| Chapter VII-2. GIS Data | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Part VII. Data from Outside Sources in Atrium |  |
| Chapter VII-2. GIS Data | ||
|---|---|---|
| | Part VII. Data from Outside Sources in Atrium | |
(version 1.5)
The Geographic Information System is a standardized method of storing and transferring information tied to a geographic region of the Earth. The intention of GIS is to share the information across the Internet and by other means. Data is tied to a specific location though latitude and longitude, geopolitical divisions such as country, state and county, or highway mile markers. Digital satellite images as well as published maps are used to depict landmarks and the terrain on which the data is mapped. By convention, names for towns, rivers and other features of the terrain are maintained by Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (GTGN). Data is published within the GIS by many source entities, and includes farming, economic, environmental and other information pertaining to the interest of the generating body. Those that may be of interest to Atrium users are climatology and biota.
Data in GIS is provided in two basic forms, raster and vector. Raster data provides rows and columns of data that can be translated into bands of color in order to represent the information as color maps. Vector data uses points, lines and polygons to represent objects, which is especially useful to map terrain or man-made features such as city boundaries, etc. GIS software includes routines to translate geographic raster data to vector and back. GIS software usually also includes routines to handle data mapped in different scales so overlays of different data are correctly displayed.
GIS data from outside sources is usually "published" in that the data is finalized and considered complete. Unpublished data is data that is not complete and is subject to change until published, but may be provided as trial data until the published form is available. In future, data from Atrium may well be published to outside entities as your contribution to the GIS.
Basic Search for GIS Data in Atrium: To search the GIS data loaded in Atrium:
Click Login on the Atrium main navigation bar to log into Atrium. Type your password and click the "Login" button.
Click "GIS Data" on the main navigation bar.
Click the "Select" button at the top left of the map to select a geographic area on the map.
Click one corner of the area to be selected, then, holding down the left mouse button, move to the opposite corner of the area to be selected. A red box defines the area chosen, and the boundaries are specified to the right of the map.
If you have the latitudes and longitudes of the area of interest, they can be entered directly into the data entry fields on the Coordinates tab on the GIS Search tab. See Figure VII-2.3, “GIS Search: Coordinates”
Select a Topic Category if there is a specific type of data desired. The categories are listed below.
Type a keyword in the Keywords data entry field if desired.
Type a place name in the Place Keywords data entry field id desired.
If using coordinates, a date range to limit the data returned can be entered on the Coordinates tab.
If you want published and unpublished data, click the check box under the Vector/Raster tabs.
Click the "Search" button.
The results of the search are shown in the GIS Results tab.
Click the name of the dataset to see detailed information about the data, or click "Download" to download the data for use in another application.
Search Alternatives: The GIS Search tab includes a number of option for finding the information you want. The results can be limited to a specific area by drawing a box on the map, or entering the latitudes and longitudes to define the area. The topic of the data can be limited to one value in the list below. General keywords or place keywords can be used to identify the data desired. A date range can be used to limit the data returned. Content type can be limited to Image, Thematic Classification or Physical Measurement.
Topic Categories:
Biota
Boundaries
Climatology/Meteorology/Atmosphere
Economy
Elevation
Environment
Farming
Geoscientific Information
Health
Imagery/Base Maps/Earth Cover
Intelligence and Military
Inland Waters
Location
Oceans
Planning/Cadastre
Society
Structure
Transportation
Utilities/Communication
GIS Display: The GIS display has three tabs: Search, Results, and Details. The GIS Search tab has two two-tab sections, providing four combinations for searching the GIS data. The top section provides a map or entering coordinates to choose the geographical area to be included in the search.
The lower section provides a choice between raster and vector entries to search for available data.
The GIS Results tab lists the GIS data files in Atrium that meet the search criteria.
To begin a new search, click the "Clear Input Fields" button on the GIS Search tab so parameters set in prior searches do not influence the new search.
For each qualifying GIS data set, a descriptive name, the exact data set name and a description of the data in the file are provided. Ways to see the metadata, a preview of the data in the dataset or download the dataset are also provided. To the right is a thumbnail of the preview.
Click "Metadata" to see the Metadata in the GIS Details tab.
The Metadata tab of the GIS Details tab lists the complete metadata for the data set. This information includes what data is included, in what format, who published the data and who is responsible for its upkeep, and contact information for the data keepers.
Click "Preview" for the dataset on the GIS Results tab, or click the Preview tab of the GIS Details tab to see the data represented graphically.
The Atrium application provides methods to allow those authorized to manage the metadata included in the system. If you are logged in and have access to these facilities, they appear on the GIS navigation bar.
On opening, this panel shows the metadata files, published or unpublished, in Atrium. Unpublished datasets can be published, and published dataset reverted to unpublished status. Data sets can also be deleted from the application.
To publish a data set, click the Unpublished tab, click the check box for the files to be published, and click the "Publish Metadata" button. The data set moves to the Published tab, with the current date and time, and the check box is checked.
On the Published Data tab, if you un-click the data file and click "Publish Metadata," the dataset changes status to unpublished and is included on the Unpublished Data tab.
To delete a data set, on any of the tabs, find it in the list of data files and click "delete." A confirmation panel is displayed:
Click "Delete data" to remove the file from Atrium, or click "Cancel" to return to the metadata list without deleting the file.
New data can be added to Atrium when found. Once logged in, select "Submit Data" from the GIS navigation bar. The Upload Metadata panel is displayed.
This panel allows you to send the data file to the Atrium administrator for addition the system. Type any notes or directions the administrator may need to upload the data file. Type the dataset name, or use the "Browse" button to navigate to it. Click "Send File."
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| Chapter VII-1. Mapping |  | ToC | Chapter VII-3. Weather Data |
