Creating the virtual map drawer
Bridging the gap between spatial data infrastructures and map libraries
The Authors
Marcy M. Allen, Maps Library, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The paper aims to report on a project that was a unique collaboration between a map librarian and a geography faculty member which resulted in the successful creation of set of standard procedures developed for the collection of metadata from paper maps in a library collection for inclusion in the national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI).
Design/methodology/approach – Metadata were collected using a set of tools from the USGS and provided to the public for free, and collection was performed by graduate students in geography. The rest of the paper is a qualitative description about the project and applications for future use.
Findings – The end result was the creation of a manner in which map collections can become more visible to users and ultimately to the world at large. More than 1,000 maps have been cataloged using these procedures. The procedures created from this project can also be used by any library with a map collection interested in increasing access to map collections by means of geospatial data clearinghouses and the NSDI.
Practical implications – In general, map libraries and map librarians should start to look at how they are providing access to not only their digital collections, but also their paper collections and to begin experimenting with non-traditional means of cataloging their collections and providing access. This paper is an example of such means.
Originality/value – Prior efforts in this realm only examined the inclusion of digital geospatial data for inclusion in an NSDI.
Article Type:
Research paper
Keyword(s):
Maps; Digital storage; Standards; Libraries.
Journal:
OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives
Volume:
24
Number:
3
Year:
2008
pp:
153-159
Copyright ©
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN:
1065-075X
With the proliferation of digital information, libraries and librarians are struggling to find new and better ways to provide access to a variety of new information. The traditional format that libraries have used to provide access to their collection has been the card or online catalog using the MARC metadata standard. Librarians need to think outside the catalog in order to increase access to invisible map and data collections. New standards are proving to be more flexible, communal, and user friendly than the MARC standard, particularly in specialized areas such as geospatial information (both tangible and digital formats).
This paper discusses the development of the primary means for searching geospatial data on the internet – the geospatial clearinghouse. It shows how the use of new metadata standards can benefit the users of map library collections, allowing users to discover data held without having to search individual library online catalogs. It then describes the early stages of a collaborative project developed by the Malpass Library at Western Illinois University to make its map collection a part of a geospatial data clearinghouse. This case study illustrates the potential for using different means for cataloging and making geospatial data available.
Geospatial searching
Executive order 12906 by President William J. Clinton called for the creation of a national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI) which, when functional, would reduce redundancy in the collection and increase sharing of geospatial data across the federal government. The idea of sharing geospatial data via an NSDI is not limited to government agencies, as the creation of an NSDI would allowed individuals from academia plus both private and non-profit sectors to benefit from increased cooperation in data sharing among all geospatial data users. A spatial data infrastructure is possible due to changes in computer networking hardware, software and policies which define and allow sharing across networks. Through time systems have moved to a more distributed model where data and information are stored on many different computers in many different places. This creates difficulty in locating and accessing that data and information. Essentially an NSDI itself is made up of all of the policies, procedures, standards and all of the individuals who come together to create a unified geospatial data-sharing environment. The technical infrastructure that makes the sharing of geospatial data possible is a network of servers, which are part of a distributed system, where the data are stored. An online portal, often called a clearinghouse, is created where users can go to seamlessly access the servers and the data stored within. The experience is much like going to a library and searching the online catalog; a person does not think about what is behind the scenes, they are just happy to be able to find the information.
The development of NSDIs is not limited to just the USA. This is a phenomenon that is occurring across the globe, as governments and institutions of higher learning begin to understand the increasing demand and importance of geospatial information and the impact it has on managing their countries and the value it adds to academic research. A survey was conducted from 2000-2002 by Crompvoets and Bregt from The Netherlands along with Rajabifard and Williamson in Australia to assess the worldwide developments of NSDIs. Through this survey, the authors found that initial use of geospatial data clearinghouses has been increasing, and with more clearinghouse nodes coming online and with increased sophistication of the technology used to build the clearinghouses, those numbers should only continue to climb. From the results of these surveys, data showed there were 67 national clearinghouses around the world with full implementation and another 13 countries are in the planning stages (Crompvoets et al., 2004). It is easy to imagine that three years later, there are considerably more to add to those numbers thus showing the increasing popularity of using the internet and geospatial data clearinghouses as a mean for providing access to geospatial data. Along the same lines, there are few studies to show how much and by whom these clearinghouses are being used. What this information can show is that users of geospatial data are not going to the library as a resource to find such data; they are relying on the clearinghouse model. What this means for map libraries who want to stay afloat in the increasingly digital world is they need to start looking at new ways of cataloging their collections and making them available via resources such as the clearinghouse.
The project
In 2002 Smits wrote about a paradigm shift in map libraries to explain the shift from a primarily paper map collection to a mix between paper and digital, where digital maps and data become the majority of map library collections (Smits, 2002). In the face of this paradigm shift there are many questions map librarians are asking themselves. One of those questions is how to deal with creating and maintaining the best modes of access to these new formats in their collections. In the past, the traditional manner for providing access to the paper map collection was the online catalog using the MARC metadata schema. The MARC metadata standard as it is today is not robust enough for cataloging digital maps and data (Eden, 2004); the number of fields that allow geographic information to be input is limited, which in turn limits searching capability. Even if searching for geospatial data in the MARC format was an easy thing to do, the companies who provide the online public access systems to libraries do not incorporate the means for geospatial data searching into their software. A better way, therefore, needs to be developed in order for users of map and data collections to have better access to and use the data they need.
Western Illinois University (WIU) is a medium-sized PhD granting university located in rural west central Illinois. The Leslie F. Malpass Library at WIU holds one million plus volumes, and since it is the largest library within at least a 90-mile radius it not only serves the university community, but the surrounding non-university community as well. The map collection is located in the Government and Legal Information Unit and is staffed with two full time professional librarians and four support staff. Prior to 2002 the map collection was housed outside of the main library and was located in the building that houses the Geography department. Due to space constraints and reconfigurations within departments, the University decided to relocate the map collection into the main library where it would be more accessible. As of 2003 there was a marginal portion of the collection that was cataloged, and with an estimated 350,000 tangible maps and hundreds of CD-ROMs each containing large amounts of geospatial data, a large valuable resource sat undiscovered. If anyone wanted to have access to these collections they either had to search in WIU's online catalog (for the CD-ROMs) or physically visit the collection to search through the paper map collection. The situation was not ideal, and with the arrival of a new faculty member in the Geography department at WIU who showed great interest in collaborating on projects with the library, the opportunity for collaboration to remedy the situation presented itself. It was not long before discussions about various projects were underway. Both parties were eager to increase the visibility of these materials to the WIU student and faculty population, and to the population at large. The willingness of both parties to work together for the same goal made for a smooth and eventually fruitful collaboration.
Through all of the discussions, one goal became clear; and that was to provide the best, least restricted access to the map and data collection at WIU, and doing so outside of the library's online catalog. The decision was made to jointly apply for a NSDI Cooperative Agreement Grant sponsored by the United States Geological Survey's Federal Geographic Data Committee. Most of the grants offered under this program are small seed grants intended to assist organizations, governments, academia, non-profit and commercial entities with various stages of projects that will lead to an enhanced NSDI for the USA (FGDC). The application submitted by Western Illinois University was for a first-level metadata development grant which provided funding for the study and evaluation of the FGDC standard and the development of a template to collect metadata. Notification of the grant award came shortly after and the real work was to begin in earnest. First, an in-depth knowledge of the FGDC metadata standard was required in order to proceed. Funding for travel and attendance of the training in Denver was part of the grant award and the map librarian at WIU was in attendance. The two-day training consisted of detailed discussions about the metadata standard and implementation procedures, as well as the sharing of project details among the awardees.
With such a large uncataloged collection at hand, it was difficult to find a place to being the cataloging. Keeping in lines with WIU's mission of serving the student population, the map librarian suggested the Illinois map collections as a starting point, since those were the maps most heavily used by the students. A template based on the Federal Geographic Data Committee's metadata standard was developed, and this template was to serve as the base for cataloging the maps in the collection at WIU. Two metadata capture and checking tools were used. For collecting metadata, a program called TKME developed by Peter Schweitzer at the United States Geological Survey was used. Once metadata were entered, it needed to be checked against the standard to make sure all fields had the correct information in the correct format, and a program called MP was used to perform these checks. If any errors were found in the file, an error file with the extension ERR would be created as a record for which files needed to be corrected. A screen shot of the directory showing the different file types created from this project is found in Figure 1.
The project then continued into the next phase – creating a way to provide access to the metadata prior to inclusion in a clearinghouse. This was a critical part of the project, because access to the metadata via a clearinghouse would not happen until a significant number of maps were cataloged, bugs in the metadata template needed to be worked out and the correction of any errors in the metadata collection needed to be corrected before making the data widely available for use. With computer programming skills, the faculty member from Geography wrote software that takes the metadata files created within the template and organized in hierarchical folders and translates them into XML and HTML formats (also visible in the list included in Figure 1) to make a website that can be easily navigated. The creation of the XML files allows the information to be found in two separate ways, once uploaded into the clearinghouse searches in the clearinghouse will provide access to the data, but also conducting a simple search on the web is another avenue for access to the data for those who are not aware that the clearinghouses exist. The root web site for this project can be found at www.wiu.edu/users/mma108/Earth/ (Figure 2).
Navigation through the website occurs by selecting the geographies one desires. For example, to find a topographic map of Macomb, Illinois one would click on North America, on the next page one would click on USA and so forth until one worked through to the page for maps with Macomb. This involves a lot of clicking; however, on each page a user can discover maps for that particular geography so that in a way it is electronically browsing the collection one would otherwise have only been able to browse in person at the library.
During the term of the grant, four people were trained to create metadata: the map librarian, a reference librarian, a geography graduate student and the geography faculty member. The term of the grant was one year. The cataloging of the maps continued after the grant term was finished via the placement of a geography graduate assistant specifically to work on the project under the supervision of the map librarian. To date, more than 1,000 maps have been cataloged and made available through the website. Personnel changes at WIU have temporarily put the project on hold, but with the hiring of a new map librarian the project will soon be back on track.
Next steps
The project was considered a success, and access to the map collection at WIU is increasing, albeit slowly. The exploration of new ways of providing access proved fruitful, and the collaboration between a faculty member and a librarian on such a project was certainly something for both parties and their respective colleges to be proud of.
When the creation of metadata records for the map and CD-ROM collection at the Malpass Library gets underway again, the next steps for this project are as follows: to set up a connection with the Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse (currently the only geospatial data clearinghouse in Illinois) to upload the metadata files, and to make them available via the clearinghouse. Adding the metadata from WIU's library could possibly be the first time metadata for non-digital geospatial information is included in a clearinghouse. This provides a unique opportunity for users searching for geospatial data for Illinois.
Considering that the only data clearinghouse in Illinois is one sponsored at the Department for Natural Resources (and having data with an emphasis on the natural resources), WIU should consider the possibility of becoming a clearinghouse node to serve the more general geospatial data communities within the state and across the country.
Figure 1Example of file types generated
Figure 2Screen shot of the web navigation for metadata files
References
Crompvoets, J., Bregt, A., Rajabifard, A., Williamson, I. (2004), "Assessing the worldwide developments of national spatial data clearinghouses", International Journal of Geographic Information Science, Vol. 18 No.7, pp.665-89.
Eden, B.L. (2004), "Metadata and Librarianship: will MARC survive?", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 22 No.1, pp.6-7.
Smits, J. (2002), "Geospatial data access: can we manage to shift?", INSPEL, Vol. 36 No.1, pp.22-48.
Further Reading
Allen, R.S. (1995), "An overview of the federal Geographic Data Committee, National Spatial Data Infrastructure, National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, and the Digital Geospatial Metadata Standard; what will it mean for tomorrow's libraries?", Bulletin of the Special Library Association Geography and Map Division, No.180, pp.2-16.
Boxall, J. (2004), "Advances and trends in geospatial information accessibility – part I: geolibraries", Journal of Map and Geography Libraries, Vol. 1 No.1, pp.7-39.
Executive Office of the President (1994), "Coordinating geographic data acquisition and access: the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (Presidential Executive Order No. 129060)", Federal Register, Vol. 59 No.71, April 13, pp.17671-4.
Federal Geographic Data Committee (2007), “Clearinghouse concepts Q&A”, available at: www.fgdc.gov/dataandservices/clearinghouse_qanda (accessed October 15, 2007), .
Laarsgaard, M.L. (2005), "Metaloging of digital geospatial data", The Cartographic Journal, Vol. 42 No.3, pp.231-7.
United States Geological Survey (2007), “Formal metadata: information and software”, available at: .http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/tools/doc/tkme.html (accessed October 1, 2007), .
About the author
Marcy M. Allen is the Head of the Maps Library at Penn State University where she is responsible for the management of a large map collection. Ms Allen is the editor for the “Geospatial news” column in Government Documents Roundtable quarterly publication Documents to the People. Her interests involve mapping technology, digitization, creative uses for maps in all areas and increasing technology awareness in underserved populations.