Developing the CGNS May 15, 2002

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Developing the CGNS
MSB Knowledge Exchange Sessions - January 2002
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Developing the CGNS

• What is the CGNS?
• Why develop the CGNS?
• Steps Taken
• Where are we?
• Where do we go from here?

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What is the CGNS?

• CGNS - Canadian Geographical Names Service
• a Toponymic Data Service for the CGDI
• the CGNS is the next generation of technology for
  the distribution of geographical names
• purpose is to deliver a national view of Canadas
  geographical names into the standards and
  technology framework of the CGDI
• via CGDI the service enables the access and
  interchange of geospatial data free of the
  limitations of older proprietary systems

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GeoConnections

• GeoConnections is a national partnership led by
  Natural Resources Canada through which
  governments are working with industry to build
  the CGDI http//www.geoconnections.org
• Activities include
• expanding access to geospatial information
• developing a common national geospatial data
  framework
• developing and adopting common international
  standards
• enabling and improving existing partnerships
  among levels of government, the private sector
  and academia
• developing policies that encourage the broadest
  possible use of geospatial information and
  promote geospatial technology and expertise, and
• maintaining an Internet site that provides access
  to geospatial information, tools, and services

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CGDI

• Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI)
• GeoConnections will develop the CGDI which will
  coordinate Canadas numerous databases of
  geographic information
• enable framework data to offer a more complete,
  revealing, and accurate picture of the
  environment to Canadians
• inter-governmental (federal, provincial,
  territorial) private sector and academic effort
  to provide easy, consistent and harmonized access
  to geographic information and services
• Mission statement Making Canadas geographic
  information accessible on the Internet

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CGDI (Contd)

• CGDI will
• make Canadas geographic (geospatial) databases,
  tools, and services readily accessible via a
  common window on the internet
• enable organizations to remain autonomous while
  working together
• focus on infrastructure
• This new data management paradigm employs
  concepts such as custodianship ownership
  open standards architecture and framework
  data

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CGDI Vision
e.g. Sustainable Development Transportation
Planning Climate Change Monitoring Disaster
Response Site Assessment Infrastructure
Portal ...
e.g. Features Coverages Projects, Studies,
Activities Events, Situations ...
e.g. Discovery Gazetteer Visualization
Location-based ...
.
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Framework Data/GeoBase

• The national framework is the infrastructure
  required to provide the geographic data sets
  about Canada that are based upon a common
  reference system, and it will enable the
  development of related applications and
  value-added services
• GeoBase - any themes chosen as part of the
  National GeoBase must be maintained and available
  across jurisdictions
• Geographical names as an intuitive spatial
  reference system
• fundamental layer of framework data
• CGNS will be a distributed names service operated
  by the Geographical Names Section, MSB
• be hosted on a server in Ottawa
• CGNS is compliant with the OGC Web Master Server
  (WMS) and Web Feature Server (WFS) specifications

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The Essential CGNS
In the target situation we want to provide
clients with a national view of Canada's
Geographical Names, united in Place, Time and
Space, and delivered through a single point of
service into the Canadian Geospatial Data
Infrastructure. This will be known as the
CGNS, the Canadian Geographical Names Service.
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Objectives of Toponymic Data Architecture
Standard Project

• To develop a national standard for GIS enabled
  toponymic databases ready to provide digital
  extent information compatible with the CGDI
• within different federal, provincial and
  territorial jurisdictions build linkages from the
  toponymic databases with standardized logical
  models to selected data layers within each of
  their respective jurisdictions
• finally, once the linkages are developed -
  integrate the databases and build accurate
  toponymic data into the fundamental layers of the
  CGDI Framework Data and,

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Objectives (Contd)

• in accordance with the 7th United Nations
  Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas
  (January 2001) - considers the importance of
  standardized and consistent geographical names as
  a fundamental data set of the national and
  regional spatial data infrastructures ...

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Steps Taken

• November 2000 - team pulled together representing
  stake holders of geographical names data (CTIO,
  CTIS, OMRS, and GeoAccess)
• November 24, 2000 - Prosposal submitted to
  GeoConnections for funding - monies approved
  December 21, 2001
• RFP posted May 2001 and contract awarded July 18,
  2001
• August 1 - Kick-off Meeting of project -
  Toponymic Data Architecture Standard for the CGDI
• August 13-28 - Interviews with GNBC members (data
  providers)
• August 31 - Target Situation Presentation to
  Review Team
• September 5-20 - Prepare Deliverables
• September 25/26 - Halifax presentation at GNBC
  Annual Meeting
• October 10 - Final Deliverables

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Steps Taken (Contd)

• Deliverables accepted November 20, 2001
• Data Providers Workshop delivered Dec 3,4 , 2001-
  Ottawa
• Proposal for Phase II prepared and contract
  awarded - December 2001
• Pilot Project - Manitoba - January 2002 to March
  2002

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Deliverables

• Standards Review Document (OGC, ISO, FGDC, TC
  211)
• Minutes from Requirements Meetings
• Description of Target Situation
• Definition of Toponymic Data Architecture
  Standard
• High Level Implementation Strategy
• Final Report

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Operational Issues

• Move away from paper world
• online gazetteers
• digital maps
• Public access to information
• queryable data
• Web Server architecture
• Security of sensitive data (Authentication)
• GOL
• Common Look and Feel

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Getting there

• Phased Development
• Prototyping - Manitoba Pilot
• Steady Progress - visibility through delivery
• Co-ordination with CGDI partners
• Financing
• Expand existing data exchange agreements with
  partner

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Business Model for the Future

• Collaborative environment
• Service agreements
• Partners engaged

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Data Providers Workshop

• Purpose was to educate the participants, define a
  data upload process and start a CGNS community
• education about CGDI, GeoBase, OGC technologies,
  working in a webservice environment, etc.
• Attendees were GNBC members - representatives
  from most provinces and territories, Parks
  Canada, DND and Elections Canada
• Business Community/Technical Group
• Training
• Discussion of Issues for GNBC

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Where do we go from here?

• Manitoba Pilot
• Serve names into the CGNS from the CGNDB
• Communicate results of pilot to others - partners
• Test other databases
• test feature ID approach for CGNS and other
  applications
• Prepare metadata

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Manitoba Pilot

• Purpose of Pilot
• to demonstrate the data upload functions
• to uncover the issues related to serving names in
  to the CGNS
• opportunity to explore the general CGNS
  capabilities
• the results of the Pilot will be used to update
  the Data Upload Process/CGNS Architecture
  Documents
• support a communication and promotion strategy
  for the CGNS
• Why Manitoba?
• a small organization capable of moving quickly
• their profile is representative of the technology
  seen in Toponymic Units across the country
• direct access to mapping organization
• highly committed to the success of the CGNS

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Investments Needed

• Resources - human and financial
• Technology
• Data Quality
• Raise visibility of Toponymy
• In-your-face Toponymy

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Useful Websites

• http//geonames.NRCan.gc.ca
• http//cgns.holonics.ca
• http//geoconnections.org
• http//geoconnections.org/english/tap/index.html
• http//geoconnections.org/english/framework.index/
  html
• http//geoconnections.org/english/access/index.htm
  l
• http//maps.nrcan.gc.ca/HAL_report
• http//www.opengis.org