North Carolina Geospatial Data Archiving Project/NDIIPP: Collection and preservation of at-risk digital geospatial data Partners: NCSU Libraries Project Lead: Steve Morris NC Center for Geographic Information

1
North Carolina Geospatial Data Archiving
Project/NDIIPP Collection and preservation of
at-risk digital geospatial data PartnersNCSU
Libraries Project Lead Steve MorrisNC Center
for Geographic Information Analysis Project
Lead Zsolt Nagy
IASSIST 2005
May 25, 2005
2
Project Context

• Partnership between university library (NCSU) and
  state agency (NCCGIA)
• Focus on state and local geospatial content in
  North Carolina (state demonstration)
• Tied to NC OneMap initiative, which provides for
  seamless access to data, metadata, and inventory
  information
• Objective engage existing state/federal
  geospatial data infrastructures in preservation

3
Targeted Content

• Resource Types
• GIS vector (point/line/polygon) data
• Digital orthophotography
• Digital maps
• Tabular data (e.g. assessment data)
• Content Producers
• Mostly state, local, regional agencies
• Some university, not-for-profit, commercial
• Selected local federal projects

4
NC Local GIS Landscape

• 100 counties, 92 with GIS
• 80 counties with high resolution orthophotography
• 65 counties with unique map servers.
• Growing number of municipal systems
• Value 162 million plus investment

5
NC OneMap Initial Data Layers Produced by Cities
and Counties
6
Vector data (scale, accuracy, currency, etc.)
7
Time series vector data Parcel Boundary Changes
2001-2004, North Raleigh, NC
8
Aerial imagery (image resolution, etc.)
9
Aerial imagery (image resolution, etc.)
10
Aerial imagery (image resolution, etc.)
11
Time series Ortho imagery Vicinity of
Raleigh-Durham International Airport 1993-2002
12
Tabular data (combined with vector data)
13
Todays geospatial data as tomorrows cultural
heritage
14
Risks to Digital Geospatial Data

• Producer focus on current data
• Time-versioned content generally not archives
• Future support of data formats in question
• Vast range of data formats in use--complex
• Shift to streaming data for access
• Archives have been a by-product of providing
  access
• Preservation metadata requirements
• Descriptive, administrative, technical, DRM
• Geodatabases
• Complex functionality

15
Earlier NCSU Acquisition Efforts

• NCSU University Extension project 2000-2001
• Target County/city data in eastern NC
• Digital rescue not digital preservation
• Project learning outcomes
• Confirmed concerns about long term access
• Need for efficient inventory/acquisition
• Wide range in rights/licensing
• Need to work within statewide infrastructure
• Acquired experience unanticipated collaboration

16
Content Identification and Selection

• Work from NC OneMap Data Inventory
• Combine with inventory information from various
  state agencies and from previous NCSU efforts
• Develop methodology for selecting from among
  early, middle, and late stage products
• Develop criteria for time series development
• Investigate use of emerging Open Geospatial
  Consortium technologies in data identification

17
Content Acquisition

• Work from NC OneMap Data Sharing Agreements as a
  starting point (the blanket)
• Secure individual agreements (the quilt)
• Investigate use of OGC technologies in capture
• Explore use of METS as a metadata wrapper
• Ingest FGDC metadata Xwalk to MODS? PREMIS?
• Maybe METS DRM short term GeoDRM long term
• Consider links to services version management
• Get the geospatial community to tackle the
  content packaging problem (maybe MPEG 21?)

18
Partnership Building

• Work within context of the NC OneMap initiative
• State, local, federal partnership
• State expression of the National Map
• Defined characteristic Historic and temporal
  data will be maintained and available
• Advisory Committee drawn from the NC Geographic
  Information Coordinating Council subcommittees
• Seek external partners
• National States Geographic Information Council
• FGDC Historical Data Committee
• more

19
Content Retention and Transfer

• Ingest into Dspace
• Explore how geospatial content interacts with
  existing digital repository software environments
• Investigate re-ingest into a second platform
• Challenge keep the collection repository-agnostic
  
• Start to define format migration paths
• Special problem geodatabases
• Purse long term solution
• Roles of data producing agencies, state agencies
  NC OneMap NCSU

20
Rights Issues

• Various interpretations of public records law
• 53.9 of local NC agencies charge for data
• 43.7 of local NC agencies restrict
  redistribution
• Desire for downstream control of data
• Disclaimer clickthrough liability concerns
• Filtered locations/individuals post 9/11 issues
• Restrictions on redistribution commercial resale
• Web services area in Wild West stage
• Both content and technical agreements
• GeoDRM initiative in the works

21
Big Challenges

• Management of data versions over time
• How to get current object/metadata/DRM?
• Relation of the canonical metadata package to the
  ingest (and export) metadata package
• Tailor to repository environment or make the
  acquaintance when needed?
• Format migration paths (geodatabases, etc.)
• Preserving Cartographic Representation
• The counterpart to the map is not just the
  datasetalso models, symbology, interpretation,
  etc.

22
Questions?
Contact Steve Morris Head, Digital Library
Initiatives NCSU Libraries Steven_Morris_at_ncsu.edu