GIS Experts Research Articles

Application of FOSS4G and Open Data to Support Polio Eradication, Vaccine Delivery and Ebola Emergency Response in West Africa.

In Africa, the use of GIS technology in the health sector is still nascent, with cost and lack of expertise being significant barriers to utilization (Tanser and Le Sueur, 2002). Data is very critical to implementation of GIS to support health projects (Oppong, 1999) and one of the problems in Africa is decentralized and uncoordinated data collection (Tanser and Le Sueur, 2002) which contributes to inadequate access to spatial data to support health projects. Free Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) solutions can play a substantial role in various health projects across the continent, mainly because of the freedom it gives to their early adopters. Currently, FOSS4G (QGIS, Open Data Kit, OSRM, etc.) and Open Data tools (OpenStreetMap, CKAN, etc.) are used across several projects in supporting Ebola emergency response in West Africa, polio eradication and vaccine delivery in Northern Nigeria. The ongoing successes of these projects using FOSS4G clearly show that usage of these solutions in the health sector is sustainable and achievable in Africa. Cost-saving from the use of mature FOSS4G, eHealth Africa (eHA), a technology focused NGO, has been invested back into capacity building activities, thereby reducing the problem of lack of GIS expertise to support health projects. eHA has been able to train local personnel on utilization and application of GIS solutions. This helps to build stronger technical knowledge of its personnel and improve health services by offering GIS solutions built on FOSS4G and cloud servers based on Open Source software to make spatial data more accessible.

Resources, Methods, and Effort Associated with ESI Mapping of the Bahamian Archipelago for Great Exuma, Bahamas

Sealey, K.S. and Patus, J., 2015. Resources, methods, and effort associated with ESI mapping of the Bahamian archipelago for Great Exuma, Bahamas.With the expanding exploration and transportation of petroleum products through Bahamian waters, a growing gap in coastal protection is an Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) mapping dataset of the entire archipelago. The resources required for coastal classification, ranking, and GIS mapping for one island, Great Exuma, are documented as a cost-effective methodology to protect all Bahamian shorelines. The ESI mapping follows international conventions for oil spill response planning, but because of the lack of a national coastal management structure, a relational database was developed to bring together field photographs, geology, and wildlife occurrence information to initiate the mapping process. The final product for Great Exuma was 13 ESI maps for one island environs, each map covering about 120 square km. The ESI mapping requires three types of expertise: (1) GIS (ESRI ArcMap 10.2) and relational database (Microsoft Access) expertise; (2) coastal ecology and geomorphology expertise; and (3) local resource management and natural history expertise. After initial field work of 14 days on the island, the GIS and coastal classification datasets required about 5 weeks for compilation. The datasets are dynamic and can be updated as new information becomes available. The ESI maps and coastal classification database are easily shared and revised moving forward. The process could be facilitated by the participation of citizen scientists to contribute photographs and local reports on status and changes to coastal resources. The overall ESI mapping product can provide a valuable management tool not only for oil spill response but for better integrated coastal zone management.

General state soil maps in the USA

The historical development of state general soil maps is examined over the time intervals of pre-1927, 1927–1960, 1960–1999, and post-1999, which correspond to major periods in the development of soil classification schemes in the USA. Eleven states developed general soil maps prior to the development of the country's first soil classification scheme in 1927, and these were created for agriculture and based primarily on soil-physiographic provinces. Twenty states prepared general soil maps during the period in which zonal soil classification schemes were employed (1927–1960). Although physiography continued to be a primary basis of soil mapping, soil associations were used in 56% of the maps. The time period between the publication of the Seventh Approximation (1960) and the second edition of Soil Taxonomy (1999) was the “golden era” for general soil maps, with 46 states (92%) making them available to the public in hardcopy format, primarily as soil series-association maps. There was a dramatic reduction in the generation of state soil maps from 1999 to 2014 (to 22 states), largely because of the digital age. Individuals with GIS expertise were encouraged to develop their own maps using STATSGO and SSURGO databases. Initiated in 2005 the Web Soil Survey has enabled the public to produce maps for areas of less than 40,500ha. The level of detail in state soil maps has increased over time, but soil-series association maps remain a popular venue. General maps using Soil Taxonomy provide valuable information regarding the nature, properties, and soil-forming factors and processes of soils, as well as their geographic distribution. General state maps remain important as a natural resource data layer and for instructional purposes.

Using Remote Sensing and GIS to Support Drinking Water Supply in Refugee/IDP Camps

Supplying the population of a refugee or internally displaced persons (IDP) camp with sufficient drinking water is a key concern of humanitarian organisations. This requires information on the geological and hydrogeological situation at the camp site, which is often missing or not available within a reasonable timeframe. Depending on outcrop situation and geological complexity, remote sensing can contribute to a rapid hydrogeological assessment, and greatly reduce the required fieldwork. In the context of the project EO4HumEn (Earth Observation based services to support humanitarian operations: monitoring population and natural resources in refugee/IDP camps, funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG, ASAP 9, Nr. 840081), a team of hydrogeologists and GIS experts supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Austria developed a workflow to extract hydrogeological information from easily accessible remote sensing data in a series of short-term desk studies. This paper provides a condensed, structured protocol on how to produce hydrogeological reconnaissance maps for humanitarian purposes using remote sensing data and GIS. In simple geological settings, these maps can be sufficient to plan and conduct drillings. In more complex situations, fieldwork remains indispensable, but can be guided towards the most suitable locations.

RE-PLAN: An Extensible Software Architecture to Facilitate Disaster Response Planning.

Computational tools are needed to make data-driven disaster mitigation planning accessible to planners and policymakers without the need for programming or GIS expertise. To address this problem, we have created modules to facilitate quantitative analyses pertinent to a variety of different disaster scenarios. These modules, which comprise the REsponse PLan ANalyzer (RE-PLAN) framework, may be used to create tools for specific disaster scenarios that allow planners to harness large amounts of disparate data and execute computational models through a point-and-click interface. Bio-E, a user-friendly tool built using this framework, was designed to develop and analyze the feasibility of ad hoc clinics for treating populations following a biological emergency event. In this article, the design and implementation of the RE-PLAN framework are described, and the functionality of the modules used in the Bio-E biological emergency mitigation tool are demonstrated.

Simplified Toolbar to Accelerate Repeated Tasks (START) for ArcGIS

This paper presents START (Simplified Toolbar to Accelerate Repeated Tasks), a new, freely downloadable ArcGIS extension designed for non-expert GIS users. START was developed jointly by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the University of Geneva to support frequent workflows relating to mine action. START brings together a series of basic ArcGIS tools in one toolbar and provides new geoprocessing, geometry and database management functions. The toolbar operates as a bridge between non-spatial repositories (e.g. MySQL and Excel) and GIS. It also connects mine action professionals recording data in the field to GIS experts and improves data interoperability between GIS professionals working in different disciplines. Originally created to help humanitarian demining actors optimize GIS workflows and be more efficient in their everyday work, the toolbar might also benefit scientists operating in other fields.

A web-based geospatial toolkit for the monitoring of dengue fever

The rapid propagation of vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, poses a threat to vulnerable populations, especially those in tropical regions. Prompt space-time analyses are critical elements for accurate outbreak detection and mitigation purposes. Open access web-based geospatial tools are particularly critical in developing countries lacking GIS software and expertise. Currently, online geospatial tools for the monitoring of surveillance data are confined to the mapping of aggregated data. In this paper, we present a web-based geospatial toolkit with a user-friendly interactive interface for the monitoring of dengue fever outbreaks, in space and time. Our geospatial toolkit is designed around the integration of (1) a spatial data management module in which epidemiologists upload spatio-temporal explicit data, (2) an analytical module running an accelerated Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) to map the outbreaks of dengue fever, (3) a spatial database module to extract pairs of disease events close in space and time and (4) a GIS mapping module to visualize space-time linkages of pairs of disease events. We illustrate our approach on a set of dengue fever cases which occurred in Cali (659 geocoded cases), an urban environment in Colombia. Results indicate that dengue fever cases are significantly clustered, but the degree of intensity varies across the city. The design and implementation of the on-line toolkit underscores the benefits of the approach to monitor vector-borne disease outbreaks in a timely manner and at different scales, facilitating the appropriate allocation of resources. The toolkit is designed collaboratively with health epidemiologists and is portable for other surveillance data at the individual level such as crime or traffic accidents.

Exploring Geovisualization Symbology for Landscape Genetics

AbstractLandscape genetics, which considers genetic population structure in the context of spatially referenced parameters in the surrounding landscape, has been shown to be extremely useful for wildlife management. Unfortunately its widespread uptake beyond the research community is hampered due to a lack of effective communication of usable information in a suitable format for application by stakeholders such as wildlife regulators or managers. To improve the communication of suitable information, geovisualization of results should be facilitated in a comprehensible format for stakeholders without GIS or genetic expertise. While specialist applications exist, alternative accessible solutions do not provide adequate support for the visualization of multi‐attribute spatially referenced genetic population structure information. As a solution, we document our exploration for an appropriate symbology to communicate landscape genetic information through an accessible, web‐based interface. A full problem description, review of available technologies, development rationale, and discussion of the symbology exploration are provided.

MarineMap: A web-based platform for collaborative marine protected area planning

The creation of a spatial decision support system that enabled stakeholder participation in designing marine protected areas (MPAs) was a necessary component of the planning process for California's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. Implementation of the MLPA required stakeholders to understand and use a complicated set of spatial and scientific guidelines for MPA design that relied heavily on geographic information. Tools for the delivery and visualization of geographic information have changed radically in the seven years of planning during the MLPA Initiative. We collaborated to create a state-of-the-art spatial decision support system called MarineMap to facilitate the design and evaluation of MPA proposals. MarineMap provided an intuitive user experience that simplified complicated spatial concepts, delivered critical information immediately to allow users to iterate through scenarios rapidly. This tool provided transparency in the process, and moved spatial analysis away from the domain of GIS experts to a broader group of stakeholders. We think the lessons from this experience can contribute to the further development of tools and approaches for coastal and marine spatial planning more broadly.

Statewide Spatial Data Clearinghouses: an Oregon Case Study.

Collaborative planning to streamline as well as to provide citizens with easier access to geospatial data has a long history in Oregon. A milestone in this process was the launch of the Oregon Spatial Data Library (OSDL) in November 2009. The OSDL provides a method for sharing public domain geospatial data at no cost to the user and is part of Oregon's participation in the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI ). This article reviews the nationwide setting for development of the NSDI and subsequent development of state geospatial clearinghouses. The paper first reviews these clearinghouses with a specific focus on five user-centric characteristics: keyword search options; availability of training or documentation; ease of access to metadata; presence of locally unique data; and calls for data or metadata contributions. These characteristics address the perspective of users who are neither GIS experts nor familiar with the clearinghouses. Information literacy concepts and the literature review informed the selection of the characteristics used in the review. The OSDL is reviewed in the same manner with the intention of commenting on steps which might be taken to make it more effective in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical Geospatial Web Services

Analysis other than simple access and visualization is the emerging trend within the web community [Berners-Lee 2007]. With the rapid development of the Internet and web technologies, “the traditional approach to publishing maps on the Internet ‘by GIS experts, for GIS experts’ is outdated, ineffective and unusable as Web mapping becomes more and more mainstream” [van der Vlugt and Stanley 2005]. Over the last few years, we have seen more and more traditional GIS functions being integrated into web mapping/GIS applications in a way transparent to users, using distributed analytical and geoprocessing services coordinated by well-defined workflows [Yang and Raskin 2009]. Web service technology has played one of the key roles in this transition. As the service-driven paradigm continues to dominate web mapping and GIS development, web-based geospatial analytical services have drawn the attention of many in the field, hoping to build such services on top of more mature basic data services. Given the complex nature of analytical services, including modelling, simulation, function and visualization services, the orchestration of web mapping and geoprocessing services from different sources becomes increasingly important. The trend towards analytical geospatial web services continues with intelligent analytical capability, which involves indepth study on dynamic geospatial service composition, for example. It is also expected that intelligent analytical services will be enhanced with further developments in Geographic Knowledge Discovery (GKD), spatial data mining techniques and tools, web-based modelling and simulation, augmented reality applications, agent-based systems and paradigms [Hutchinson and Veenendaal 2011], etc. The articles included in this special issue contribute to the capacity building towards analytical geospatial web. The three feature articles selected for this special issue touch on web geoprocessing, visualization and thematic mapping tools. The issue begins with the article authored by Eberle and Strobl, Web-based

Utilizing GIS in Nonprofit Organizations for Urban Planning Applications: Experiences from the Field

This paper provides detailed examinations on the use of GIS in nonprofit organizations. We interviewed planners and GIS experts in key nonprofit organizations in the City of Chicago to comprehend their actual usages of GIS, faced challenges, and accumulated experiences. Organizations reported on dozens of projects where GIS was used for practical urban planning applications. Findings indicate that nonprofit organizations offer extremely useful lessons on using GIS for projects at the local, regional, and national levels. They provide extensive experiences on GIS technical problems and solutions, methodologies, and data issues. Their projects often support philanthropic efforts and respond to the needs of low-income communities. However, the organizations’ resources are dwindling. This paper raises a concern about the importance of sustaining their GIS operations particularly with the current economic downturn. We call on government officials to support nonprofit organizations in order to ensure the continuity of their GIS activities.

GeoSymbio: a hybrid, cloud‐based web application of global geospatial bioinformatics and ecoinformatics for Symbiodinium–host symbioses

The genus Symbiodinium encompasses a group of unicellular, photosynthetic dinoflagellates that are found free living or in hospite with a wide range of marine invertebrate hosts including scleractinian corals. We present GeoSymbio, a hybrid web application that provides an online, easy to use and freely accessible interface for users to discover, explore and utilize global geospatial bioinformatic and ecoinformatic data on Symbiodinium-host symbioses. The novelty of this application lies in the combination of a variety of query and visualization tools, including dynamic searchable maps, data tables with filter and grouping functions, and interactive charts that summarize the data. Importantly, this application is hosted remotely or 'in the cloud' using Google Apps, and therefore does not require any specialty GIS, web programming or data programming expertise from the user. The current version of the application utilizes Symbiodinium data based on the ITS2 genetic marker from PCR-based techniques, including denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, sequencing and cloning of specimens collected during 1982-2010. All data elements of the application are also downloadable as spatial files, tables and nucleic acid sequence files in common formats for desktop analysis. The application provides a unique tool set to facilitate research on the basic biology of Symbiodinium and expedite new insights into their ecology, biogeography and evolution in the face of a changing global climate. GeoSymbio can be accessed at https://sites.google.com/site/geosymbio/.

Integrated Hazards Mapping Tool

AbstractThe Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 formally establishes a national program for pre‐disaster mitigation. As part of the mitigation planning effort, state and local governments are required to perform assessments of hazards vulnerability, including the development of multi‐hazard maps. However, the number of communities possessing the technology, expertise, and time to create multi‐hazard vulnerability maps is limited due to technical and resource constraints. The use of Internet mapping technology has the potential to overcome these hurdles because it does not require users to possess a high level of GIS expertise or costly software, and it standardizes the vulnerability mapping approach. This article describes the Integrated Hazards Assessment Tool, a web‐based multi‐hazard vulnerability mapping application for local and state hazard mitigation practitioners in the state of South Carolina. The initial findings suggest the application holds strong potential as a viable decision support tool for hazard mitigation planning.

A primer of acoustic analysis for landscape ecologists

In this paper we present an introduction to the physical characteristics of sound, basic recording principles as well as several ways to analyze digital sound files using spectrogram analysis. This paper is designed to be a “primer” which we hope will encourage landscape ecologists to study soundscapes. This primer uses data from a long-term study that are analyzed using common software tools. The paper presents these analyses as exercises. Spectrogram analyses are presented here introducing indices familiar to ecologists (e.g., Shannon’s diversity, evenness, dominance) and GIS experts (patch analysis). A supplemental online tutorial provides detailed instructions with step by step directions for these exercises. We discuss specific terms when working with digital sound analysis, comment on the state of the art in acoustic analysis and present recommendations for future research.

A less‐is‐more approach to geovisualization – enhancing knowledge construction across multidisciplinary teams

The ‘less‐is‐more’ concept in interface design for computer applications has recently gained ground. In this article, the concept is adopted for a user‐centered design of geovisualization application. The premise is that using simple and clear design can lead to successful applications with improved ease of use. Over the last three decades, the development of GIS and geovisualization has seen a marked increase in the levels of interaction between the user, the system and the information. However, these enthusiastic advances in technology have not resulted in a significant increase in the number of users. This article suggests that types of user interaction should not simply emphasize traditional GIS functions such as zooming and panning but move towards interaction based on facilitating the knowledge construction process. Considerations are made for the complexity of the system, the task at hand and the skills and limitations of the users. These elements are particularly important when maps act as the mediators in collaboration with users across disciplinary backgrounds. In such cases, the emphasis on simplicity and usability becomes as important as functionality. In these situations a geovisualization application designed for specific uses can maximize effective development of geographic knowledge. In this article, a minimalistic design approach to geovisualization is adopted by creating a geographic profiling tool which shifts the emphasis from technological advances or interaction with the map to the interaction elements key to building the spatial knowledge of GIS experts and non‐experts alike. To evaluate this notion of ‘less‐is‐more geovisualization’ the profiling tool is evaluated according to usability matrices: efficiency, effectiveness and learnability. How well the Suburban Profiler contributes to these elements is assessed by conducting a video analysis of the types and forms of user interaction available. The video analysis demonstrates the usefulness and usability of the Suburban Profiler, providing proof of concept for ‘less‐is‐more geovisualization’.

The Development of the Chagas’ Online Data Entry System (CODES‐GIS)

AbstractThis article describes a web‐based data entry and GIS‐driven mapping system designed for an ethnographic and entomological survey of Chagas’ disease, an emerging zoonotic disease, and Triatoma dimidiata, a primary vector, in the Los Tuxtlas region of Veracruz, Mexico. To better understand this disease in the region, a collaborative, multi‐disciplinary study was initiated to conduct a spatial investigation of T. dimidiata and a community‐by‐community survey of local perceptions of the disease. In order to facilitate such a collaborative effort the CODES‐GIS was developed. This system allows for (near) real‐time mapping, analyses, disease reporting, and results sharing. CODES‐GIS provides a framework for a research team working in a remote area with limited technology, software, or GIS expertise to benefit from (near) real‐time spatial analyses performed at collaborating institutions. The system is bi‐directional, where field personnel can upload data to the system for field‐based map production. Likewise, laboratory personnel can upload diagnostics data for viewing by field personnel. In this way, the system provides a virtual link between the field and the laboratory to increase the speed at which results are returned to the local community. The CODES‐GIS is described along with a selection of study results.

The GIS Weasel: An interface for the development of geographic information used in environmental simulation modeling

The GIS Weasel is a freely available, open-source software package built on top of ArcInfo Workstation ® [ESRI, Inc., 2001, ArcInfo Workstation (8.1 ed.), Redlands, CA] for creating maps and parameters of geographic features used in environmental simulation models. The software has been designed to minimize the need for GIS expertise and automate the preparation of the geographic information as much as possible. Although many kinds of data can be exploited with the GIS Weasel, the only information required is a raster dataset of elevation for the user's area of interest (AOI). The user-defined AOI serves as a starting point from which to create maps of many different types of geographic features, including sub-watersheds, streams, elevation bands, land cover patches, land parcels, or anything else that can be discerned from the available data. The GIS Weasel has a library of over 200 routines that can be applied to any raster map of geographic features to generate information about shape, area, or topological association with other features of the same or different maps. In addition, a wide variety of parameters can be derived using ancillary data layers such as soil and vegetation maps.

A SOCIAL CYBERNETICS APPROACH TO COMMUNITY USE OF SPATIAL DATA FOR RESOURCE PROTECTION: FIELD STUDY ON A NORTH-CENTRAL IDAHO INDIAN RESERVATION

This study investigates the engagement of communities with little or no GIS expertise in the use of publicly available spatial data for self-education in the protection of drinking water sources. A traditional administrative top-down approach to assisting communities in getting or using spatial information was replaced in the study with a bottom-up approach based on the principles of social cybernetics. The study investigated how communities used spatial datasets provided by the state to facilitate public participation in creating maps for water resource protection. Nine rural communities in the State of Idaho within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation participated in a field study from 2001–2002. Results included "map archetypes" developed by the communities and a validation of the bottom-up approach stressing community control over the process of using spatial data.

Automation and Democratization of Cartography: An Example of a Mapping System at CEM, University of Durham

Over the last three decades, the information revolution and technological advances have led to a paradigm shift in cartography. Recently, the major emphasis has been on 'democratization of cartography', where individuals can be empowered with electronic tools to analyse and visualize spatially referenced data (Morrison, 1994). But, an ordinary user can not effectively use the available GIS tools to visualize geographical data. Therefore, cartographers and/or GIS experts need to develop user-friendly map making systems to facilitate the democratization of cartography. A mapping system was designed using the advanced macro language (AML) and menus of ARC/INFO at the Curriculum for Evaluation and Management Centre (CEM) in Durham University to automate the mapping process (extending from spatial and non-spatial data extraction to the printing of a final map), so that any user can map pupils' locations of any school in the United Kingdom simply by entering some key information. The procedure followed to automate pupils' mapping is described in this paper. A similar programming approach can be helpful to automate mapping systems in a local network and on web.