WWW-GIS

Putting Your GIS to Work on the World Wide Web

by M. K. Vander Werff Ms. Vander Werff has reported on business, economic, and technology issues for Nation’s Business, Entrepreneur, and a variety of trade journals.

Oh, what a tangled Web they weave:

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ob and Sue Jones want to build a house on what they believe is an ideal site. But could it be in a flood plain?

A county commissioner is called to an impromptu meeting about the current status of water utility capital improvement projects. She wants data asap.

A business is relocating out-of-state. The owner needs to know the availability of water/ sewer infrastructure in selected areas.

The Joneses, the county commissioner, and the relocating business owner don’t have to call, write, or travel to a myriad of local government departments for answers. Via the World Wide Web or an Intranet, they immediately get the geographic information system (GIS) data they need to answer their questions. continued on next page

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elcome to the Communication Era, a time when a person can be anywhere in the world, hook up to the Web, and instantly get information — even GIS data once considered useful to only a handful of internal local government staff. Powerful new Internet/ Intranet technologies take the credit for unleashing GISs to the masses. And the GIS technocrats couldn’t be happier.

“GIS data is meant to be shared, not hoarded,” said Paul Klimas, Project Manager, GIS Division, Woolpert, a civil engineering and GIS firm headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. “Originally, only GIS staff had access to the database — that’s where bottlenecks occurred. But a GIS should serve not only GIS staff: Customer service people need it, engineers need it, decision-makers need it, and ultimately, the public needs it.”

... local governments see the need and want to get their GIS to as many people as possible who will benefit.

But along came the Internet and the World Wide Web. With access to computers, modems, and Internet accounts — whoosh! — the world was off and running, downloading data, snagging soundbites, cutting and pasting clip art.

If you could find out about anything from Teri Hatcher to Darjeeling tea, if you could hear Martin Luther King Jr. say “I have a dream ... ”, if you could download a digital image of User PC and da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, why Browser not be able to do the same kind of thing with a GIS?

And so, GIS developers created software that enables governments to publish dynamic GIS maps and data on the Web and intranets. Here’s how the process works: Using a Web browser (such as Netscape’s Navigator or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer), a user connects to a local government’s Internet/ Intranet server. After pointing and clicking to the desired “page” of the local government’s Web or Intranet site, the user makes specific requests for GIS maps and data from the appropriate “buttons” or text boxes that list available choices, thus beginning the request process. The message is converted into html format and sent to the local government’s server, where it’s interpreted as a request for the GIS. Here’s where the new technology kicks in: The Internet/Intranet server sends a message to an application environment (typically Microsoft’s Visual Basic) that has a software product embedded in it How the New Web which can serve up GIS maps and data on Technology Works the Web (ESRI’s MapObjects is a popular example of this kind of softn the beginning, GISs resided on Unix ware). The software is a dynamic workstations. Along came Windows, and “library”: It stores maps and related data, with it, the ability to plop a GIS on a PC. plus, it allows users to view, analyze, and But anyone wanting access to the GIS “check out” (download) material. still needed the appropriate hardware,

Local governments are thrilled with this improved way to empower their staff, residents, and corporate citizens. Why? Because in an age of “do more with less,” having public information out on the Web and intranets means instant service, fewer time-consuming phone calls, reduced document requests, and better records, said Shane Imwalle, Woolpert GIS Marketing Director. It also saves time and money — no need to buy heavy-duty PCs, expensive engineering-design software, and training programs for staff.

Plus, it promotes ownership: People at all levels “buy into” the GIS concept, which in turn can further expand a local government’s GIS benefits to include computer maintenance management systems, modeling, and strategic planning.

“Without a doubt, this is the direction the market is heading — local governments see the need and want to get their GIS to as many people as possible who will benefit,” Imwalle said.

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software, and training — an expensive proposition when one multiplied these costs with the number of people in an organization. (And an impossible proposition when one fathomed how to filter it to the public.)

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The Miami-Dade and Mecklenburg Internet/Intranet Technologies

As an example, a user could type in a specific address and obtain from the “library” any kind of data that might exist for the property, including GIS maps, global positioning system (GPS) satellite surveying data, and flood zone information. Users with unrestricted access would also have the ability to actually add new data and modify existing maps.

But it gets better: For simple requests such as zooming in or out of a particular map or changing a map

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Miami-Dade County, Florida: “Instant Access to the GIS.”

n 1996, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD) in collaboration with Woolpert began creating one of the nation’s most comprehensive utility information management systems with the ultimate goal of disseminating the GIS to as many staff members as possible who would benefit from the system. continued on page 4

Dynamic Library

Both Miami-Dade and Mecklenburg counties’ applications are essentially Intranet-based utility viewing and inventory systems, requiring a TCP/IP network that allows the Web server to provide information to users on a private Intranet network (Mecklenburg’s product will be expanded onto the Internet).

The Miami-Dade product includes a suite of Active Server Page (ASP) applications.

Powered by Microsoft’s Internet Information Server, the ASP applications serve as the hypertext pages, responding to Intranet clients’ requests for information from the database.

On the client browser, Miami-Dade’s mapping application uses Java technology to serve up maps on a small Java applet, while the Mecklenburg product uses hypertext pages to retrieve mapping information from the Intranet map server.

On the server side, a mapping application developed using Microsoft’s Visual Basic serves maps to the Intranet client browser.

The Visual Basic mapping application utilizes ESRI’s MapObjects Internet Map Server (MOIMS) to generate maps requested by the client browsers. MOIMS is a Windows-based mapping library consisting of a Web server extension and programmable objects, allowing developers to build the mapping applications that can serve maps to both Intranet and Internet clients.

Internet/Intranet Server

— Samuel Ngan and Jon Dennerlein, Woolpert Application Development Specialists

layer’s color for one’s own use, the application environment does not need to be accessed at all, which saves time. How? JavaScript, a standard programming language common to most Web browsers, “tags” along with the original html message, enabling operations to be performed based on what a user does with the Web page’s interactive elements (buttons, text boxes, etc.), even prompting users for specifics, such as “What color do you want this map to be?” In other words, JavaScript enables client-side processing — the ability to perform simple functions within one’s own browser.

Pretty neat stuff. The following three U.S. communities thought so too and are putting their GISs to work on the Web or on their own intranets.

Who Benefits from GIS on an Intranet: • management • engineers • planners • field supervisors, in-the-field crews • building and zoning inspectors • fire and EMS personnel • public works officials • environmental staff • parks and recreation personnel • water, sanitary sewer, and storm water department staff • emergency management teams • customer service representatives

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Who Benefits from GIS on the Internet: • government officials • engineers • architects • developers • builders • mortgage lenders • real estate agents • insurance agents • business owners • residential property owners • potential property owners

The immense project involved converting 1,106 water and sewer atlas sheets from paper to digital format; using GPS satellite surveying to accurately fieldverify at least 182,000 aboveground water and sanitary sewer structures; pulling information from previously created planimetric-based GISs; and from this collective data, creating GIS layers in an ARC/INFO environment.

Some of the goals were met immediately: MDWASD created an exact inventory, location, and condition of all water and sewer structures — from the tiniest valve to the largest water treatment plant — allowing the utility to efficiently and cost-effectively plan for repairs and capital improvement projects. And to Miami-Dade County — whose flat terrain, high water table, and frequent rains contribute to sanitary sewer overflows and flooding — having this data would be a high-tech way to handle Mother Nature.

But getting the GIS data to the engineers, planners, field supervisors, and management staff who needed it threatened to become a daunting, expensive task — until the Internet/Intranet technology presented itself.

“All Miami-Dade has to do now is purchase an Internet browser for each user, as opposed to multiple copies of more expensive, training-intensive engineering programs. The county saves money and saves on training because almost everybody is familiar with ‘navigating’ the Internet and intranets,” said Klimas, who is the Project Manager for MDWASD’s Intranet application development.

The application that staff members will access through their browser, the Dade Online Facility Information Network (DOLFIN), is a suite of Intranet software developed by Woolpert that ties into the existing GIS. DOLFIN’s goal is to allow

200+ Miami-Dade water and sewer staff to put the GIS to work.

When using this technology, calling up maps can be as simple as pointing and clicking on a computer screen showing a graphical representation of the Miami-

Dade metropolitan area. Or, users may enter a specific map section name.

They’re able to pan, zoom, trace, and view the full extent of a selected atlas sheet area, and select a single map sheet or multiple map sheets for downloading.

Depending on their access level, users also may have the ability to edit and add to GIS maps, attribute data, and scanned as-built drawings.

“The GIS gave us the ‘big picture’ system we needed to manage our watersewer network. Now, DOLFIN will give many staff members instant access to the GIS, and with it, the ability to maintain data and maps on a weekly or even daily basis,” MDWASD Computer Services Manager Andrew Wong said.

Future internal users that may benefit from the DOLFIN technology include inthe-field crews, building and zoning inspectors, fire and EMS personnel, and public works staff. Potentially, as MDWASD links its GIS to a computer maintenance management system, MDWASD may eventually put the data on the Web for its water customers: A resident could dial up DOLFIN and find out, among other things, water quality test results for his or her area.

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Mecklenburg County, North Carolina: “Why not take it one step further and get the GIS on the Internet?”

ike Miami-Dade, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, deals with flooding — only for a different reason.

Rapid development has raised concerns about the flood plain, and in some areas of the county, water that the earth once absorbed now spills into swollen creeks that run through the heart of the county.

Approximately 95 percent of the structures in this flood plain were built before regulatory ordinances preventing such flooding of structures were set in place. But beginning in the 1970s, the county performed modeling scenarios in anticipation of rapid growth. A resulting regulatory program set a cap on development in high-hazard areas of the flood plain. “We were prepared for the fact that development would raise the flood plain, but we limited growth in such a way that structures built after the regulations were in place would not be flooded,” said Dave Canaan, Assistant Director for continued on page 5

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Mecklenburg County Engineering & Building Standards.

But with the new development, phone calls flooded Mecklenburg’s offices — 3,000 of them a year — from developers seeking to put in “mega-neighborhoods,” to homeowners wanting to know why a nearby creek had turned muddy, to insurance agents and even reporters questioning whether certain properties were in the flood plain.

“About 80 percent of the properties people were calling about were not in the flood plain, but our staff was relying on paper maps and other records to answer these calls, and it became a real time-waster. So we decided to digitize the information. And then we said, ‘Why not take it one step further and get the GIS on the Internet?’ ” Canaan explained.

Working with Woolpert, Mecklenburg will be making available to the public via the Web and to staff via an Intranet four core applications.

External GIS Viewers (Public)

Internal GIS Viewers

GIS Data Editors and Analysts GIS Data Creators

The Flood Zone Proximity Determination application will calculate how close a specified property or structure is to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-defined 100-year flood plain.

“This is the Golden Child of the Mecklenburg Internet/Intranet storm water project,” Woolpert GIS Director Steve Phipps said. “Inquiring parties will simply connect to the county’s Web site, type in the property address in question, and hit the ‘send’ button to initiate the inquiry — no more time-consuming phone calls for county staff.” Preformatted floodzone-determination certificates automatically will be e-mailed or faxed to the inquiring parties. A batch-mode will even handle bulk requests from lending institutions and other commercial organizations.

A built-in log mechanism will keep Mecklenburg staff up-to-date on who is requesting flood zone certificates.

What’s more, the online GIS will be able to store and transmit photos. Several years ago, the county was proactive in taking digital photos of each structure and in GPSing each site in Mecklenburg’s flood plain (2,000 structures in all). The photos and GPS data were then linked to the GIS. Now, 5

through the Flood Zone application, a person will be able to type in an address and “hotlink” to a digital photo on file.

The Water Quality/Water Quantity Data application will provide staff access to Mecklenburg County Department of Environmental Protection water quality index maps and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) rainfall quantity data maps. Mecklenburg’s water quality index maps are derived from inthe-field sampling and analysis. The maps depict the water quality of streams, rivers, and the like on a color-coded basis. Meanwhile, information from USGS is based on 40 rainfall gages placed throughout Mecklenburg County. To obtain either water quality or water quantity data, staff simply will type in an address and depending on the request, the application automatically will select and analyze the most current data available from either Mecklenburg’s water quality index maps or USGS’s water quantity data maps. Staff also will be able to call up specific data from past storm events.

The Storm Water Engineering Data application will provide access to a wide variety of information related to storm water engineering analysis. Users will be able to access storm water complaints for a given area through a city/county storm water maintenance projects database. Select county staff will be able to modify and update the county’s Storm Water Capital Projects database, which currently includes a channelimprovement project.

The Land Development Data application will allow county staff online access to a previously created database that stores information about development plans in the county. Some select staff will even have the ability to modify the database online. “This is a living database,” Canaan said. “If a Circle K or WalMart is planned to be built, for example, this database immediately will let people know, because it will be updated regularly.” In the future, digital photos of various neighborhoods or commercial developments may be able to be accessed through this application.

A separate part of the application will enable the local print and broadcast media to receive the latest information about various developments. Specifically, building permits

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and erosion control plans, along with GIS overlay maps, will be offered online for downloading and publication by the press.

Also, information will be able to be sent on a regular basis to government officials who want to better inform their public about local development. Political boundaries will be able to be overlayed on various GIS maps, enabling government officials to analyze development and maintenance activities in their area. “The great thing about this particular application is that people who want information about a development — a new neighborhood going in by them or a new business park in their political district — will be able to access the basic development information that they need,” Canaan said.

Future internal users that may benefit from the Mecklenburg Internet/Intranet technology may include zoning and building-permit inspectors, environmental staff, parks and recreation personnel, and water and sanitary sewer department staff. “Who benefits from the system — and how they benefit — will grow exponentially as the technology takes hold,” Canaan said.

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Bartholomew County, Indiana: “Users will be off and running.”

he people in Bartholomew County, Indiana, nestled in America’s farming heartland, know that good fences make

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good neighbors. The GIS Department and Assessor’s Office staff at Bartholomew County know that good GISs help make sure the fences are where they should be.

Several years ago, the county hired Woolpert to develop a GIS implementation plan, and perform aerial photography and base mapping. Meanwhile, the county began digitizing its parcel maps. The resulting electronic files contained assessor’s data — property lines, easements, parcel numbers, and valuations, all tied to the GIS — valuable information to appraisers, real estate agents, and property owners.

However, getting the GIS and related data to the people who needed it was a timeconsuming task. “The county was duplicating efforts: Inquiring parties had to go to several different offices to get the information they needed, and the staff put forth a lot of time printing maps,” said Scott McFarlane, Woolpert Project Manager for the Bartholomew County Intranet project.

Soon, access to the GIS will be as simple as strolling into the Bartholomew County courthouse where a PC connected to the county’s server awaits the public. Working with Woolpert, Bartholomew County is creating an Intranet application similar to Miami-Dade’s and Mecklenburg’s that will enable users to use the centralized PC to obtain GIS information, even print maps on a nearby printer. Ultimately, the GIS will be available to the public via the Web, 6

The Bartholomew County Intranet Technology MapGuide from Autodesk, Inc. was selected to accomplish the goal of distributing maps and related information across the county’s Intranet (and ultimately the Internet). The MapGuide product family is comprised of three components: The Server, the Author, and the Plug-In. The Server operates in conjunction with the Web server, processing requests from the Plug-In. The Author is a Windows-based application used to publish maps and establish their look and feel.

The Plug-In is the client-viewing application, which runs on top of Netscape’s Navigator or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

— Scott McFarlane, Woolpert Project Manager

so users will never need to leave their homes to get information. County staff who need GIS data will be able to access the GIS through their own office PC and a browser.

“We like the fact that the overall cost is low — we just ‘plug in’ and users are off and running,” said Jeff Lucas, GIS Coordinator for Bartholomew County.

In addition to the Assessor’s Office and GIS Department staff, internal users who will benefit from the online GIS will include the county’s zoning inspectors, emergency management team, and personnel in the auditor’s office, Lucas noted.

1.800.414.1045 www.woolpert.com Offices throughout the United States gis@woolpert.com ©1998, Woolpert