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Web-based GIS is an exciting new method of disseminating information organized using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It became possible and popular due to the fast growing Internet technology and became a good source of providing better decision support in land use and environmental protection since mid 1990s. Many research activities and commercial efforts have been put into this field. This paper presents a survey over the explored Web-based GIS applications in EPA region 5 in the United States, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin and these six states have similar social and natural resources. It compares and analyzes the targeted audiences, interfaces, data models and the implementation technologies used in the different approaches. It also addresses issues and challenges in this field. This survey looks into the future research direction of this field as well.

1. Introduction [Back to Top]

1.1 What is GIS? [Back to Top]

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), is an organized collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display many forms of geographically referenced information[ESRI1997]. Some people refer to GIS as a spatial database used to collect, store and retrieve information about the location and shape of, and relationships among, geographic features. Indeed, GIS is a particular form of Information System applied to Geographical Data. Geographical data include those which are spatially referenced, or in another word, location-based data. Geographical data contains four integrated components, namely, location, attribute, spatial relationship and time. GIS uses geographically referenced data as well as non-spatial data and includes operations which support spatial analysis. In GIS, the common purpose is decision-making, for managing use of land, resources, transportation, retailing, oceans or any spatially distributed entities. [Zhou98]

GIS integrates spatial and other kinds of information within a single system. It offers a consistent framework for analyzing geographical data. By putting maps and other kinds of spatial information into digital forms, GIS allows us to manipulate and display geographical knowledge in new and more objective ways. "By using a GIS in a similar way that a trainee pilot uses a flight simulator, ... it is possible for planners and decision-makers to explore a range of possible scenarios and to obtain an idea of the consequences of a course of action before the mistakes have been irrevocably made in the landscape itself" [Burrough86].

There are two fundamental GIS data models, raster data and vector data. The raster data is created from scanned maps or images and it is useful for describing continuously varying geographic features. The vector data consists of points, arcs, polygons and the related features. It is a good way to store spatial data and is extremely useful for describing discrete features. The spatial relationship among geographic features are described using topology, which consists of connectivity, area definition and contiguity.

1.2 History of GIS [Back to Top]

GIS has evolved out of a long tradition of map making. In many respects, modern GIS dramatically increases the amount of information that can be contained and manipulated in a map. On the other hand, many of the same cartographic conventions and limitations apply to digital maps[James2001].

A detailed history of GIS is not well understood because GIS technology evolved through multiple parallel but separate applications across numerous disciplines. [Pickles1999] The development of the GBF-DIME*** files by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 1960s marked the large-scale adoption of digital mapping by the government. This system led to the production of the Census TIGER files, one of the most important socioeconomic spatial data sets in use today. Important geographic work was also being done at universities throughout the 1950s and 1960s. A grid-based mapping program called SYMAP, developed at the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1966, was widely distributed and served as a model for later systems.[Mark1997]

These early GIS packages were often written for specific applications and required the mainframe computing systems found usually in government or university settings. In the 1970s, private vendors began offering off-the-shelf GIS packages. M&S Computing (later Intergraph) and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) emerged as the leading vendors of GIS software.[Antenucci1991] In 1981, ESRI released Arc/Info, a standard package which ran on mainframe computers.[ESRI2001] As computing power increased and hardware prices plummeted in the 1980s, GIS became a viable technology for state and municipal planning.[Harris1993] In 1992, ESRI released ArcView, a desktop mapping system with a graphical user interface that marked a major improvement in usability over Arc/Info’s command-line interface.[ESRI2001] By the early 1990s, GIS initiatives existed in all fifty states.[Harris1993]

In the late 1990s, GIS was being adopted slowly on the sub-municipal level by neighborhood organizations and community-based agencies. The development of ArcView for Microsoft Windows and ArcIMS, which enables distributed mapping and spatial analysis over the Internet and eliminates many of the hardware and licensing expenses of a full software package, has increased the availability of spatial data to marginalized and underfunded groups. Although access to both GIS software and spatial data sets has improved, the adoption of GIS as a planning or research tool still represents a significant commitment by community organization.[Spicer2000]

1.3 General Applications of GIS [Back to Top]

Since its conception in 1960s, GIS has been applied to many fields and become a popular tool. Paralleling advancements in the technology has been the growth of GIS applications. From high-quality cartography to land use planning, natural resource management, environmental assessment and planning, tax mapping,

*** GBF/DIME --- For the 1980 census, the U.S. Census Bureau produced Geographic Base Files (GBF) and Dual Independent Map Encoding (DIME) files, containing census geographic statistical codes and coordinates of line segments for most metropolitan areas. DIME files provide a schematic map of a city's streets, address ranges, and geo-statistical codes relating to the Census Bureau's tabular statistical data. DIME was replaced by TIGER for the 1990 census.

ecological research, emergency vehicle dispatch, demographic research, utilities, business applications, and more, GIS promises to be one of the largest computer applications ever to emerge.

Why the growing interest in GIS? Because GIS technology provides a means of integrating information in a way that helps us understand and address some of the most pressing problems we face today --- tropical deforestation, acid rain, rapid urbanization, overpopulation, hunger, spread of disease, and impacts from changes in our global climate, to name a few. GIS helps us to organize data about these problems and to understand their spatial relationships. Providing a basis for making sensitive and intelligent decisions.[esri1997]

Applications for GIS technology developed around the world. Many of the early applications in Europe built land registration systems and environmental databases. However, Britain's largest GIS expenditure in the 1980s was for developing utility systems and creating a comprehensive topographic database for the country.

Canada developed an important forestry application to plan the volume of timber to cut identify access to the timber, and report the results to the Provincial governments. Applications in China and Japan emphasized monitoring and modeling possible environmental changes.

In the United States, the U.S. Bureau of Census and the U.S. Geological Survey used GIS technology for their Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) project. They produced a computerized description of the U.S. transportation network --- at a cost of about $170 million - to facilitate taking and reporting the 1990 census.

Today, the number and variety of applications for GIS are impressive. The amount of geographic data that has been gathered is staggering and includes volumes of satellite imagery collected from space. Local governments use GIS for planning and zoning, property assessment and land records, parcel mapping, public safety, and environmental planning. Resource managers rely on GIS for fish and wildlife planning; management of forested, agricultural, and coastal lands; and energy and mineral resource management.

GIS supports the daily activities of automated mapping and facilities management with applications for electricity, water, sewer, gas, telecommunications and cable television utilities, using capabilities such as load management, trouble call analysis, voltage drop, basemap generation and maintenance, line system analysis, siting, net pressure and flow analysis, leak detection, and inventory. Demographers use GIS for target market analysis, facility siting, address matching and geocoding, as well as product profiles, forecasting, and planning. GIS also has an increasing role in supporting education and research in the classroom, the computer lab, the research institute, and the public library.

[Zhou98] listed the following applications of GIS:

q Resource Inventory and Management [Back to Top]

Resource inventory and management was one of the earliest uses of GIS. These applications dominated sales by vendors in the early 1980's and many systems installed by state and federal governments and resource industries such as forestry, oil and gas.

Most successful resource applications include:

forestry - timber inventory, watershed management, development of infrastructure (e.g. roads) and forest regeneration;

agriculture - studies of agricultural pollution, inventories of land capability, productivity studies;

land use - planning use of land, zoning, evaluation impacts;

wildlife - management of habitat, evaluation of impact.

Less successful applications include:

subsurface resources - requires 3D approach, but current technology is predominantly 2D;

oceans - requires 3D, problems are time-dependent, and lack of suitable data sources;

water resources - good for integration over watersheds, but 2D approaches are not ideal for linear surface water courses or 3D groundwater.

q Urban and Regional Planning [Back to Top]

Urban and regional planning involve the use of computers to carry out functions of urban government and management agencies. History of this use extends back to first introduction of computers in cities in early 1960s - long before the first GIS occurred. Major tasks that the early applications undertook involved provision of data (e.g. development of GBF/DIME*** files (locations of street center-lines, address ranges for each block, hooks to census reporting zones, etc.) for 1970 census in US. Series of city case studies have been conducted in late 1960s and early 1970s in US and comparable studies have also been conducted in other countries including Australia. These case studies were designed to demonstrate simple GIS capabilities for urban government for planning using social statistics for small areas, e.g. crime data, and for simple record-keeping tasks. The GIS capability was limited due to the primitive state of hardware and software at that time. With the rapid development of computer hardware and GIS software, the GIS applications in urban and regional planning become more sophisticated moving from simple record-keeping tasks to more complicated decision-making activities. There have been a large number of case studies in the application of GIS technology into urban environment, and in many cases, GIS has become the operational tool for daily management and planning activities. Today, urban and regional planning has become an area where the GIS technology has been most successfully applied.

q Global Studies [Back to Top]

The study of the Earth is undergoing a revolution. Historically, the Earth was studied separately by biologists, ecologists, geophysicists and other scientists. Specialists traditionally concentrate on their own discipline and research topic, largely refraining from truly cross-disciplinary studies [Maguire1991]. In recent years, there are ever-increasing concern over the quality of the earth's environment. This is indicated by frequent press reports on issues such as global warming and greenhouse effect, the ozone hole, deforestation and water pollution. In addition to these global issues, we can also identify disasters, which although local in origin, have pronounced continental or global scale consequences. There is clearly an ever-greater need to monitor processes at a global scale in order to gain knowledge of the earth's processes and how these affect and are affected by human activity.

How GIS can help out on global studies? With the help of the increasing data sources for use in environmental modeling and the inevitable development in technology of digital computation, eventually, GIS would help to build up a global database and associated GIS access and analysis ability to help scientists from different fields to work together. GIS would be able to provide a large enough scale (e.g. greater than 1:250,000) and with fine enough resolution (e.g. less than 250 m). It would enable environmental scientists to develop models which replicate, as near as is possible, the earth's processes; and would assist in data integration and visualization at global scales.

2. Web-based GIS [Back to Top]

The Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW or Web) have been hailed in the popular press as revolutionary medium of communication for the new millennium. The rapid development of the Internet, as a place of information dissemination provides researchers and policy-makers with considerable challenges on how best to realize the potential in the pursuit of worthwhile goals. This is particularly so for the planning community with the intense drive to develop GIS further in terms of widening and deepening access to spatial information along with appropriate analytical functionality within the network paradigm of the Web and the browser interface.[Dodge1998] Most GIS vendors and some commercial spatial data providers have realized that the WWW will be the next-generation GIS platform (superseding the conventional PC and desktop paradigms), providing a powerful medium for geographic information distribution, as well as a particularly lucrative new market to exploit [Toon1997]. Internet GIS activity is facilitating innovative development in the dissemination, visualization, analysis and decision support tools for land use and environmental protection. Plewe provides a timely review of the range of proprietary Internet mapping and GIS that serves as an indicator to the degree of academic and commercial interest in the area to date [Plewe1997]. A most recent survey on the benefits and major obstacles of Internet GIS was done by Atiul Ahmed Sowdagar, a graduate student in City and Regional Planning Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, KSA. According to [Atiul2002], the survey respondents from over 26 counties have mentioned almost all the fields in which Web GIS is being used, including planning, Utilities, Demography, Transportation, Government based GIS for Planning, Environmental Assessment, Municipal planning, tourism, water resources, Landscape Ecology, Self Briefing of Crime, Public Safety, Agriculture, Emergency Management etc. Most of the respondents think their organizations benefit from the technology of Internet GIS and a mutual sharing of Geographic Data among the organizations which is using Internet GIS technology will be beneficial.

There are tons of GIS vendors, CARIS, GRASS, Geomantics, ESRI, and Star Informatic, just name a few, along with universities and government agencies, actively promoting the Geo-spatial data dissemination through the WWW. Many companies like Merrick[Merrick2002] and MetaMAP[MetaMAP2002] provide commercial Web-based GIS solutions to customers, which push continuous growth and the public awareness/acceptance of the web-GIS technology. These companies usually provides services including image acquisition (aerial and satellite), surveying (conventional and GPS), digital photogrammetry, digital ortho-processing, precision cadastral mapping, utility network automation, GIS database design, Internet Mapping Services (Data Hosting and Maintenance) and GIS application programming.

Web-based GIS typically involved with more than a single technology. These technologies related Web-based GIS include Object-Oriented Language like Java and C++, GIS package such as ArcIMS, MapObject and GRASSLinks, and language such as HTML, CGI, JavaScript, ASP, and all the theories about GIS, such as projection systems, map overlay, and topology. Keng-Pin Chang[Chang1997] had done a pretty good literature review on the existing web-based GIS technology. Chang categorized them into five forms of Web-based GIS applications: graphic snapshots (maps), spatial database catalogs and libraries, map generators, real time map browsers, and real time maps and images.

q Graphic Snapshots of pre-generated maps [Back to Top]

A graphic snapshot of pre-generated map generates static images and is the easiest way to put a map image on the web. The procedure to create such snapshots is relatively easy and quick:

1. Generate maps with a GIS software package.

2. Create image file by print to file command or screen snapshots

3. Write HTML tags and put the image file in the web document

Snapshots allow easy, widespread access. Raster formats such as GIF images have limited resolution and do not allow pan, zoom, or interactive use. Other forms of map images include GeoTIFF for Arc/Info and Arcview, CGM images, and DXF or DWF for AutoCAD images[Chang1997] [Pima1997]. In a word, the Snapshot approach is very easy to implement, but isn’t good for interactive use.

q Spatial Database Catalogs and Libraries [Back to Top]

A spatial database catalog or library has four components: metadata (information about the spatial data), index map (showing locations of other maps), graphic previews (static snapshots, such as GIF images), and spatial data in a digital format. Users can download these files but generally can not browse them directly in their web browser. The spatial data usually contain Arc/INFO export format (.e00 files), ArcView Shape files, AutoCAD DWF files, and SDTS (Spatial Data Transfer Standard), etc. Spatial database catalogs and libraries are more involved to set up than simple graphic snapshots, but have the following advantages: access to metadata for queries, access to preview images, access to actual data for further analysis, and a relatively simple environment for publishing data [Chang1997][Pima1997].

Spatial Database Catalogs and Libraries are implemented through use of a consistent index and search strategy based on the Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and certain Search and Retrieve protocols. The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) had used the Z39.50 protocol to develop a server that enables public search for digital spatial data at registered National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Clearinghouses. The spatial database catalog or library is used to distribute data to users via WWW. It is powerful for data searching, but does not match the need for interactive mapping or other GIS functions [Chang1997].

q Map Generators [Back to Top]

Map generators use a web-based browser form. The user enters specifications such as location, thematic layers and symbols on the form. The form is passed to the web server. A gateway at the web server passes the request to a GIS server. For instance, the gateway could pass the request in the form of AML to an Arc/INFO server. The Arc/INFO server generates a graphic file, which is converted to a GIF image. The GIF image is sent back to the client and viewed using native browser capability. The advantage of map generators is creating custom maps on the fly. Disadvantages include lack of access to the raw spatial data, typically at a slower speed, limited predefined user choices, and involved setup [Pima1997].

The U.S. Census Bureau's Tiger Mapping Service (http://tiger.census.gov/) is a good example of a map generator using HTML and CGI script. Users can request Tiger maps directly from the web pages.

q Real-time Map Browsers [Back to Top]

Real-time map browsers allow users to browse, display, query, retrieve, and update maps on line. Real-time browsing requires a powerful spatial data server and clients. The server provides a CGI scripts or ASP for receiving request from clients and does spatial analysis based on the request from clients. After data processing, the spatial data server will then send the requested image and data to clients by HTML documents. Systems for implementing interactive maps include ESRI's Spatial Database Engine (SDE), ESRI's Map Objects, REGIS at U.C. Berkeley’s GRASSLinks and Autodesk's MapGuide technology for interactive authoring, publishing, serving and browning of map information. MapGuide is a dynamic map interface that displays vector-based maps with multiple layers. [Pima1997]. Real-time browsing can also be implemented with a custom application written using ESRI's MapObjects or ArcView on the server. Real-time browsing requires a powerful spatial data server. ESRI has an on-line demo for Real-time Map Browser development tools- MapObjects Internet Map Server and ArcView Internet Map Server on URL: http://maps.esri.com/ . [Chang1997] Compared to map generators, real-time map browsers can access very large spatial databases and respond fast enough, as well as better supports programming/customize GIS. Therefore, real-time map browsers technology is often chosen to implement the prototype for Web-based GIS applications.

q Real-time Maps and Images [Back to Top]

Real-time maps and images take one step beyond the real-time map browser. It uses online sensors to supply information to the map. Instead of providing real-time browsing of a static map, a real-time map is generated from sensor data. There may be a lag of a few minutes, but the idea is to show current status. Real-time images are captured by live video cameras, often called webcams, communicating to a web server. They include terrestrial cameras as well as satellite based imaging. Satellite photos can provide data that is overlaid on a static map.

A good example of real-time maps and images is the Trailmaster Freeway Management System implemented by the Arizona Department of Transportation. A demo for real-time traffic speed maps and image can be found at http://www.azfms.com/Demo/demo.html .Real Time Maps and Images are exciting and interesting. However, they are not a mature technology and are expensive to implement.

In my opinion, a more appropriate name for this type of web-based GIS application is Real-time Sensor Generated Maps or Augmented Reality Maps. This type of application has high potential in the areas need real-time monitoring data, such as Department of Transportation, Police Station, Environmental Data Monitoring Center, and researches of this type, etc..

Nevertheless, there are other ways to categorize the existing Web-GIS applications. For example, according to the political area of the applications target/server, we can group them into federal level, region level (more than one state), state level, county level and township level applications. According to the developer of the applications, we can group them into applications done by hiring commercial firms, done by universities and research institute, done by government agencies. We can also categorize applications according to the GIS software that powers them, such as Java-based, MapObject-based, ArcIMS-based, and GRASSLinks-based, etc.. However, the author think the Pima County, Arizona and Chang’s classification is clear enough to conduct the survey in the targeted region. Therefore, this survey will adopt their classification. However, the rapid development of technology has make possible for any individual Web-GIS technology to utilize more than one type of the above classified technology in a single site. The boundary among each of the above technology might be blur. Meanwhile, since the survey will be limited in EPA region 5 which consists of 6 states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, it will be suitable to primarily divide the survey into political boundary and then specify which of the above technology a specific application used.

3. Web-based GIS applications in EPA Region 5 [Back to Top]

In the previous section, we discussed the classification (political boundary and then the technology used) of Web-based GIS applications. We also need more comparison aspects to actually conduct the survey. These aspects should include URL of the application; some information about the application, like information about this application, who is the developer and funding source if applicable; the application’s target audience, say, farmers, scientists, administrative staff, etc.; what is the interface looks like; is the output data generated by models in real-time or pre-generated; what is the implementation technology; and the development stage of the application. Now, we can survey the existing efforts on Web-based GIS in EPA Region 5.

[Back to Top]

Before we heading towards applications each state in this region, we should be aware that many web-based GIS applications are existing and not bounded by any of the single state boundary. They served at the federal level or region level and therefore, these applications are also beneficial to all states in EPA Region 5. For example, EPA Watershed Information Network(WIN), ESRI’s data online, Yahoo!Map, MapQuest and the TerraServer.

EPA’s WIN Atlas ( http://www.epa.gov/wateratlas/ ) is a catalog of geo-spatial displays and analyses of information and data related for watershed protection and restoration. It can be searched by themes, by key words or by users own words. Uses can choose one of the themes to find maps about that topic. The themes listed in the site are geographic coverage, general water, condition, downstream effects, demo graphics, general other, use of resources, ecological health, response program, organization, vulnerability, local involvement, human health. This site also has two ways to make user defined maps. One is the Map-One-Demand (Used to called the national Xinfo mapping series application, Now called Envirofacts with enhanced interactive features), which allows an user to select a state and data choices (such as EPA regulated facilities, watersheds, major roads, stream traces, population density). Then one needs to wait for certain time such as 1 hour – 1 day to get his map image in GIF format or coverage. This is exactly an web-based GIS application of the type Map Generators. Another way to make user defined maps is the EnviroMapper for Watersheds application. This is an example of Real-time Map Browser type of web-based GIS application. It provides users with interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) functionality using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spatial data. EnviroMapper for Watersheds allows users to view spatial data at the national, state, and county levels, as well as utilize GIS functionality, such as displaying multiple spatial layers, zooming, panning, identifying features, and querying single points. Surf Your Watershed of EPA is another example of Web Generator which using 8 digits HUC numbers as watershed identifiers.

ArcData Online ( http://www.esri.com/data/online/index.html ) is ESRI's Internet Mapping and Data Site. The ArcData Online site contains a wide assortment of geographic information that users can access to create map images and download data. ArcData Online is powered by ESRI Internet Mapping technology hosted in both the USA and Europe. ArcData Online is a web-based GIS application with mixture of spatial database catalogs and libraries and Map Generators. It allows users to browse a world of geographic data to create live maps of their areas of interest. Besides free data like Census TIGER Data, U.S. Street Data, USGS Topographic Maps, and FEMA Q3 Flood Data, ArcData Online includes selected portions of several commercial data sets including ESRI's ArcWorld, ArcAtlas: Our Earth, Digital Chart of the World, GDT's Dynamap/2000, VisiCom's Sure!MAPS RASTER, VISTA's Environmental Geographics, AND's Global Road Data, and Tele Atlas European Street Data.

MapQuest ( http://www.mapquest.com )is the most popular source for maps and driving directions today and is a good example of Map Generator type of web-based GIS applications. MapQuest was founded by R.R. Donnelley & Sons in 1960s as a cartographic services division that was responsible for creating road maps given to gas station custonmers for free. By the 1970s, MapQuest became a leading supplier of custom maps to reference, travel, textbook, and directory publishers. In 1991, R.R. Donnelley combined custom mapping expertise with advanced spatial technology to pioneer next generation electronic publishing software for interactive mapping applications. Throughout the early 1990s, MapQuest established a large number of significant partnerships with leading information publishing companies around the globe and developed numerous electronic applications. In February 1996, MapQuest launched the first consumer-focused interactive mapping site on the Web, www.mapquest.com. With an innovative business model and first-of-its-kind Web site, MapQuest.com captured the attention of the Internet consumer and business market. Yahoo!Map by Yahoo! ( http://maps.yahoo.com/ )is another good example of popular source for map and driving directions.

The TerraServer ( http://www.terraserver.com ), one of the world’s largest web-based GIS application which hosts a large collection of maps, satellite and aerial photographs including ORBIMAGE, SPIN-2 and UK Perspectives. It started as a joint research project between Aerial Images, Inc., Microsoft, the USGS, and Compaq. The TerraServer concept grew out of the convergence of two needs. Aerial Images, Inc. wanted to sell imagery online and Microsoft Research needed a large database (Microsoft TerraServer

http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/default.asp) to demonstrate the capabilities of its new database software and provide free public access to a vast data store of maps and aerial photographs of the United States. Under their original agreement Microsoft built the TerraServer application and agreed to host the SPIN-2 data and run the site for eighteen months following the formal site initiation (June 1998). Microsoft Terraserver images are managed by Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 Enterprise database server. TerraServer.com is expanding overhead imagery with content from additional satellites. Since November of 1999, TerraServer.com has operated from its Research Triangle Park, NC facility. Concurrently, the Redmond-based Encarta TerraServer site continues to host USGS imagery. [Microsoft2002][Terra2002] TerraServer provides an interactive map searching facility such as selecting a location from the map or typing in address for users from commercial or residental real estate, city government, construction or engineering.

3.1 Illinois [Back to Top]

q Map Illinois for Watersheds [Back to Top] (Apparently the Map is not working)

URL:
The Map Illinois for the public is at: http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/watershed/maps.html .
The tool development and testing of the Map Illinois is at http://chrysanthemum.itcs.uiuc.edu/Website/MIW1/ .

About the application:

This web site is developed and maintained by the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and funded in-part by the Information Systems and Technology Strategic Research Initiative, which is funded by the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR). Map Illinois for Watersheds is a web-based mapping system helpful in exploring and learning about any area of Illinois. Some of the most current and detailed geospatial, or map, information for Illinois is accessible here interactively. Links are provided to many external data providers. The site is developed for the public with the following objectives to meet:

o Learn about available planning approaches, science, tools, techniques, maps, information, data, funding, and other planning efforts.

o Write, implement, and revise watershed plans.

o Make watershed plans available to the public.

Targeted audience:

Citizen groups, watershed consultants, resource managers and others actively engaged in watershed planning efforts.

Interface:
There are two selection options, interactive mapping state overview and interactive mapping select a watershed. By using Select a watershed, when the mouse moved over the desired watershed boundary, a pop-up window tells the 11 digit HUC number, the name of principal stream and the shape of the watershed. The functionality of this site includes issue identification, watershed characterization and exploration, reporting capability, and map generation for discussion and reports.
According to the site, the basic layout of the Map Illinois interface is depicted in Figure 1.

Title Area (Map Illinois for Watersheds)
Toolbar menu. Click on these to choose an action	Main map display area.	Layer select (default) and legend display area
	area for text response to queries
Current action selected

Figure 1. Basic layout of the Map Illinois interface.

There are two lists of map layers in the layer select and legend area, Map Overlays and Base Map Layers. Users can check and uncheck the square boxes to simultaneously display the maps of their choices. A Refresh Map button will give the new result after pick choices each time. The layers in the Map Overlays list are counties, watersheds, towns, zipcodes, landfills, roads2, railroads, streams3, political townships, lakes and rivers, floodzones, natural areas, nature preserves, county lands, state lands, federal lands, soils, status: soils overage, and status: DOQ coverage. The layers in the Base Map Layers list are natural divisions, STATSGO-MUID, STASGO-Erodibility, bedrock, drift thickness, land cover, painted relief, shaded relief, and no base map. In the Toolbar menu, the following tools are available: Legen/Layer List, Overview Map, Zoom In and Out, Zoom to Full Extent, Zoom to Active Layer, Back to Last Extent, Pan, Pan up/down/left/right, Identify, Query, Find, Measure, Set Units, Buffer, Select by Rectangle, Select by Line or Polygon, Clear Selection, Print, Select Watershed, Toggle Watershed Mask, and Watershed Report.
The data themes used in Map Illinois for Watersheds are Administrative Units, Geology and Soils, Imagery and Aerial Photos, Land Cover and Natural Divisions, Public Land and Natural Areas, Scanned Maps, Topography, Transportation, Water Resources, Wetlands, and Watersheds. Besides offering real-time map browsing, this site also serves as a gateway to many external site so that users can find metadata, programmatic information and other data sets for the specific data layers used in Map Illinois for Watersheds.

Output Data Generated by Models:
Most data layers used by Map Illinois for Watersehds are stored and accessed as ESRI Shapefiles.

Implementation Technologies:
This web site is a mixture of Spatial Database Catalogs and Libraries and Real-time Map Browsers. It is implemented using HTML, JavaScript, Java Applet and ESRI products.

Development Stage:
Still under development.

q City of Wheaton Web GIS [Back to Top]

URL: http://www.wheaton.lib.il.us/cow/frames/index.html

About the application:

City of Wheaton is a city located 20 miles west of downtown Chicago. It covers 11.4 square miles -- 55% single-family, 12% institutional, 10% commercial, 10% open space. Wheaton is home to over 55,000 people with a projected population of 61,500 in 2020. The city uses Autodesk MapGuide as its web-based GIS application for managing and maintaining the infrastructure of this growing city.

Target Audience: Residents of Wheaton, Illinois. It looks like this site is designed more towards ease of planning and administrative work.

Interface:

The layout of the program is showed in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Interface of Wheaton, Illinois Web GIS.

This Interactive Web Map allows the user to create maps by choosing from the provided information. The Wheaton Interactive Map has a number of broad areas to select from. These areas include: Base Map,City Administration,City Services,Police Patrols,Fire Protection Districts,Infrastructure,Snow Removal,Zoning, Community Character, Wheaton Planning Issues, Wheaton Land Use Policy Plan, Subdivisions, Topography, Transportation Plan and Aerials (only available when zoomed into a scale less then 1:20,000). Many of the mapped broad areas contain more specific mapped information that becomes visible or selectable after the white box to the left of the broad area is selected with a left mouse click. Some of the features you'll see in this application include: ECW raster layers, redlining, using DWG files, incident reporting, report generation, search & notifiy, changing map settings using XML, enhance map redrawing, creating LiteView application with templates. There are nine tool buttons from left to right, Help, Select, Pan, Zoom-In, Zoom-Out, Zoom Previous, Zoom to Scale, Zoom to Original Size Map, Stop Process.

This application also requests a Autodesk MapGuide Viewer Plug-in. Without the viewer plug-in, the City of Wheaton Interactive Map will not be visible and will not work.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

HTML, JavaScript, and Autodesk’s MapGuide. The Autodesk MapGuide Viewer allows for the streaming of an interactive map from a web server to a personal computer on the World Wide Web. This is an application of Real-time Map Browsers.

Development Stage:
Completed.

3.2 Indiana [Back to Top]

q HYMAPS-OWL [Back to Top]
URL:
http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~watergen/hymaps/

About the Application:

HYMAPS-OWL stands for Hydrologic Map Server-Online Watershed delineation, which is a Web GIS developed by the Center for Advanced Applications in Geographic Information Systems (CAAGIS) of Purdue University for hydrologic model operation. There are two Web GIS applications under HYMAPS-OWL. First Web GIS is HYMAPS (Hydrologic MAP Server). It serves basic map layers for browsing spatial information including hydrological soil map, roads, railroads, county boundaries, stream and lakes that covers all states in the U.S. except Alaska, Hawaii and islands territories. It is connected to on-line digitizing that supports drawing polygons, input attributes and long-term hydrologic model operation using Long-Term Hydrological Impact Analysis (L-THIA). Second Web GIS is OWL(On-line Watershed deLineator). This system has on-line watershed delineation capability for hydrologic spatial data preparation. It is also connected to long-term hydrologic model operation using L-THIA. The Agricultural and Biological Engineering department (ABE), at Purdue University has developed this tool with support from USEPA, USDA and US Army CERL. Users can delineate watersheds using the web-GIS interface by selecting an outlet point location. The web-GIS and real time watershed delineation capability of OWL calculate the watershed boundary and hydrologic information including land use, hydrologic soil group and NRCS curve number map in less than a minute. Users can download the maps clipped to your watershed and use the maps for your own purposes with desktop GIS.

Targeted Audience:

The HYMAPS-OWL is designed as a Web-based GIS and Decision Support System (DSS) tool for hydrological quality impact analysis. This application is for researchers, administrative units or any other interested individuals and organizations in making land use decision.

Interface:

There are one interface for each of the two Web GIS in HYMAPS-OWL. The interface for HYMAPS has a pull-down menu for users to pick a interested state name to start the map viewer. There are a Layer Selection area with layers of Hydro and Soil Group, Roads, Railroads, Lakes, Urban Limits, Rivers, and County boundaries, a Legend area, a index map, a Tool area with Zoom-in, Zoom-out, Pan, Zoom to full extent tools, a scale bar and text description. It also provides a link of Printable Map to a static map. Figure 3 shows the overall look of the map viewer in HYMAPS.

Figure 3. The Interface of HYMAPS.

Figure 4. The Interface of OWL.

The interface of OWL has some similarity to that of HYMAPS, but there is some difference. It allows users to obtain watershed information in real time for any location in Indiana by selecting on a stream line. It has three options: by selecting from a list of 8 digit watershed of Indiana; by click on the Indiana index map to start the watershed delineation; and by a non-index version (direct search without index). Any of the three options will lead to a map viewer page showed in Figure 4.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

HTML, JavaScript, Java Applet, and MapServer Version 3.3.011. This is an Real-Time Browser type of Web GIS application. Both HYMAPS and OWL are of type Real-time Browsers.

Development Stage:
Completed.

q SedSpec and L-THIA of Purdue University [Back to Top]

URL:

SedSpec: http://danpatch.ecn.purdue.edu/~sedspec/

L-THIA: http://danpatch.ecn.purdue.edu/~sprawl/LTHIA7/

About the application:

Both SedSpec and L-THIA are runoff tools developed by the Purdue University and used as an analysis tools for impact of land use change on water resources.

SedSpec stands for Sediment and Erosion Control Planning, Design and APECifcation Information and Guidance Tool developed by Purdue University and the Construction Engineering Research Laboratories Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers. It is a Short-term runoff tools. The short-term impacts of a change in land use can often be seen in the peak rate of runoff from an area. SedSpec is an expert system that will assist users in analyzing runoff and erosion problems on the site by determining the peak rate of runoff from the area. The analysis will provide information about different types of runoff and erosion control structures. Also, SedSpec will provide customized drawings of the structures, and there is a limited amount of interaction that allows an user to determine what size structure fits his needs.

L-THIA stands for Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment. The long-term impacts of a change in land use can often be seen in the average annual runoff for an area. L-THIA is a straightforward analysis tool that provides site-specific estimates of changes in runoff, recharge and non-point source pollution resulting from past or proposed land use changes. It gives long-term average annual runoff for a land use configuration, based on climate data for that area.

Target Audience:

SedSpec is developed to enhance discussion and planning of erosion control projects by military land managers with direct access to information about erosion and sedimentation control and other land rehabilitation and maintenance methods. It provides evaluation aid in project planning and a forum for land managers to share project experiences.
L-THIA was initially designed for land use planners and natural resource managers because they are familiar with land use change in a particular area, have perhaps the best access to land use information, and are often interested in environmental impacts. Whether it be past, present, or projected land use development scenarios, establishing land use areas and determining CNs (Curve Numbers) as input variables to runoff estimation is a task well-suited to planners and resource managers.

Interface:

There are threes ways to access SedSpec, depending on the user knowledge:

Method1 is for those who already have computed the total runoff from the site, know the runoff depth and know what structure they want to design.

Method2 is for those who want SedSpec to compute the total runoff and the runoff depth(Assumes they also want to pick the structure to design). Method3 is for those already have computed the total runoff from the site and know the runoff depth(Assumes they do not know what structure to design.) The first step in SedSpec is that it prompts for structure the user whishes to design and to locate the site geographically. The structures can be designed by SedSpec are Channels (Grass Lined, Riprap Lined, Concrete Lined, Open), Culvert, Sediment Basin, Level Terraces, Storm Water Detention Basin, Runoff Diversion, and Low Water Crossing. The next step is to choose the method to compute peak rate of runoff using one of two methods – Rational Method and TR-55 which will results slightly different. Once the user decided which method to use, he will be prompted with a series of form to fill in his specific information for the structure he wants to design. The final result is the cost of the structure.

In L-THIA, the user enters the location, land uses and soil groups of an area in forms at up to three different scenarios (e.g. past, present, future). The results are in the form of tables, bar charts and pie charts. There are four input screens for L-THIA, both are available from the side bar to the left. For those new to L-THIA and land use planning Basic Input is a good place to start. There are eight choices for land use types which most land uses fall into. For those familiar with land use planning terms or need to describe a custom land use, Detailed Input gives more land use options. The fourteen choices for land uses includes 6 lot sizes for residential housing and an option to define a custom land use. After using the Basic Input for a few analyses, an user would be able to use the Detailed Input. Advanced Input should be used in any of the three situations: if the user want to calculate the nps pollution for pollutants other than the standard pollutants; if the user wants to enter pollutant expected mean concentration (EMC) values other than the default values for the these pollutants; if the user wants to specify a Land Use other than the default Land Uses for a given land area. Impervious Input option of L-THIA is best suited for urban land use change analyze.

The web site includes a large amount of information on background information, how to run the models, technical information, interpreting model results, documentation, case studies, and more.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

SedSpec: HTML, JavaScript, Java and Cascading Style Sheets.

L-THIA: HTML, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets and CGI.

Development Stage:

Completed

q Monroe County Internet GIS – efiniti GisOnline [Back to Top]

URL: http://in53.b-l-n.com/

About the application:

The county auditor maintains a Internet GIS application with property maps of Monroe County, Indiana. The application is an interactive system to assist the residents of the county to search for useful information on properties like parcels. They can view maps, query area based on PIN (Parcel Id Number), Owner, Section, Latitude-Longitude, or Area, buffer using different sizes for the selected parcel, and print maps. An Indianapolis based company named Plexis Group had helped set up the application using one of its GIS products – ‘efiniti’. 'efiniti’ is built upon Autodesk’s MapGuide product and is a fully integrated GIS online system. It has become a popular Web-based GIS solution for many county and local governments across the Midwest.

Target Audience: the residents of the Monroe county, Indiana.

Interface:

The web site is based on Autodesk’s MapGuide technology and is served as a streaming source of an interactive map to users through WWW. The Monroe County GIS application will load into the present session of your
Internet Explorer Web Browser. The left side of the screen contains command buttons for various functions of the application. The main client window contains the map view. The upper left corner of the map window contains controls and tools for manipulating the map display. Below the map window, an Attribute Data Display will be shown when extended information is available for map features. The overall layout of the application is shown in figure 5.

Figure 5. Interface of Monroe County’s Internet GIS Site.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

Frame, HTML, VBScript, JavaScript, and Autodesk’s MapGuide. The Autodesk MapGuide Viewer allows for the streaming of an interactive map from a web server to a personal computer on the World Wide Web. This is an example of Real-time Map Browsers.

Development Stage:
Completed.

q Other applications:

There are also other Web-based GIS applications like Indiana GIS (http://www.in.gov/ingisi/ ) and Northwest Indiana On-Line GIS User Community (http://members.aol.com/niguc/file.html )served as a Spatial Database Catalogs and Libraries in the state of Indiana.

3.3 Michigan [Back to Top]

q MSU Institute of Water Research’s interactive GIS applications [Back to Top]

There are quite a few Web-GIS applications developed by the Institute of Water Research of MSU ( www.iwr.msu.edu )since mid 90s. Interactive GIS (IGIS), Net21, STORET, Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Understanding Your Watersheds (An Interactive Mapping Program To Explore Michigan Watersheds). Each of these applications is a user-oriented information system developed for different targeted users. Users can access these applications easily through the World Wide Web. These applications are listed below in the order of their starting serving time. All applications are of type Real-time Map Browsers.

Interactive GIS:

URL: http://www.gis.iwr.msu.edu .

Developed in 1998 for the purpose of supporting various users interested in the areas of agriculture, government natural resource conservation, education or academic research.. This application is completed and started service since January 1998. The steps to use this site is: Change map dimension if needed, Toggle county or watershed selection, Click on a geographical unit of interest, Select desired maps, and Push the "New View" or "Master View" button to view maps. This web site is implemented using technologies such as Dynamic HTML, Frame, JavaScript, Java Applet and ESRI ArcIMS on geo-spatial analysis.

Net21 Digital County Soil Maps:

URL: http://www.gis.iwr.msu.edu/net21/ssurgo/countypicker.html .

Developed in 1998 for the partnership with Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and mainly for research and analysis dealing with conservation of natural resources. This application started service since January 1998. This project is a web-based interactive GIS program developed to assist farmers, agency field staff and consultants in planning and management. The maps are displayed at the county level using ESRI ArcIMS internet map server. It provides a dropdown menu and a clickable map for users to start the map viewer program. The available data layers for each county are roads, streams, lakes, political boundaries, and soils. The original idea is to host statewide SSURGO certified county soil data by NRCS. Since the SSURGO started in 1997 and the process of certification usually take a considerable time, the Institute of Water Research decided to use county soil data of Michigan Resources Information System (MIRIS) as supplemental supply for those counties haven't completed the SSURGO certification process. Up-to-date, there are about 34 counties have soil data processed. This project is still progressing and will continue working towards setting up the statewide online soil maps.

The Water Quality Data Access System:

URL:http://www.gis.iwr.msu.edu/storet .

The Water Quality Data Access System is a web application that uses Active Server Pages to display Water Quality Data from EPA’s STORET and USGS’s WATSTORE databases to the Web[Wolfson1997]. It was developed in 1998 and served from May 1998 for providing access to water quality data at the Michigan county and watershed level. The interactive GIS maps of EPA Reach file, surface station information, and county/watershed boundaries are implemented using ESRI ArcIMS.

Understanding Your Watershed:

URL: http://www.hydra.iwr.msu.edu/water/ .

This is an interactive web-based mapping program is available since 2001. It utilizes the capabilities of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to explore Michigan watersheds of 14 digits which has finer details than EPA’s Surf Your Watershed with 8 digits HUC (Hydrologic Unit Code) number. It is a pioneer project with respect to its ability to provide science based decision support. It uses models like Unit Stream Power – based Erosion Deposition(USPED) to predict erosion/deposition and Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE) to estimate soil erosion and identify risk area. The program enables a user to select a Michigan watershed and display various features within that watershed such as streets, water bodies, elevation, risk areas, wetlands and other information available across the state. The development of this system is being supported by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, the Victor Institute, MSU Extension, and the Vice Provost Office for Libraries, Computing and Technology at Michigan State University.

The targeted audience are watershed planners and this site provides an innovative tool to facilitate their development of watershed management plan. This site is a science based decision support system. Other audience like farmers, local level government, students, education programs can also find this site very useful to them since it provides a highly comprehensive system for a better decision and yet easy to use.

Figure 6. Interface of Understanding Your Watershed of IWR.

There three search options developed to assist in locating a watershed and learning various aspects of it, such as rivers and tributaries with the watershed, elevation, wetlands, and identifying potential critical areas. They are search by home address, search by County name, and search by Watershed name of users’ interest. Each option will lead you to a slightly different map viewer interface in Figure 6. The interface divided into key map and Zoom Factor area, Legend area, GIS tool buttons area (Zoom-in, Zoom-out, Zoom to full extent, Pan, Identification, EPA hot links to Surf your watershed web site, 3D Visualization of Topography, Run USPED model, Generate report, Refresh, Help), Main map area, and data Layers area (Streets, Streams, Water Body, Topo Lines, Wetlands, Elevation, Watershed(HUC), Flow Lines, Potential Risk Areas, DoQ-Photos). The interface of 3D Visualization of Topography is shown in Figure 7. The output data is generated by models. HTML, JavaScript, ESRI ArcIMS are tools used to develop this site. It is functioning but still expanding.

Figure 7. Interface of 3D Visualization of Topography in Understanding Your Watershed of IWR.

There are other projects such as Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) using interactive GIS tool. It is an on-line soil erosion assessment tool. RUSLE was on since February 1999.

q Landsat.org by MSU Basic Science & Remote Sensing Initiative (BSRSI) [Back to Top]
URL: http://landsat.org/index.html

Landsat.org provides users with easy access to Landsat ETM+ data. This web site is an alternative gateway to the very same publicity available Landsat data collected and housed by NASA and the USGS. It provides the purchasing, distribution, and sharing of Landsat 7 imagery worldwide. Using a simplified, platform-independent user interface and search engine with online data ordering. It is maintained by the Basic Science & Remote Sensing Initiative (BSRSI) at Michigan State University and is supported in part by the Tropical Rain Forest Information Center (TRFIC), a NASA Earth Science Information Partnership (ESIP) Federation charter member, and by NASA's Upper Midwest Regional Earth Science Applications Center (RESAC).

Target Audience:

research centers, science teams, and educational organization. Providing them with customized search interfaces, access to data hosting services, clearinghouse services, data brokering, and imagery cooperatives.

Interface:

The interface (http://landsat.org/worldclickmap.html) is a user clickable mapto any interested area in the world powered by an Access 7 search in Landsat.org. This map represents Latitude and Longitude in equal measure. The WRS-2 grid shown in the map as red dots consists of 233 paths (orbit ground traces) and 248 rows (horizontal sections). Each Path & Row combination describes a unique rectangular "scene" of satellite data/imagery. The satellite images the same scene every 16 days. Descending scenes represented here include all 233 paths with daylight rows 1 - 120. Clicking anywhere on the map launches a query for the imagery collected by Landsat 7 over time for that point on the map.

Landsat.org consists of two main parts (Figure 8): A) "Global Click Map" window and B) a "Results" window. By clicking on the "Global Click Map" a search is initiated for all available Landsat 7 imagery. Once the initial search is complete, results appear in the "Results" window. Users can refine the search by moving to an adjacent image, adjusting the date interval, level of cloud cover, or sorting the results.

Results are displayed in a new window with a map that shows the location of the search. Nudge arrows allow the user to refine the location. Form fields allow the user to modify the search parameters.

A) Start

Click on the Global Click Map to launch a search

B) Result

Figure 8. The tow windows of Landsat.org interface.

Clicking on a thumbnail image brings up (Figure 9)
1) the full USGS JPEG browse product. Clicking on the date of the scene launches 2) "StripBuilder" that builds a "strip" of four scenes edge-matched north and south. 3)A full-resolution, multi-band browsing tool called "GeoZoom" is available. Use this tool to preview imagery at several zoom levels. Clicking on the4) "Order" button places the scene in a shopping cart for online ordering.

Figure 9. The results of click a thumbnail image in Landsat.org.

Output Data Generated by Models:

No.

Implementation Technologies:

Landsat.org searches are powered by Access7, a CGI program written in Perl. This is a Map Generators type of application.

Development Stage:
Completed.

q The GIS Interactive Maps of Charter Township of Waterford, Michigan [Back to Top]

URL: http://www.twp.waterford.mi.us/waterfordGIS/

About the application:

A township level web-based GIS application itself is pretty amazing. The implementation of internet GIS at a township level shows the power, the well acceptance of technology, and the deterministic of the local government. Geographic Information System Interactive Maps, a Web-based GIS application used to create and view interactive maps including Parcels and Voting and Zoning Districts in the Charter township of Waterford county was set up in 1996. Currently at Waterford Township, GIS is being used to share data, reduce redundant record keeping, and provide a powerful analytical tool to help staff make better, more informed decisions. From their record, the first interest in GIS by the township was in 1987. In that year, a group called the Waterford Township Computer Committee conducted a feasibility study on GIS. Each department was sent a survey to inquire how they might use a GIS. The committee needed to determine whether GIS would be something useful or just something nice to have. The response from that initial survey was overwhelming. The committee found that approximately 80% of any task performed by the various township departments directly related to a map or a geographic point, like an address. Every department spent a great deal of time maintaining maps and/or addresses. For example: Fire and Police need to maintain maps and addresses for emergency response; The Clerk maintains addresses for voting records; Planning maintains addresses for zoning; Building maintains addresses for permits; Assessing maintains addresses for valuations; The Treasurer maintains addresses for tax collection; The Library maintains addresses for checking out books and community programs; Parks and Recreation maintains addresses for program participation; Community development maintains addresses for low income programs. This very general list shows how each department maintains some type of address record. The committee concluded labor could be saved and accuracy increased by sharing the same maps, addresses and the related data. The survey responses provided insight into how each department could benefit from a GIS. However, several reasons delayed their GIS effort, such as cost for set up GIS hardware / software, and tight township budget. Meanwhile, technology kept improving. Hardware prices kept coming down. The software packages being developed were considerably more powerful, much easier to use, yet lower in cost than previous versions. GIS was moving from being an expensive, unrealistic "dream" to being an affordable, useful tool. Therefore, their dreams come true in 1996. Woolpert LLP, of Dayton, Ohio was hired to serve as GIS consultant and a GIS department was created to implement their goals.

Target Audience:

The various township departments and residents of the Charter Township of Waterford, Michigan.

Interface:

Figure 10. Interface of The GIS Interactive Maps of Charter Township of Waterford, Michigan

The interface are clean and maps are easy to interact. There are four options to use the interactive maps: Custom allows users to make their own map and display information of their interest. Parcel shows information about parcels. Voting allows users to find where to vote in a political election, and Zoning displays the zoning categories for Waterford township. Each option leads to similar map viewer with different theme layers. The basic layout of the map viewer is shown in Figure 10. The tools area includes Full view, Redraw, Zoom in, Zoom out, Pan, Identify, and Make your own map legend.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

HTML, MapObjects Internet Mapserver and Java Applet. It is a Real-time Map Browser type of application.

Development Stage:
Completed.

q Other web-based GIS Applications [Back to Top]

Other Applications also exist such as the Land Information Access Association (LIAA) ‘s (http://www.liaa.org/home.htm ) internet version of its Community Information System(CIS) (webCIS) at http://www.liaa.org/cisdemo . MSU Center for Remote Sensing and GIS (http://www.crs.msu.edu/landscan/ ) has Landscan Web Browser for assisting users to view all its 1992 sample Landscan images at http://www2.crs.msu.edu/mrsid/. This application is powered by MrSID Online Viewer 1.1.23 and was implemented by LizardTech, Inc using technologies like HTML, ASP and LizardTech’s MrSID Browser Plug-In.

Center for Environmental Information Technology and Application. (CEITA) of Eastern Michigan University (http://ceita.acad.emich.edu/) has developed several Internet GIS applications. One of them is Water Quality Data Online (http://maps.acad.emich.edu/dataview/ ). It is designed as a web-based scientific investigation tool for the VISIT (Virtual Immersion in Science Inquiry for Teachers) project using the water qality database for Rough River watershed in Southeast, Michigan. The Rough River has been classified as one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S. and the Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project provides solutions on how to restore a polluted urban waterway. The Water Quality Data Online is an easy-to-use tool combining tabular data viewing and data plotting. It provides functions like search water quality database by the locations or by parameters or even by user-defined query. It also provides reasoning and comparison among thematic data sets. This site is implemented by HTML, ASP, JavaScript, Cascade Style Sheet, and Marcromedia Flash. Another GIS application developed by CEITA that worth to be mentioned is FIELDS (Fully Integrated Environmental Location Decision Support http://ceita.emich.edu/applications.htm ) which is a field data collection application using Pocket PC . The FIELDS system is developed by the USEPA (Region 5) – Water Division FIELDS Team, in collaboration with CEITA. This system is a collection of technical tools and applications incorporating RDBS, GIS, GPS(global positioning systems), statistical techniques, and in-field analytical technologies to address site-specific environmental issues and assist decision making. Although the FIELDS is not online yet, however, with the current technology of wireless network communication, we can foresee the possibility of the evolution of this application toward an real time Internet GIS application which with full location-awareness (GPS is the key).

3.4 Minnesota [Back to Top]

q MetroGIS DataFinder [Back to Top]

URL: http://www.datafinder.org/

About the application:

MetroGIS is a collaborative organization representing over 250 local governments and other organizations established to foster sharing of geospatial data in the seven-county Twin City Metropolitan Area of Minnesota. The MetroGIS DataFinder web site implements a stated goal of MetroGIS -- to provide a mechanism for sharing GIS data. It also provides the capability to identify the mechanisms for indexing, describing, and accessing current, accurate, secure and usable geographically referenced graphic and associated attribute data. The major features of DataFinder web site are: Standardized metadata describing GIS data sets and access to download many GIS data sets; Web mapping services; Downloadable spatial datasets; Interactive maps for on-line data browsing; Registered NSDI Clearinghouse node (allows user to do a search of metadata on DataFinder and other local agencies such as the Minnesota GeoGateway and allows other clearinghouse nodes to search DataFinder); Map services and clearinghouse registered on the Geography Network.

Target Audience:

As it is stated in the website, the DataFinder is targeted towards the local governments, other organizations and users in the Twin City Metropolitan Area of Minnesota.

Interface:

DataFinder of MetroGIS has a series of interactive Maps, which are listed in table 1. They have similar interfaces but different data layers. Figure 11 has the interface of 1997 land use inventory interactive map.

Figure 11. Interface of 1997 land use inventory interactive map of MetroGIS DataFinder.

Table 1. Interactive Maps in DataFinder of MetroGIS, Minnesota

General Purpose Interactive Map Link

General Purpose Interactive Map:

http://gis.metc.state.mn.us/website/DF_GeneralMap/
This interactive map includes county boundaries,

municipal boundaries, highways, school district

boundaries and 2000 orthophotos. The orthophotos are only visible when zoomed in.

Planning and Development Interactive Map Link

Planning and Development Interactive Map:

http://gis.metc.state.mn.us/website/DF_PlanningDevelopment/
This planning and development map includes generalized land use, historical land use, transitways and urban service areas. Municipal boundaries are also included for orientation.

The Metropolitan Council creates a land use inventory for the Twin Cities metropolitan area every few years. This data set is then compared to previous years to analyze land use change, and also plan for the future. This interactive land use application includes a map showing 1997 land use data and also charts and tables comparing land use statistics between 1990 and 1997. 1997 land use “printable” maps are also available for each municipality in the Twin Cities area.

Political and Administrative Interactive Map Link

Political and Administrative Interactive Map:

http://gis.metc.state.mn.us/website/DF_PoliticalAdministrative/

This map includes geographic data sets that define political and administrative boundaries including county boundaries, municipal boundaries, school districts, Metropolitan Council Districts, transit taxing districts, watershed management areas and zip codes.

Transportation Interactive Map:
http://gis.metc.state.mn.us/website/DF_PoliticalAdministrative/

This map includes major highways, transitways, bus routes, transportation analysis zones, bus stops, bus shelters, park and ride lots, light rail lines and stations, transit taxing districts and airports. Municipal boundaries are also included for orientation.
The transportation map service won First Place in the Geography Network Challenge!

Orthophotos Interactive Map Link

Orthophotos Interactive Map:

http://gis.metc.state.mn.us/website/DF_Orthophotos/

This interactive map includes orthophotos for the entire Twin Cities 7-county metro area from 1997 and 2000. Note that these orthophotos are only visible at larger scales (when the map is more zoomed in). Municipal boundaries are also included for orientation.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

HTML, JavaScript, ASP and ESRI ArcIMS. These series of interactive maps are all of Real-time Map Browsers type of web-based GIS applications.

Development Stage:

Still under development.

q MapServer of University of Minnesota and its Supported applications [Back to Top]

URL: http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/

About the application:

The MapServer software tool was originally developed at the University of Minnesota as part of ForNet, a previous project with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), in cooperation with NASA and the MNDNR. Additional enhancements were made by the MNDNR and the Minnesota Land Management Information Center (LMIC). Current development is funded by the TerraSIP (http://terrasip.gis.umn.edu/) project, a NASA sponsored project between the UMN and consortium of land management interests. Actually, there are two main tools developed for ForNet, MapServer and ImageView. MapServer is a visualization tool for GIS data. It is useful for setting up easy to use WWW front ends to GIS data sets. ImageView, on the other hand, is a visualization tool for satellite imagery and other raster data sets. MapServer is a development environment for creating spatially enabled Internet applications. MapServer applications allow users to create customized maps, combining several layers of data, and query back end databases. MapServer is not a full-featured GIS system, nor does it aspire to be. It does, however, provide enough core functionality to support a wide variety of web applications. Beyond browsing GIS data, MapServer allows users create "geographic image maps", that is, maps that can direct users to content. For example, the Minnesota DNR "Recreation Compass"( http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/compass ) provides users with more than 10,000 web pages, reports and maps via a single application. The same application serves as a "map engine" for other portions of the site, providing spatial context were needed.

The MapServer system now supports MapScript which allows popular scripting languages such as Perl, Python, Tk/Tcl, Guile and even Java to access the MapServer C API. MapScript provides a rich environment for developing applications that integrate disparate data. If the data has a spatial component and you can get to it via your favorite scripting enviroment then you can map it. For example, using Perl's DBI module it is possible to integrate data from just about any database vendor (eg. Oracle, Sybase, MySQL) with traditional GIS data in a single map graphics or web page. In addition, there is now a PHP/MapScript module included in the current release. The latest version of MapServer is 3.5 which is released on December 18, 2001. With the release of version 3.5, MapServer is compliant with the Open GIS Consortium's Web Mapping Testbed (WMT) standards. This means that MapServer now has access to thematic data in a variety of file formats through the OGR Simple Features Library. In addition, MapServer now provides support for ESRI ArcSDE to give access to a variety of spatial databases.

Target Audience:

Any users who is interested in using MapServer to build up a Internet GIS applications. Since MapServer is an OpenSource development, the technology is cheap and flexible.

Interface:

MapServer application developers now have more flexibility with access to MapServer CGI program through scripting languages. Scripting interfaces are now available for PERL, PHP, Python, and Tcl/Tk.

The following application use script access to MapServer and their Interfaces is shown in Figure 12.

o LandView: http://maps.dnr.state.mn.us/landview/
with MapScript/Perl Features.

o MapServer Atlas: Canada http://www2.dmsolutions.on.ca/gmap/gmap75.phtml
with MapScript/PHP3 Features.

Figure 12. The Interface of MapServer powered applications. (Left: LandView of Minnesota DNR; Right: MapServer Atlas for Canada from DM Solutions Group.

With its enhanced functionality, MapServer has been used to develop a web-based browsing and spatial analysis system based upon considerations of balanced use of client and server computational resources and limited Internet data transfer rates. The system combines the client-side Java applets, server side computations done on the fly, and databases of pre-computed analysis data for optimum performance of online analysis of geo-spatial data.

The following examples demonstrate these capabilities:

o Natural Resources Analysis and Mapping System (NRAMS)
http://terrasip.gis.umn.edu/projects/egis/avhrr/
It was developed as a tool for the analysis and monitoring of natural resourses at regional scales using multi-temporal AVHRR imagery. It is a good example of utilizing the mapping and querying capablities of MapServer and the analysis capablities of Geode software which shows Statistical Analysis of Raster Data function

o A kNN Approach to Forest Inventory Analysis
http://terrasip.gis.umn.edu/projects/egis/knn/index.html
It is a demonstration of the kNN (k Nearest Neighbor) estimation procedure using Landsat TM image data and FIA ground plot data. It is a good example of Database Access From Spectral Analysis of Raster Data function.

o Seasonal Vegetation Monitoring
TerraSIP's Seasonal Vegetation Monitoring application allows you to view the progress of vegetation development in your region through a season. It displays images of vegetation indices derived from 1-km AVHRR data or NASA's new MODIS sensor flying on the EOS Terra Satellite. You may also download images for viewing on your own computer. It is a good example of MapServer’s Raster Data Download function.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

MapServer is an OpenSource development environment for building spatially enabled Internet applications. The software builds upon other popular OpenSource or freeware systems like Shapelib, FreeType, Proj.4, libTIFF, Perl and others. MapServer will run where most commercial systems won't or can't, on Linux/Apache platforms. MapServer is known to compile on most UNIXs and will run under Windows NT/98/95. MapServer powered Internet GIS applications are all type of Real-time Map Browsers.

Development Stage:

Completed and still evolving.

q ForNet of Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources [Back to Top]

URL: http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/
http://fornet.gis.umn.edu/

About the application:

The ForNet Project is a joint effort between the University of Minnesota - College of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Division of Forestry as an Internet delivery system of natural resource management data, especially forest resource management data. Basically, ForNet was proposed to support public use of earth and space science data over the Internet, or in another word, enhanced access for forest management planning. ForNet is one of 18 Remote Sensing Database (RSD) programs funded as part of the NASA Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) "Public Use of Earth and Space Science Data Over the Internet". The RSD program is part of the Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications (IITA)component of the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) initiative. ForNet is working with additional agencies / institutions including the USDA Forest Service's North Central Forest Experiment Station (NCFES) located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Four objectives are being addressed by ForNet personnel: Assess the information and technology needs of MN-DNR forest managers; Develop solutions that meet identified needs; Adapt and modify Internet-based delivery tools for solutions developed; Educate and train MN-DNR personnel on solution applications.

Up-to-date, several services has already been able to be built upon ForNet to cooperate with MN DNR-Forestry ‘s daily operations. These series of services using ForNet are listed here:

o ForestView (http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/forestview/ ), brings MN DNR Forestry's Cooperative Stand Assessment (CSA) GIS data and satellite imagery together in one interactive interface. Users can overlay forest inventory data from state-owned lands onto the satellite image of their choice. Information from inventoried stands can then be extrapolated to surrounding lands through visual interpretation.

o Air Photos Online (http://maps.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/photos/ ) allows users to access (browse|download|order) DNR Forestry's current aerial photo coverage of the forested counties of Minnesota. More than 40,000 photos are viewable online, covering 45 counties.

o The Boundary Waters Blowdown Pages (http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/bwca/ ) contains maps, photos and satellite images showing the impact of the July 4, 1999 storm that devastated nearly 400,000 acres of Minnesota forests in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. "Before and after" satellite pictures show the extent of damage in relation to BWCAW lakes, campsites and portage trails. The Storm Damage Assessment Viewer is an interactive GIS application for viewing a computer-derived damage assessment map based on “Before” and “After” Landsat satellite images of the area.

o Minnesota Wildfire Information Center (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/fire/ ) provides a collection of the latest information on forest fires in Minnesota. Interactive maps depict current wildfire fuel conditions, the locations of current and recent fires around the state, and more. Fire location maps can be queried to obtain detailed information regarding any fire shown on the map. Also find here the latest press releases and links to additional wildfire-related information resources on the internet.

o ImageView (http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/imageview/ ) enables interactive browsing of Landsat TM satellite images covering the Minnesota landscape. Through a point-and-click map-based interface, users can specify geographic areas of interest and manipulate the display characteristics of the imagery.

o ChangeView (http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/changeview/ ) presents browsable "forest change" images, which are derived from two Landsat satellite images of the same area at different dates. These images highlight areas of recent, relatively major changes to the forested landscape, including areas of both vegetation loss and gain.

Target Audience:

The target audience is MN-DNR forest managers and land managers in general and any other interested individuals or organizations. It is critical that modern, efficient and effective means be devised for providing up-to-date, reliable information sources to these land managers because the reality is that budgets of land management agencies continue to shrink while the pressures on forest and associated lands are increasing dramatically.

Interface:

The interfaces of all the series of applications are different in themes / data but have similarities. They all have a clickable map to locate users’ place of interest and generate more information about the area. Most of them has a legend area and tools like Zoom-in, Zoom out, or Set Zoom Factor, and Set cursor action, etc. . There are also online help pages to use these applications and a link to a printable map. Figure 13 shows the interface of ForestView.

Figure 13. Interface of ForestView application built on ForNet.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

HTML, JavaScript, Java, CGI, University of Minnesota’s MapServer and ImageView. The ForNet and the series of service applications supported by ForNet are all of Real-time Map Browsers type of applications.

Development Stage:

Completed.

3.5 Ohio [Back to Top]

Ohio has been very active in promoting the understanding and usage of GIS in the state. The organization of OGRIP(Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program) [Back to Top] , which is primarily consist of volunteers such as representatives of several state agencies, local and regional governments, utilities, universities, private organizations and other interested individuals, has existed since 1989 and formally established in 1993 by an executive order to encourage the creation of digital geographic data of value to multiple users, foster the ability to easily determine what geographic data exists and the ability to easily access and use this data. OGRIP is supported by the Ohio state government. OGRIP itself represents a model for cooperation between government agencies, universities and members of the private sectors. According to OGRIP, majority of the counties has deployed GIS activities in 1999 compared to only four pioneer counties attempted GIS in 1989(Cuyahoga, Medina, Franklin, Hamilton). Figure 14 shows the comparison.

The OGRIP has awarded 16 projects at a county/city level with the best practices awards since 1998 (annual event) to encourage the utilization of GIS technology and has demonstrated the value of GIS for effective decision support. GIS has definitely changed the way modern government works while providing more open and easy public access to information.

Figure 14. Comparison of the Ohio Counties Active in GIS in 1989 and in 1999 (Source: OGRIP, http://www.state.oh.us/das/dcs/ogrip/OGRIP/spotlight.htm)

q Franklin County Auditor’s GIS [Back to Top]

Franklin county was a pioneer in Ohio in the development of a functioning GIS. Franklin County Auditor’s GIS is an interactive system to assist residents of the county to search for specific parcels and locations, view maps, generate and view reports, and perform many other map and data retrieval. A Kentucky based company named MetaMAP, Inc. had helped set up the web site. The maps is prepared for the real property inventory within Franklin county. It is compiled from recorded deeds, survey plats, and other public records and data.

Target Audience: the residents of the Franklin County, Ohio.

Interface:
The web site provides users two options: Search by and Countywide Map. The Search by option provides multiple ways to locate a specific parcel, address or location. Users can search by Parcel ID, Owner’s Name, Address, road Intersection, and County Map (Zoom-in location finder). By typing in a valid search labels, users can get the result in a format of interactive map. Even if an user cannot provide a complete search labels, the search by will return some result based on partial match. At any type of search, the result map has options of view the current location in the picture of whole county, provides detail parcel data, building sketch, related maps of the resulted area, such as taxing district, neighborhood, school district, township, subdivision, historic township and zip code area, the selected items such as Base Maps (streets & roads, drives and parking, buildings, rivers & streams, railroads, utilities, recreation areas), Property Map (parcel lines, boundary lines, dimensions, parcel text, subdivisions & lots, parcel labels of different options such as parcel id, owner name, house number, transfer date, and appraisal amount, etc.). Other features such as Aerial Photo, Contours and Flood Plain are also powered in this site. Many items has different view styles for user to choose from for a better map. The Countywide Maps option display customized maps of specific interest, such as Condominimums, Custom Maps of Railroads, 10’ Contours, Civil Township Lines, Primary Hydrography, Flood Data, Centerline Data, Golf Courses, Parcel Data. This site provides a print option for all its online maps. It also provides reports for users. There are many report options, for example, appraised total values, living area of buildings, number of rooms/bedrooms, price range, and year build, etc.
My impression of this site is nice interface, fairly user-friendly, and pretty powerful in retrieve and display geospatial data. This site is suitable for public knowledge and service but lack of scientific decision tools.

Output Data Generated by Models:
Yes, by submitting queries to the back-end MetaMap Internet Geospatial Data Server, user can get desired map.

Implementation Technologies:
Javascript, Perl and HTML. By using MetaMAP, a full featured PC-based GIS, as the engine for geospatial data access. Full ODBC connections on VMS platform. The MetaMAP is used as a back-end process to a MetaMAP Internet Geospatial Data Server. Since all processing takes place on the server, even end users using older computers or modem-based Internet connections can get phenomenal performance. Also, since there is no browser plug-in to install, end users can utilize their choice of web browser software (Internet Explorer or Netscape) and can get results from the web server that they can use immediately.

Development Stage:
Completed.

q Lucas County Auditor’s Real Information System (AREIS online) [Back to Top]

The Lucas County, Ohio,AREIS Online provides access to property information for all properties in Lucas County, Ohio. It is an extension of the Auditor Real Estate Information System (AREIS). The AREIS system was developed from a desire to make assessments based on a Geographical Information System (GIS) that would support complex value modeling via 3-dimensional computer spatial statistics for the reevaluation of real property. The AREIS online was developed out of the need to disseminate the parcel data quickly and easily to the general public as well as to the advanced users of this system.

Target Audience: the residents of the Lucas County, Ohio. AREIS technology has been used to support the operations and functions of a variety of federal, state, and local government agencies including many under the guiding hand of the Board of County Commissioners.

Interface:

User can perform searches based on property Address, Owner’s Name, Assessor #, Parcel # and intersection. The search result will be ordered and presented in group of results. The entry map is zoomable with tools like full-extent, zoom-in, zoom-out, pan, identify, print. The available maps include Streets, Street Names, Parcels, AssessorID Lot Dimensions, Parcel Acreage, Subdivisions, Condominiums, CAUV, Census Tracts, Aerial Photos (2001 and 1998). By zoom-in deep enough, users can reach any of the above maps. When the Parcels map become displayable, the options of parcel shading are none, by parcel type (Agricultural, commercial, exempt, industrial, public utility, residential, unspecified, and mobile homes), by value, by zoning (unspecified, agricultural, vacant, industrial light, industrial heavy, commercial office, commercial retail, residential single family, residential multi-family, residential apt., mixed, and not zoned), and even by soil type. For any selected parcel, data analysis reports are available in the following aspects: Summary, Transfers, Values, Attributes(classification, Assessor #, Land Information, Agricultural Information, Building Information and Administrative Information), Remarks & Splits, New Construction, Current Taxes, Prior Taxes, Specials, Prior Specials, Payments, Pro# Inquiry, CAUV, Agriculture, Forest, Structure Photo, and Structure Sketch. Each of these reports is printable from the web. The lower-left corner holds a key map that users can easily navigate back to the original map. Last but not the least, the online help window is excellent. The interface of the help system looks like the ESRI ArcView or ARC/INFO documentation system, with Contents and Index categories and all documents are printable.

Output Data Generated by Models:
Yes, user can get desired map by submitting queries.

Implementation Technologies:
Javascript, HTML, ASP with popup windows. The information about the project implementation is not provided.

Development Stage:
Completed.

q Delaware Appraisal Land Information System (DALIS) [Back to Top]

Delaware County, Ohio, Auditor's DALIS Project web page includes the Mapping application which enable you to view all parcels of Real Property in Delaware County and their related tax (appraisal) information. The Delaware Appraisal Land Information System (DALIS) Project is established in 1994. Between 1995 and 1997, DALIS Team created one of the most detailed and comprehensive GIS dataset in the region. The project has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Best GIS Practices in Ohio in 1998 and ESRI's Special Achievement Award in 2000.

In 1999, a GPS point layer of all structure in the county was created and the database was populated with each structures address, land use code and photos. It is also worthwhile to mention that the DALIS project staff also completed a mobile GIS project in Spring 2001 using a mobile GIS unit(an Compaq IPAQ loaded with ArcPAD software) to the field and collecting data and photos for new structures in order to bring the database up to date. Recently, they started another mobile project of collecting commercial and residential GPS points and addresses in the county using a hand-held GPS (Compaq IPAQ 3650), see Figure 15.

Figure 15. GIS mobile unit (Compaq IPAQ 3650) used in the DALIS project.

A new project on publishing color orthophotos on the web is started this year and expected to be completed by Spring of 2003.

Target Audience: the residents of Delaware County, Ohio.

Interface:

The interface of DALIS is clean and nice as we can see in the Figure 16. It provides search through owner name, parcel ID, Address. The available maps are Municipalities, townships, roads, school districts, parcels, aerial photos, with ability to add thematic layers, such as Land Use (agriculture, residential, commercial, industrial, exempt, other) and Appraised Value. Tools listed in the drop-down menu include Zoom In by factors, Zoom Out by factors, Pan, Zoom to Map Extent, Identify and Select Parcel to Buffer. User can create a buffer around a parcel by select the tool of Select Parcel to Buffer.

Figure 16. Interface of DALIS interactive map server. (http://208.35.27.235/dalisview/dv.html)

By zoom-in deep enough, the parcels and the Aerial photography layers are viewable. According to the DALIS site, the aerial photography is accurate as of April 1, 1997.

Output Data Generated by Models:
Yes, user can get desired map by submitting queries.

Implementation Technologies:
This application was developed using HTML, ESRI’s MapObjects and MapObject Internet Map Server programming tools. DALIS-View Map Server was designed to work with Internet Explorer 5.0 and Netscape Communicator 4.7 and above.

Development Stage:
Completed and still evolving.

3.6 Wisconsin [Back to Top]

q Wiscosin Geological and Natural Histroy Survey [Back to Top]

URL: http://www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/sample.htm

About the application:

The Sample State Maps in the web site of Wiscosin Geological and Natural Histroy Survey (WGNHS). is a good example of this form of Web-GIS application. The web page is to offer the users of WGNHS published maps a sense of what types of maps available from WGNHS. The static images listed in the page are low-resolution scans of some of their map products.

Target Audience:

Any user who is interested in WGNHS’s map products, including researchers, government agencies, education organizations, and any other interested individuals and organizations.

Interface:

The interface is very simple and provides a list of choices in plain text which will lead the user to see the pre-generated maps. Currently, the following maps are listed: Bedrock geology of Wisconsin(1981; revised 1995), Early vegetation of Wisconsin(1965), Groundwater contamination susceptibility in Wisconsin(1989), Ice Age deposits of Wisconsin(1964), Landforms Wisconsin(1971), Soil regions of Wisconsin(1993), Thickness of unconsolidated material in Wisconsin(1983). As it stated, the quality of the available maps is low-resolution. The maps are downloadable or printable as it is.

Output Data Generated by Models:

No.

Implementation Technologies:

Plain HTML and maps in GIF format. This is a type of Graphic Snapshots of Pre-generated Maps application.

Development Stage:
Completed.

q Wisconsin Land Information Clearinghouse [Back to Top]

URL: http://wisclinc.state.wi.us/datadisc/statecat.html

About the application:

The State GIS Data Catalog of the Wisconsin Land Information Clearinghouse (WISCLINC) is an National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) node with searchable meta database and served as a jump-start place for users who are interested in searching Wisconsin spatial data that is statewide or smaller scale. It also have a page for users need more detailed county and local level maps. WISCLINC was established under a pilot project carried out by the Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office (SCO) in 1994-95. Funded by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), the Wisconsin Land Information Board (WLIB) and the SCO WISCLINC is intended to be a starting point and navigation aid to those searching for or involved with spatial data in Wisconsin. The objectives of WISCLINC are:

· to collect and compile NSDI compliant metadata describing primary geospatial data holdings of cooperating Wisconsin agencies,

· to establish a Clearinghouse node on the Internet to post and give access to this metadata, and

· to establish NSDI Clearinghouse activities as an integral component of the Wisconsin Land Information Program.

The FGDC Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) project was entitled the Wisconsin NSDI Clearinghouse Initiative and was completed in 1995, making Wisconsin one of the first five nodes (6/95) of the NSDI Clearinghouse nodes today.

Target Audience:

Any user who is interested in searching spatial data in Wisconsin, including researchers, government agencies, education organizations, and any other interested individuals and organizations.

Interface:

In the state catalog, it provides sorted data themes to users to ease the search. These themes are political and administrative boundaries, image and base maps, TIGER and line data, water and hydrography, infrastructure, natural resources and environmental, and soil and geology. In the county catalog, it provides both text version and graphic version for user to get into the interested county. The graphic version is a map of counties in Wisconsin, by click on the desired county, a page of data sources in that county such as local land records modernization plan, and topical spatial information including aerial photography / Digital Orthophotos, topographic / digital raster graphics, hydrography/water resources, land use/land cover, and soils, will be found.

Output Data Generated by Models:

No.

Implementation Technologies:

Plain HTML and maps in GIF format. This is a type of Spatial Database Catalogs and Libraries application

Development Stage:
Completed. Continueous maintenance and expansion.

q Wisconsin DNR Internet GIS Mapping Applications [Back to Top]

URL: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/at/et/geo/index.htm .

About the application:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has a section called Enterprise Data Management & GIS Analysis and Mapping Services. This team implemented a series of internet mapping applications to provide easy access to data internally and externally. They use internet mapping as a way to provide the ability to integrate data from a variety of program areas, even different divisions. There are a list of internet GIS applications are developed:

· Dam Safety Database (http://gomapout.dnr.state.wi.us/website/wwi/index_dams.htm)
This application is for the Wisconsin Waters Initiative. Two packages are available: One with basic functionality for those who don’t have any knowledge of ArcView, one with Advanced functionality for those who do.

· Digital Ortho Airphoto Tracking System! (http://gomapout.dnr.state.wi.us/website/dop_tracker/viewer.htm)
Ortho Airphotos (also known as digital orthophotos, or DOPs) are digital images of detailed, rectified aerial photographs that have been geo-referenced so they can be used with other map data. When displaying DOPs on users’ computer, they can zoom in and out, pan, and print out portions of the airphotos just as you would any other kind of map. They can also display a wide range of other DNR map data over top of the Ortho Airphotos.

· GIS Registry of Closed Remediation Sites (http://gomapout.dnr.state.wi.us/org/at/et/geo/gwur/index.htm)
This application will show closed sites with groundwater contamination remaining above ch. NR 140 enforcement standards are the only sites included in this registry. Wells to be constructed on or near properties listed on this registry may require special well construction features. Prior to constructing or reconstructing a well on or near a listed property, they should contact the Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater to find out administrative requirements.

· Ice Age Trail (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/at/et/geo/iceage/index.htm )
This Internet Map Server (IMS) or Map Buffet provides users with the most up-to-date Ice Age Trail information available. The Map Buffet allows users to fill their own maps of the Trail with the information and scale that best suits their needs. Trail information is organized into separate layers or themes, such as parking, camping, trails, etc.

· Automated License Issuance System (ALIS) (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/at/et/geo/alis/index.htm )
Wisconsin's automated license issuance system (ALIS) allows customers to purchase most hunting and fishing licenses at over 1,300 locations throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. Users can click on the ALIS MAP Application button below to find license agents in a specific location.

· WISCLAND Land Cover (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/at/et/geo/data/wlc.htm )
"WISCLAND" is the Wisconsin Initiative for Statewide Cooperation on Landscape Analysis and Data, a partnership of public and private organizations seeking to facilitate landscape GIS data development and analysis.

· Scanned Topo Maps (Digital Raster Graphics - DRGs) (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/at/et/geo/data/drg.html )
This application provides access to downloadable copies of Digital Raster Graphics (DRGs), optically scanned map images originally produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS). The DNR Enterprise Data Management Section have acquired statewide DRG coverage and has made them available for download via web browser.

Target Audience:

The main purpose of DNR GIS program is to develop and maintain the GIS technology, tools, databases, and applications which provide spatial data management, analysis, and mapping capabilities to support DNR policy evaluation, decision-making and program operations. The website is also a location-based information resource for the public.

Interface:

The internet mapping applications have similar map viewer interfaces. They all have a map view area which is clickable and zoomable, a tool area with zoom-in, zoom-out, identify tools a scale indication (bars or text description) area. All maps are printable. Users can select different GIS layers to view. Of course, each individual application also has its own features to distinguish with other applications. Figure 17 shows the interface of one of the internet mapping applications – Dam Safety of Wisconsin Waters Intitiative.

Figure 17. The interface of Wisconsin DNR Dam Safety.

Output Data Generated by Models:

Yes.

Implementation Technologies:

HTML, JavaScript, Cascade Style Sheet, and ESRI ArcIMS and ArcSDE to enable fast and integrated access to the agency’s extensive tabular and spatial data holdings. These are all Real-time Map Browsers type of web-based GIS applications. Some of them has also has mixed with other type of web-based GIS application such as Graphic Snapshots of pre-generated maps, for example, the WISCLAND Land Cover has a link to a sample Land Cover map which is a pre-generated static image.

Development Stage:
Those listed applications are completed. More applications might come.

4. Issues, Challenges and Future Direction [Back to Top]

4.1 Issues and Challenges [Back to Top]

From the above survey of existing Web-based GIS applications in EPA Region 5, we can see that since early 1990s, the GIS usage in governmental units at different level (Federal, State, County and Township) in EPA Region 5 has been populated with many forms of Web-GIS technologies. Government agencies, universities and GIS vendors are three most active forces in pushing the continuous development and the public awareness/acceptance of the web-GIS technology in this region. At present, there are so many applications have already coming to being for different purpose. However, there is one common theme here, which is the Internet GIS did a great job in disseminating useful information and has become a popular tool into decision making on issues like land use planning, resource management, natural disasters control and even daily activity like driving direction. The web-GIS technology shows its power and become well-recognized in this region. More and more people and organizations are getting use to this new technology and even starting their own web-GIS applications. All the existing applications provide support of certain extent to decision making. However, there are not too many applications have high quality scientific/comprehensive support like the Michigan State University IWR’s Understanding Your Watershed and ForNet of Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources. In addition, there are some common issues face these web-GIS applications.

q Inadequate Data Storage and Network Bandwidth [Back to Top]

The databases developed by GIS has been growing bigger and bigger. Simple base maps like roads, streams, lakes, elevation, and soils, are inadequate, users appreciate the inclusion of digital orthophotos (DoQs) which take a lot of storage and generate a lot of pressure in the network facility because to set GIS data browse-able across the network requires a lot bandwidth while available bandwidth for different users vary. If rapid access is required for browsing and retrieval, more complex data structures and accessing models have to be used. Possible solutions include: computed on the fly every time not just pre-generated static images(however this increases access times further); using various forms of data compression, and pre-generate layers using different resolution to accommodate lower access bandwidth users while meeting the demand of users with high access bandwidth.

q Lack of Systematic Approaches [Back to Top]

The research efforts in GIS in EPA region 5 is extensive but rather fragmented, especially in those applications done by local government level. Although enough diversity has been achieved, however, if any one finds some features in an web-GIS application other than the one applied to his own area is attractive, he will found out that to integrate the two system is so difficult and might have to give up one and restart another from the scratch. This is a very frustrating situation. There are many excellent applications out there, how can we integrate them and reuse them even across the political boundary will be an interesting question to think about.

q Security/Privacy Issues [Back to Top]

System security is an important issue. Some interfaces of the web-GIS application might become a security hole in the server system. Using temporary directories and/or a unique login (with restricted access) to run CGI scripts limits potential problems. Stand-alone systems with restricted access or password authorization might also reduce the risk of security problems. As with other data handling procedures on the Internet, such as FTP, gopher, etc., it is always advisable for users to be aware of the data they are downloading, and more importantly, that others may be able to peek at data streams. For users of these interfaces, this may be of little concern since geographic information downloaded from public servers is rarely sensitive in nature. However, for sensitive data, encryption procedures (such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) created by Philip R. Zimmermann) are an option. [McCauley1996] Use firewalls to perform security checks like filtering requests packages is another option.[Kurose2001]

Another issue is the how to keep privacy. If some users are not willing to keep data about their property open, the privacy issues arouse and has to be solved. Therefore, as the web-GIS application developers drive to build up full coverage application, they has to be careful in choose which layers to enclose in their application.

q Lack of support for interpreting and understanding spatial trends and patterns [Back to Top]

Almost all of the web-GIS applications assume that users have enough background to interpret and understand spatial trends and patterns shown in the online maps. Some explanation should be included to help users better understand the application. As the technology is pushing toward 3D visualization, this issue will be more serious than now since people is more familiar with 2D mapping than 3D. Slocum suggested we should explore related research questions including whether novices could be trained to utilize schemata that share key aspects with those of experts, and whether intelligent agents can be trained by experts to explore on their own and/or to act as guides for less expert analysts.[Slocum2000]

q Challenges on 3D graphic models and visualization [Back to Top]

The fast growing Internet technology has brought great opportunity for sharing GIS data across the geographic boundaries. The supply of GIS data on the Internet is not so successful. One of the main reasons is the spatial aspect that requires appropriate visualization expressions and tools for browsing and exploring the data. Until recently, the most often used approach for displaying spatial data is the creation of an image in a format supported by the Web [Zlatanova2000]. The increased use of GIS creates an apparently insatiable demand for new, high resolution visual information and spatial databases. The technological developments, combined with this demand, are rapidly changing the way in which ground data are collected [Dangermond1997] and the way spatial data are accessed and displayed. Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), Java3D, X3D, and Quick Time VR have been developed to meet this new demand. Within GIS community, popular soft packages now include realistic 3D mapping options (e.g., ArcView's 3D Analyst and ERDAS Imagine's Virtual GIS) and hundreds of pack-ages have been developed solely for 3D mapping. A U.S. Army Corp of Engineers site[USArmy1997] lists more than 350 packages purported to support "terrain visualization" alone. Publications related to 3D mapping have not been as prominent as new software, but it is beginning to see research results focused on the utilization and potential for 3D mapping [Haeberling1999][Patterson1999][Zlatanova2000].

However, users may find these novel methods of visualizing geospatial data difficult to apply, not derive the full benefit from, or simply not utilize them since there still many challenges face these methods.[Slocum2000]

4.2 Future Directions of Web-based GIS [Back to Top]

q From 2D to 3D [Back to Top]

Traditional maps are 2D abstractions of the real world. Graphic display and 3D visualization techniques has made relationships among map elements visible, heightening one's ability to extract and analyze information, therefore, make decision easier and more accurate. Visualization and graphic displays of spatial data has led to a new research field in Geography, which is Geovisualization. Geovisualization is focus on develop tools explicitly for an immersive geospatial virtual environment (immersive GeoVE) [Slocum00].Immersive GeoVEs fundamentally change our traditional way of acquiring spatial knowledge. This new technology is very exciting.

The term Web3D describes any programming or descriptive language that can be used to deliver interactive 3D objects and worlds across the Internet. This includes open languages such as VRML, Java3D, and X3D - also any proprietary languages like Apple’s QTVR that have been developed for the same purpose come under the umbrella of Web3d. The Web3D Consortium was formed in 1994 to provide a forum for the creation of open standards for Web3D specifications, and to accelerate the worldwide demand for products based on these standards through the sponsorship of market and user education programs. Web3D applications have been actively pursued by many organizations for quite some time. This community has spearheaded the development of the VRML specifications, which provide the basis for the development of associated applications. The Web3D Consortium represents all aspects of 3D technologies on the Internet. Just as HyperText Markup Language (HTML) led to a population explosion on the Internet by implementing a graphical interface, VRML adds the next level of interaction, structured graphics, and extra dimensions (z and time) to the online experience. Figure 18 shows the VRML implemented 3D visualization (source from GIS@Purdue: What’s GIS and What’s it good for. http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~tgis/gisexplo.html )

Figure 18. Example of VRML Implemented 3D Visualization of Geo-spatial data.

q Mixing location with Virtual Reality (Augmented Reality) [Back to Top]

The term 'Virtual Reality' (VR) was initially coined by Jaron Lanier, founder of VPL Research, Inc. (1989). It Originally, the term referred to 'Immersive Virtual Reality.' In immersive VR, the user becomes fully immersed in an artificial, three-dimensional world that is completely generated by a computer.

Augmented Reality (AR) is a growing area in VR research. An augmented reality system generates a composite view for the user. It is a combination of the real scene viewed by the user and a virtual scene generated by the computer that augments the real scene with additional information.[Vallino2001][Zeng2001]

Most recently, the emergence of affordable virtual reality(VR) and Internet GIS is providing the fundamental infrastructure to begin building virtual cities which can provide an interactive simulation and analysis environment for planning real urban places. By adding the dimension of height to building footprint data it is possible to create crude 3d city models, which can be embellished with attribute information in a fashion similar to the way GIS operate on 2d thematic data [Faust1995],[Levy1995].

Figure 19. Virtual London (Westminster area of central London)

The traditional mapping and database GIS functionality is being augmented with an array of rich multimedia data [Shiffer1995] and has certainly added value to the way GIS is used in planning, urban design and as a decision-making tool in general. In this spirit the VR display mechanism and a potentially larger audience. Figure 19 is showing the Virtual London which marry a range of VR and Internet GIS technologies to simulate the Westminster area of central London [Batty1998] [Dodge1998].

q Enhanced Analysis Using Animation [Back to Top]

One new tool gaining popularity in GIS analysis is animation. The ability to make web-ready animations easily is a great way to communicate geographical data to a large audience. GIS@Purdue has a demonstration animation (http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~tgis/movies/airqual1.gif )which shows the change in air quality over Tippecanoe County as the week progresses.

q Influence of Handheld Mobile Device [Back to Top]

The popularity of Handheld Mobile Device (Mobile phones, PalmPilot, Pocket PC, Handheld PC)here in US has provide an new opportunity for Internet GIS. As we have seen in the application of DALIS project, Ohio and the FIELDS project of (CEITA) of Eastern Michigan University, there is a potential growth in disseminating GIS using wireless communication technology to make GIS data available to handheld mobile device users.

5. Summary [Back to Top]

To gain the information on existing Web-GIS applications in EPA Region 5, the author surveyed the WWW and literatures in this area. This paper presents a survey over those application and groups them into state boundaries and then

specify which of the Web-GIS technology a specific application applied: Graphic Snapshots of pre-generated maps, Spatial database catalogs and libraries, Map generators, Real-time Map Browsers, Real-time Sensor Generated Maps or Augmented Reality Maps. Based on these comparison aspects: URL; About the applicaiton, who is the developer and funding source if applicable; the application’s target audience; what is the interface looks like; is the output data generated by models in real-time or pre-generated; what is the implementation technology; and the development stage of the application, the author started from the applications not bounded by any of the single state boundary and beneficial to all states in EPA Region 5, such as EPA Watershed Information Network(WIN), ESRI’s data online, Yahoo!Map, MapQuest and the TerraServer. Then author headed into each of the six states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) in EPA Region 5 and do a survey on application within that state. However, this survey is a term project of RD890. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of any existing Web-GIS application in this region due to the time limitation, although author tried every efforts to be inclusive. However, if given more time, this survey can be expanded into an exhaustive guide/report on web-GIS applications in EPA Region 5.

6. References [Back to Top]

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