The Critical Role of Spatial Data in Cultural Resource Management

1
The Critical Role of Spatial Data in Cultural
Resource Management

• Cultural Resource GIS Facility
• National Park Service

2
Locating Cultural Resources

• Locational information is a key factor in
  understanding cultural resources, and their
  treatment
• Knowing the location of a resource on the ground
  provides more than an understanding of where
  the resource is
• Geographic clues provide information about the
  human and environmental influences on cultural
  resources, helping to explain why the resource
  exists and how it relates to others
• A geographical context provides managers with a
  different perspective on our resources, allowing
  us to see the interaction of resources, and
  larger trends

3
Understanding Cultural Resources

• Spatially, we consider each resource a single
  entity
• Each individual resource is viewed from several
  perspectives however built features,
  archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, museum
  objects, etc.
• Any one resource may be viewed from multiple
  perspectives or disciplines

Colonial National Historical Park Shown Core and
study areas of Revolutionary War battle and
historic features from Civil War battle Databases
involved landscapes, landscape elements, built
features, archaeological sites, museum objects,
HABS documented structures, LCS features
4
Understanding Cultural Resources

• Organizationally, we separate out each cultural
  resource category and catalog each in a separate
  database
• This results in a specialized look at cultural
  resources, focusing on single aspects of a site
  rather than all aspects of a site
• The larger perspective, and the interconnection
  of resources to landscapes becomes masked when
  looking only at a single aspect at a time
• Resource managers and planners must refer to
  multiple data sources to find the available
  information on a single cultural resource

• NRIS National Register Information System
• NHL National Historic Landmarks
• HABS/HAER Historic American Buildings
  Survey/Historic American Engineering Record
• CLAIMS Cultural Landscapes Automated Inventory
  Management System
• LCS List of Classified Structures
• ERI Ethnographic Resources Inventory
• NAGPRA Native American Graves Protection and
  Repatriation Act
• ANCS Automated National Catalog System
• ASMIS Archaeological Sites Recording and
  Management Information System

5
The Database Problem

• There is no umbrella organization or methodology
  for linking all of the cultural resource
  databases together
• The existing databases serve important purposes
  and maintain specific data that can not be
  collapsed into a single cultural resource
  database
• Geography can be used as a means of integrating
  the databases however
• One location can be used to reference multiple
  databases

6
The Location Problem

• If geography is used to tie the cultural resource
  databases together, it must be standardized to
  insure consistency and quality
• There are few requirements now to collect
  coordinates in a specific way, other than the
  National Register standards
• There are conflicting requirements on the level
  of detail required for resource locations

• Can we agree on one method of collecting data,
  and one level of accuracy?
• Can we create one database to store the
  locational information, and contain links to the
  cultural resource databases?
• Should resource managers continue to collect
  coordinate locations for each database,
  regardless of whether a single resource appears
  in multiple databases?
• Should data collection be at the scale of
  individual resources?

Detail can be important for the users of our
data. Looking at a district boundary provides
very different information from the contributing
resources.
7
The Need for Consensus

• The NPS is a Federal Agency, producing spatial
  data that describes cultural resources, and
  therefore must follow specific rules outlined by
  Circular A-16
• Data we produce is part of the National Spatial
  Data Clearinghouse and must follow the standards
  produced by the Federal Geographic Data Committee
• Circular A-16 designates the NPS as the lead
  agency for cultural resources, responsible for
  the stewardship of the data

• assess existing standards and identify needs
• develop and implement FGDC standards
• develop plan for the implementation of standards
  and population of the data set
• collect and analyze information regarding user
  needs
• publish data online

8
Does this Circular apply to NPS programs?

• Circular A-16 applies to your program if you
• collect,
• produce,
• acquire,
• maintain,
• distribute,
• use,
• or preserve
• paper maps or digital spatial data to fulfill
  your mission

9
What types of data activities does the Circular
apply to?
?All spatial data and geographic information
systems activities - financed by federal
funds. ?For example A-16 applies to National
Mapping Program (USGS) National Wetlands
Inventory (FWS) National Public Land Survey
System (BLM) Natural Resource Inventory and
Monitoring Program (NPS)
?It also applies to National Register
Program Cultural Landscape Inventory Ethnographi
c Resource Inventory Historic American Buildings
Survey and all other cultural resource survey
programs
10
The Need for Consensus

• We also need to provide quality spatial data for
  our own research and resource management needs
• Planning is a priority for all park units,
  particularly those involved in the creation of or
  revision of General Management Plans
• Understanding where our resources are
  
  is critical to their protection and the
  
  development of appropriate
  treatment
  strategies

11
Efforts Underway
The problems facing cultural resource database
managers are not new. Many parks and regional
offices are already trying to address the issues
tied to locational data.

• Pacific region trying to tie maintenance
  databases to cultural resource databases
• Southwest region trying to tie archaeological
  survey information together with the national
  archaeological sites database
• Midwest region trying to tie cultural landscape
  data to other cultural resource databases and
  launch information on the internet
• Northeast region trying to tie archaeological,
  structural, and landscape databases to
  maintenance and natural resource databases at the
  park level
• Individual parks working to create their own
  links between cultural databases and other data
  sources for planning and management
• Cultural Resource GIS Facility working to create
  guidelines, standards and assistance for GIS and
  cultural resource communities

12
Accomplishing our Goals

• The Cultural Resource database managers must
  first come to a consensus regarding how they want
  to collect spatial data, and at what level of
  detail

• We need guidelines for the national cultural
  resource database managers to provide information
  on how to make their databases compatible with
  GIS
• We need to create spatial data standards to
  address new data collected, as well as legacy
  data that already exists in our databases
• We need to create content standards that define
  what information we collect and distribute to
  describe each of the cultural resources
• We need to create metadata standards to document
  how we created our data, when it was created,
  what the attributes contain, and other details of
  the data itself

13
Bridging the Gaps

• If we can find a way to generate consistent and
  accurate entity-based spatial cultural resource
  data, we can bridge the gaps between the cultural
  resource databases in a meaningful way

• Results will lead to better management of
  cultural resources as the park, regional and
  national levels
• By creating standards we can insure consistent
  quality across the NPS and throughout the federal
  agencies
• Creating standards and guidelines based on our
  current practices will insure their continued use
  and help state/local agencies work from our
  example

14
What does this mean for the Cultural Resource
Programs ?

• Since most NPS cultural programs collect spatial
  data, we need to fulfill our A-16
  responsibilities
• Since NPS is the lead agency for the cultural
  resources data theme it is most important to get
  our own house in order before advising others
• Once we have gained experience in this arena we
  can go on to confidently fulfill
• our responsibilities as lead agency
• CRGIS sponsored a Cultural Resource GIS
  workshop
  to begin addressing some of these
  
  issues

15
Cultural Resource GIS Workshop

• The workshop took place on 22-23 October 2003 and
  focused on open discussion regarding our
  responsibilities and various means of linking the
  cultural resource databases
• Participants included

• NPS cultural resource database managers and
  users
• Regional NPS GIS coordinators
• The National NPS GIS coordinator
• Members of the Federal Geographic Data
  Committee
• National Trails System representatives
• NPS park unit GIS users
• Executive Director of the National Center for
  Preservation Technology and Training
• Executive Director of the National Conference
  of State Historic Preservation Officers
• Assistant Director, National Center for
  Cultural Resources

16
Workshop Questions

• What is the best way to link the
  cultural
  resource databases
  together and still
  maintain the
  autonomous database structures?
• Should all resource types be
  contained
  in the same theme and
  how should the
  resources be
  described?
• What is an effective way to
  generalize
  sensitive resource
  data, yet provide
  enough
  information for preservation
  
  planning?
• Through what means can accurate locational
  information be collected and incorporated into
  the existing cultural resource databases?
• How can accurate locational information be found
  for legacy resource data already entered into the
  existing databases?

17
Guiding Principles Agreed Upon

• Spatial representation of cultural resources is
  important for their protection and management
• Each cultural resource database needs to remain
  autonomous
• A unique ID needs to be created for each cultural
  resource entity to enable linking between
  databases and use in a GIS
• Each unique feature will have a unique spatial
  representation
• Discipline experts for the predominant
  characterization of a feature should be
  responsible for the spatial boundary
  determination
• Standards should be defined for how each resource
  type will be represented, and at what level of
  accuracy, scale and resolution
• Standards may need to be different for legacy
  data and new data
• Questions we are asking of these datasets should
  drive the resolution and accuracy of spatial data
  layers

18
Potential Standards and Guidelines Discussed

• Cultural resource program managers need to
  require locational data be collected for each
  resource
• Guidelines should define how cultural resource
  spatial data can be used
• Standards should define how each type of resource
  should be represented
• Standards should define the accuracy required for
  each type of resource
• Standards should define when to use various
  levels of resolution
• Standards should define a datum and coordinate
  system for national scale data
• Standards should define when sensitive data can
  be released
• Metadata standards should define the attribute
  fields in each database
• Metadata standards should define how each
  boundary is defined
• Guidelines should define what spatial data to
  collect survey boundaries, transects, intrasite
  features, etc.
• Guidelines should define how and when updates
  occur

19
What are we doing now?

• Create a committee to look at options for
  securing locational data on sensitive resources
• Conduct a cultural resource GIS needs assessment
  nationally
• Create and prioritize a list of potential
  standards and guidelines
• Draft high priority standards and guidelines with
  the help of the cultural resource community
• Once several standards
  
  are drafted, test the
  
  feasibility of linking the
  
  cultural resource
  
  databases together using
  
  a geographic area as a
  
  pilot project

20
What Does All This Mean for You!

• RIGHT NOW,
  NOTHING
  except
• need you input as the draft
  
  standards are
  developed
• need you to do reality checks to
  
  see if they are realistic
• Eventually the spatial standards
  
  will be a catalyst for change in
  
  four key areas of landscape survey
• Field Mapping
• Global Positioning Systems (GPS) will be used to
  map cultural landscapes
• Field Observation
• GPS Data Dictionaries will bring CLAIMS into the
  field
• Cultural Landscape Development
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will help
  you build and display historic landscape contexts
  over time
• Data Distribution
• Metadata (data about data) will improve the
  documentation behind your survey