation, promotion and coordination of scientific research in Antarctica.

SCAR also provides scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty System(e.g. on environmental protection issues)

GIG stands for Geospatial Information Group

GIG

What are we doing?

from mapping an unknown continent to modern GI technology framework

promulgation of cartographic standards for Antarctica since 1961

currently the endeavour in the GI programme is to provide

a spatial data infrastructure for Antarctica to support all scientific disciplines (policies and products)

PhysicalSciences

LifeSciences

Geosciences JCADM

GIG

GIG

What are we doing?

GIG Terms of Reference:

To make fundamental reference data (geographic, geodetic, geophysical) available to the Antarctic and global user communities to meet scientific research requirements

Contribute to global geodesy for the study of the physical processes of the earth and the maintenance of the precise terrestrial reference frame

To integrate and coordinate Antarctic mapping and GIS programs

Provide a common geographic reference system for all Antarctic scientists and operators as the basis for sound data management

To establish and maintain strong links with all Antarctic science research groups and Antarctic data management groups

GIG

The Challenge

research, logistics, politics, economic interest, SAR

political / administrative issues still an comparably unknown and inaccessible continent dynamic environment

our information community, the Antartcic Community, in fact is many communities:

data producers from a broad range of agencies and institutions in many nations

data custodians in a broad range of agencies and institutions(from large, powerful data centres to individual scientists)

data users from a broad range of application fields (science, management, tourism, ...)

GIG

What are we doing?

Current GI activities

Antarctic Digital Database Place Names (SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica) Map Catalogue

National On-line Atlases Cybercartographic Atlas of Antarctica

East Antarctica GIS King George Island GIS

SCAR Spatial Data Standards- ISO TC211 standards

GIG

What are we doing?

Example: Antarctic Digital Database

topographic databasefor entire Antarctica

1: 1 Mio / 5 Mio / 10 Mio

http://www.nbs.ac.uk/ public/magic/add_main.html

British Antarctic Survey

GIG

What are we doing?

Example: SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (CGA)

geographic names in Antarctica (>17000 entries)

searchable on-line database

downloadable GIS dataset /data file

http://www.pnra.it/SCAR_GAZE

GIG

What are we doing?

Example: SCAR Map Catalogue

searchable catalogueof Antarctic maps

up-to-date online version

AAD-AADC

http://www-aadc.aad.gov.au/ mapping/scarmaps.asp

GIG

What are we doing?

Example: SCAR King George Island GIS (KGIS)

multi-national database forenvironmental applications

King George Island 1:100 000 / 10 000

http://www.geographie.uni-freiburg.de/ forschung/ap3/kgis/

GIG GI Workshops Outreach

AntGIS 20032nd International Antarctic GIS WorkshopFreiburg, April 7-11

http://www.geoscience.scar.org/geog/geog.htm

What are we doing?

GIG

Why do we need to standardize Antarctica?

The Vision:

establish a distributed SCAR data and processing network for geospatial data

Example: spatially enabled RiSCC Biodiversity database

80% of all data have a spatial component

RiSCC project homepage http://www.riscc.aq

RiSCC biodiversity homepage http://www-aadc.aad.gov.au/biodiversity/

GIG

RiSCC Biodiversity Database

Potter Peninsula

GIG observation data, taxonomy, gazetteer, map catalogue bundled into one

framework at AAD-AADC

RiSCC Biodiversity Database

ObservationsTaxonomy Maps Gazetteer

Interface Interface

AAD-AADC

GIG products

GIG

Component Model

Applications

Organisationsand People

FeatureType

Catalog

Species Taxonomy

DataRepository

DataRepository

MapCatalog

MetadataCatalog

ServicesCatalog

Applications

Applications- Data Retrieval- Data Mining- Data Visualization

Symbology

Ontologies

Catalogs and Services

...

...

technical interoperability?technical interoperability?

semantic interoperability?semantic interoperability?

feasible?feasible?

GIG

Standards and Specifications

open, non-proprietary, well-established technology

maturing of standards and specifications(SCAR GIG Liaision Member of ISO TC211)

GIG

Standards and Specifications

Example 1: SCAR Feature Catalogue build on 19110

Example 2: SCAR KGIS Project - A Testbed for 19115 Towards a Metadata Community Profile?

GIG

SCAR Feature Catalogue

should provide common semantics

shoud be applicable to any scale of spatial information

should be applicable to any GIS package

should enable exchange of spatial information across disciplines / agencies / nations / cultures

GIG

SCAR Feature Catalogue

Part of SCAR Spatial Data Model project (under co-ordination of AAD)

Goal:“To provide a SCAR standard spatial data model for use in SCAR and national GIS databases”

ISO 19110 compliant Under construction!

living document (http://www.antdiv.gov.au/default.asp?casid=6259; model@aad.gov.au)

GIG

SCAR Feature Catalogue

Part of SCAR Spatial Data Model project (under co-ordination of AAD)

Goal:“To provide a SCAR standard spatial data model for use in SCAR and national GIS databases”http://www.geoscience.scar.org/geog/geog.htm#stds

ISO 19110 compliant

living document (http://www.antdiv.gov.au/default.asp?casid=6259; model@aad.gov.au)

GIG

SCAR Feature Catalogue and 19110

in terms of implementation seems to provide a flexible enough framework

in terms of acceptance the ‘ ISO branding’ might become very helpful

GIG

The SCAR KGIS Project

GIG

King George Island

GIG

King George Island

SSSI No . 8

SSSI No . 13SSSI No . 33

SSSI No . 5

ASM A

SSSI No . 34

GIG

King George Island

several nations operate permanent bases important hub to Antarctic Peninsula focal point of scientific activities shipborne / airborne tourism protected areas

complex context but apparent need for co-ordinated management

(SCAR recommendations Tokyo 2000)

GIG

Goal of the KGIS project

To produce an integrated geographic database for use by all countries

for use in multi-disciplinary applications:

planning and coordination of activities environmental impact assessments scientific database management plans (SSSIs, ASMA)

GIG

communication&

outreach

Workflow

final products

Integration&

meta datageneration

raw data

standards

web inter-face

GIG

Data Input data was provided by

- FH Karlsruhe, Germany- IAA Buenos Aires, Argentina- IAAG Muenchen, Germany- IGIK Warszawa, Poland- INACH/IGM Santiago, Chile- IPG Freiburg, Germany- KORDI Seoul, South Korea- LaPAG/UFRGS Porto Alegre, Brazil- SGM/IAU Montevideo, Uruguay- ...

GIG

Data Integration

GIG

Data Integration

GIG ca. 800 named features on KGI in SCAR Gazetteer ca. 300 named by more than one country

SCAR Gazetteer and KGIS

GIG

2.5 km

implications on management, SAR, etc.

SCAR Gazetteer and KGIS

Source: Management Plan SSSI 8

Tower, The Tower, The

Torre La, pico

La Tour, cerro

GIG

Metadata whithin KGIS database comes typically sparse & incomplete

SCAR adopted standard is DIF (Antarctic Master Directoy is part of Global Change Master Directory)

some institutions have strict standards some institutions have no standards at all most important source for metadata typically

is personal communication with data producers

we started to construct comprehensive metadata records based on 19115 these are provided as XML, HTML and text files to the users

positive feedback if tools to easily access the information are at hand growing acknowledgement of the importance of metadata

GIG

Antarctic Metadata and ISO 19115

an ISO 19115 compliant community profile appears to be very helpful in integrating exisiting metadata / metadata standards

tools for user oriented metadata presentation help in raising awareness of the fact that metadata actually is part of the data

this might help to stimulate the production of metadata records useable for a distributed data and processing environment

GIG

Conclusionsfrom our application-oriented point of view

users / producers slowly start to realize how they benefit from and why they should adhere to standards

looking at the implementation of some ISO TC211 based standards:

technically: works, but of course the devil’s in the details ...

application-oriented: break the communication barrier!

GIG

SCAR Geospatial Information Group

Mr. A. Paul R. CooperBritish Antarctic SurveyLiaison Officer from SCAR to TC211

aprc@bas.ac.uk

Mr. Larry HothemUnited States Geological SurveyLiaison Officer from TC211 to SCAR

lhothem@usgs.gov

Mr. Steffen VogtIPG University Freiburg, Germany

steffen.vogt@geographie.uni-freiburg.de

http://www.geoscience.scar.org/