COMPASS Comprehensive Online Mapping for Policy Analysis and Support Services

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COMPASSComprehensive Online Mapping for Policy
Analysis and Support Services

• prepared by
• James E. Mitchell, Ph. D.
• Department of Transportation Development
• IT GIS Manager
• (updated February 2011)

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History of Mapping in the US

• 1879 - US Geological Survey established
• 1882 - Topographic Mapping Program begins
• 1980s Last 7½-minute Quadrangle Map completed
  for Louisiana
• 2000 Funds for Federal Mapping terminated
• 2002 USGS creates The National Map program to
  start digital mapping
• DOTD has been the lead for Louisiana in the USGS
  Cooperative Topographic Mapping Program since its
  inception.
• DOTD has spent 150,000 per year for map
  revisions with USGS. This updated 12-20 maps
  (depending on content) of the approximately 900
  maps for Louisiana
• In 2007 USGS declared, We have 5 quads to
  finish up for Louisiana, and have no plans to do
  anymore, anywhere.

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From Paper Maps the Digital Data

• Over the past century mapping has evolved from
  scribing single maps, one at a time, to aerial
  photogrametry, automated mapping, and GIS.
• Modern methods can cost-effectively update
  features across large areas and revise whole
  series of maps
• According to the USGSthe average primary
  series topographic map is 23 years old. Frequent
  changes on the landscape mean that many of these
  maps are no longer accurate and complete.

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The Current Status of Paper Maps
Updated January 2012
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How Up to Date are Louisianas Maps?

• All paper maps are 6 years or older
• 97 of paper maps are 10 years or older
• 77 of paper maps are 15 years or older
• 60 of paper maps are 20 years or older
• 37 of paper maps are 25 years or older
• 21 of paper maps are 30 years or older
• Digital map data have never been updated
• and are older than the paper maps
• (Updated January 2012)

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The Paradigm Shift

• Before, the Maps Made the Data
• - Now, the Data Make the Maps
• Originally maps were hand-scribed and printed on
  paper.
• Todays GIS data were digitized from those maps.
• The USGS mapping programs never made the paradigm
  change and were not able to keep up with the
  demands of modern mapping.

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The National Map

• In 2005, the USGS created The National Map to
  modernize their mapping program.
• With no funds, the burden of financing new maps
  is placed on state and local government
• USGS saysUSGS will encourage the participation
  of organizations and private citizens to serve as
  a volunteer force for change detection, data
  compilation, and validation.

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The Seamless Map Supports All Digital and Analog
Activities

• Framework Data Layers
• Hydrology (rivers, lakes, ponds, watershed
  boundaries, NHD model)
• Hypsography (elevation, breaklines, DEM)
• Transportation (roads, bridges, railroads,
  transmission lines, pipelines)
• Boundaries (Federal, state, parish, local
  government)
• Man-Made Structures (government buildings,
  hospitals, schools, churches, emergency
  facilities)
• Vegetation/non-vegetation coverage's (Including
  land use)
• Public Land Survey System Grid
• Mitigation Related Data Layers
• Shelters (with capacities Utilities
  availability)
• Areas for Temporary Facilities (tent cities,
  manufactured housing, trailer parks with
  available utilities)
• Medical Treatment Sites

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Essential Functions In All Agencies Are Supported
From One Map

• Emergency Preparedness DOTD, State Police, and
  OEP used GIS to create the Louisiana Emergency
  Evacuation Plan
• Emergency Response DOTD, DWF, OEP, State
  Police, 911, and federal agencies collaborated
  with GIS
• Statewide Hurricane Recovery DOTD and DEQ
  collaborated in finding debris collection points,
  tabulating removal, and safely routing trucks
• Coastal Restoration DOTD, DNR, DEQ, and others
  collaborate on coastal restoration projects
• Hazard Mitigation GOHSEP must compile a State
  Hazard Mitigation Plan GIS is essential in
  evaluating risk, as well as, sharing data and
  presenting it to the public
• National Flood Insurance DOTD is the lead
  agency for NFIP GIS data can provide more
  accurate maps, faster and keep them up to date
• Customer Service Agencies maintain databases of
  customers, vendors, service locations, and other
  address information that can be shared and
  disseminated to the public via the Internet

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What are the Problems with Our Current Digital
Maps from USGS?

• USGS produced maps cartographically, not using
  modern digital techniques
• No maps edge-match and features break along map
  boundaries
• It is too expensive to update more than a few
  maps at a time
• Adjacent maps can be produced decades apart
• Different themes on the same map may have come
  from data collected decades apart
• Some maps show land surface elevation contours
  within water features, creating inaccuracies and
  confusion
• Current development and road systems are not
  shown
• Land cover and land use are not current

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USGS Maps Do Not Edge-match
As lines cross map boundaries they do not meet
their counterpart on the next map.
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Our Data and Our Coastline
The yellow lines are where best-available digital
data show the land-water boundary. The image is
post-hurricane orthophotography. Neither match
the maps.
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Where Do We Build Infrastructure?
The first step in a project is to estimate the
scope of the work. Much of this is done with
maps and GIS. The best-available data are
labeled as USGS NHD and clearly do not match
the shoreline on the image. The remaining lines
show how GIS-based photo-revision techniques can
be used to update the data.
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Why are Land Contours in the Water?
USGS maps are comprised of seven framework
themes (water, elevation, transportation,
boundaries, benchmarks, vegetation, and
structures). USGS does not update all themes
simultaneously. In recent years, USGS has not
updated the land surface elevation theme. This
map shows how the old elevation contours (brown)
lie in the updated water (blue). The thick red
lines show the photo-revised locations of the
shoreline and other water features from the 2004
orthophotos.
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The Solution Implement Comprehensive Online
Mapping for Policy Analysis and Support
ServicesCOMPASS

• Step 1 Clarify the role of DOTD in mapping
  Louisiana
• Historical/Legislative History
• Act 159 of 1928
• Act 508 of 1929
• USGS Cooperative Topographic Mapping Program
• The USGS National Map Program

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COMPASSStep 2 - Use Existing Data

• Use Existing data and national mapping programs
  to update the digital map base.
• The data are already availableLouisiana has
  already made a large investment in data using
  high resolution photography, LIDAR, and GPS.
  These are programs that are already in place.
• Existing programs include
• Tele Atlas The largest private-sector vendor
  of street, address, and navigation data (already
  a DOTD vendor)
• NED The National Elevation Database
  (USGS)Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and contour
  lines
• NHD The National Hydrology Database (USEPA
  USGS)Hydrologic Network with database and
  attributes for modeling
• WBS The Watershed Boundaries Database
  (USDA-NRCS)Basin boundaries for water and land
  use modeling and management
• NFIP The National Flood Insurance Program
  (DHS-FEMA)The basis for flood risk assessment
  and flood insurance rates
• SURGO Detailed soils data from Soil surveys
  (USDA-NRCS)
• All of these programs have standards in place and
  contractors who are qualified to produce the
  digital and paper products. They require state
  participation at 25 to 100. Of the federal
  programs, none have complete coverage of
  Louisiana.
• All of the federal programs are currently using
  old, outdated USGS maps to develop their
  databases.

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COMPASSStep 3 Create the Digital
Infrastructure to Maintain and Distribute the Data

• The data from this program will be available to
  all levels of government, local, state, and
  federal.The data will be stored, centrally and
  distributed via the Internet, disk media, and
  hardcopy, to serve the needs of the individual
  user. This will require
• A moderate increase in storage space (less than a
  Terabyte), not currently available at DOTD
• A server to provide the data management and
  distribution capacity, not currently available at
  DOTD
• Hardware for paper map production, not currently
  available at DOTD
• All of these represent new capacity that does not
  exist, anywhere in the state

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What Will It Cost?
Photo-revision of all Quadrangle Maps -
8.5 to 10 Million This depends on
data (e.g., availability and format of address
data for local roads, LRS development, etc.).
Infrastructure for management and distribution -
Less than 30,000This will
provide additional storage, software for data
management and map production, and data
distribution via the Internet
Priceless!
The Benefits -