Abstract
Widely used across disciplines such as natural resources, social sciences, public health, humanities, and economics, spatial data is an important component in many studies and has promoted interdisciplinary research development. Though an institutional data repository provides a great solution for data curation, preservation, and sharing, it usually lacks the spatial visualization capability, which limits the use of spatial data to professionals. To increase the impact of research-generated spatial data and truly turn them into digital maps for a broader user base, we have designed and developed the workflow and cyberinfrastructure to extend the current capability of our institutional data repository by visualizing the spatial data on the web. In this project, we added a GIS server to the original institutional data repository cyberinfrastructure, which enables web map services. Then, through a web mapping API, we visualized the spatial data as an interactive web map and embedded in the data repository web page. From the user’s perspective, researchers can still identify, cite and reuse the dataset by downloading the data and metadata and the DOI offered by the data repository. General information users can also browse the web maps to find location-based information. In addition, these data was ingested into the spatial data portal to increase the discoverability for spatial information users. Initial usage statistics suggest that this cyberinfrastructure has greatly improved the spatial data usage and extended the institutional data repository to facilitate spatial data sharing.
Highlights
Spatial information is widely used in many disciplines, it is usually saved in very specific formats that are not familiar to most of the researchers and general information users
We introduce the project that we have developed to streamline the spatial data curation, visualization and sharing by connecting our institutional research data repository with the library’s GIS server set and spatial data portal
Spatial data serves as an important component in various disciplines as well as promotes interdisciplinary research development (Kong et al 2016)
Summary
Spatial information is widely used in many disciplines, it is usually saved in very specific formats that are not familiar to most of the researchers and general information users. To view the spatial data files, users need to have some background knowledge and skills about GIS software, which might not even be free This software requirement hindered the wide adoption of spatial information. Adding the spatial data visualization function to institutional data repository can benefit any information users by providing an online interactive map, so that users can view the research generated spatial data in their browser in the same way as they can in any other online map tools, such as Google Maps. We introduce the project that we have developed to streamline the spatial data curation, visualization and sharing by connecting our institutional research data repository with the library’s GIS server set and spatial data portal. The initial statistics show that our cyberinfrastructure design has greatly improved spatial data usage and extended the institutional data repository to facilitate spatial data sharing
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