NOAA WebShop 2004

NOAA GIS and the

Web

NOAA GIS CommitteeNOAA WebShop 2004

July 27, 2004

NOAA WebShop 2004

Overview

• NOAA GIS Committee appreciates the opportunity to participate in this conference – Recognition that the future of GIS and the Web within

NOAA are intertwined

• Presentation represents input from numerous NOAA GIS community members

• Presentation goal – build awareness of GIS use in NOAA in hopes of bringing Web and GIS communities together

NOAA WebShop 2004

Tracking Movement Through Space & Time

NOAA WebShop 2004

Integrating NOAA Observing Systems

NOAA WebShop 2004

Mapping Essential Fish Habitat to Enhance Decision Making

NOAA WebShop 2004

Enhancing Understanding Through 3-D Visualizations and Real-Time Data

NOAA WebShop 2004

Providing Access to Electronic Navigational Charts

NOAA WebShop 2004

Providing Imagery of Significant Environmental Events

NOAA WebShop 2004

Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms

NOAA WebShop 2004

Delivering Accurate Shoreline and Coastal Topography Data

NOAA WebShop 2004

Mapping and Analyzing Spatial Characteristics of Salmonid Data

NOAA WebShop 2004

Increasing Access to Real-Time and Historical Hurricane Information

NOAA WebShop 2004

Providing Weather Information in New Formats - National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD)

NOAA WebShop 2004

Accessing Real-Time Observations

NOAA WebShop 2004

Finding and Downloading Key NOS Geospatial Resources from One Location

NOAA WebShop 2004

Opportunities and Challenges

• Technology– Web services

– Software tools

– Visualization

• Coordination– NOAA GIS Committee

– Usability, user satisfaction, and branding

– Interagency coordination

NOAA WebShop 2004

Web Services

• Arguably the hottest topic in the geospatial field right now• Potential to break down barriers between geospatial and

non-geospatial applications – treat geospatial data as just another type of information

• Holds the potential to buy down the cost of GIS for organizations– Data management activities decreased or

eliminated– Subscribe or access free geospatial

processes (geocoding and routing) • Some concerns exist on performance,

security, and reliability• Future opportunities

– Develop recommendations of how Web services can benefit NOAA in a geospatial context

– Develop Web services for key NOAA data holdings

NOAA WebShop 2004

Software Tools

• ESRI products are the most heavily used GIS software tools within NOAA– Most Web-based mapping applications

are driven by ArcIMS– Other tools are used – Caris ChartServer

for example• The OpenGIS Consortium is promoting the

importance of interoperability and the use of open source tools– Minnesota Map Server derivatives are

popular• Future opportunities

– More sharing of code and lessons learned– ESRI - site license and ArcServer product– Maximizing NOAA’s OpenGIS Consortium

membership

NOAA WebShop 2004

Visualization

• GIS is primarily 2-D

– Time and height handled as attributes, not as part of the database

• Tools becoming available to help understand and analyze data across 3-D and 4-D frameworks

• Hardware – immersion tables and rooms

• Software – numerous products exist

• Data – higher resolution and higher density data exists to drive these systems

• Future opportunities

– Explore new ways to highlight NOAA data for our customers

• Animations, fly-throughs

NOAA WebShop 2004

NOAA GIS Committee

• NOAA GIS Committee established as a standing committee reporting to the NOAA CIO Council

• Membership from each line office appointed by senior LO management

• Successes – raising visibility of GIS within NOAA; developing GIS community; promoting NOAA GIS activities; sharing lessons learned and code; trainings and workshops

• “Less than successes” – establishing vision and plan for GIS within NOAA; securing corporate funding

• Future opportunities

– Developing plan for GIS within NOAA

NOAA WebShop 2004

Usability, User Satisfaction, and Branding

• Geospatial Web site design trails the rest of the Web design field in ease of use– Compared to general Web site use, very little research on usability

and site design for geospatial sites exists• Within NOAA

– No common approach to site design– Require users to “relearn” tools and navigation with each site– No consistent approach to NOAA branding– Some examples of code sharing among project teams

• Future opportunities– Explore development of common tool sets and navigation scheme– Share code where possible to increase efficiencies– Develop common approach to NOAA branding– Develop mechanisms for tracking user satisfaction

NOAA WebShop 2004

Interagency Coordination

• Renewed interest and attention on federal geospatial activities – strong emphasis on coordination– National Academy of Sciences report– GAO Audit and hearings– US Commission of Ocean Policy– Federal Geographic Data Committee Future

Directions Initiative– Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) and The

National Map• Future opportunities

– Take advantage of opportunities from NAS and USCOP reports

– Continue GOS channel leadership– Push for marine and other NOAA data on

The National Map

NOAA WebShop 2004

GIS – What’s Ahead for WebShop

• IOOS Sea Surface Temperatures: Realizing Truly Distributed Data with Open Standards – Kyle Draganov, NOS

• Managing Web Components of the National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program System – Angela Collins-Payne & Curtis Allen, NMFS

• Counting Fish, Tracking Dollars, Making Maps & Collaborating on the Web with Reverse Proxy Server – Brendan Sylvander, NMFS

• The Use of GIS Technology to drive the NOAA Observing System Architecture (NOSA) – Kelly Stroker, NESDIS

NOAA WebShop 2004

GIS – What’s Ahead for WebShop

• Exploring Enterprise GIS Efforts within NOAA and Its Ocean Service- Jason Marshall, NOS

• Emergency Management Hurricane Tracker Application (EMHURR) - Ira Graffman & John Kozimor, NWS

• NOS' now COAST: Developing a Java-based GIS Web Application Using ESRI's ArcIMS Java Connector- Micah Wengren & John Kelley, NOS

• Posters– Displaying Climatic Tornado Data with ArcIMS (NWS)– SIMS – Shellfish Information Management System (NOS)– Using Java 3D and XML Technology (OAR)

NOAA WebShop 2004

NOAA GIS

NOAA GIS Committee Web Site

https://gis.noaa.gov

Tony LaVoi

NOAA Coastal Services Center

Tony.Lavoi@noaa.gov