Transcript Title

Providing tertiary education with access
to national mapping agency digital map
Title
data - the UK experience
Dr David Medyckyj-Scott
Head of Research and Geodata Services
EDINA National Data Centre
University of Edinburgh
DANS Workshop, 20th June 2008
“What happens when Universities get
‘free’ access to the products of a NMCA…”
Overview of presentation
•
•
•
•
Introduction
EDINA
Overview of geospatial data provision in
UK tertiary education
Digimap and Ordnance Survey GB as a
case study
– history, service, usage, benefits, issues
•
•
Digimap ten years on and lessons learnt
Where next…
EDINA National Data Centre
•
•
a National Data Centre for Tertiary Education
since 1995
our mission...
to enhance the productivity of research,
learning and teaching in UK higher and further
education
•
focus is on service but also undertake r&D
•
Research and Geo-data Services team
– largest team within EDINA
– first online GI service, UKBORDERS, launched in
1994
– substantial experience in handling geospatial data
on a large scale
Geospatial data provision in the UK
JISC National
Data Centres
CHEST
Organisational structure - key players
HE & FE funding councils
Geospatial
Working
Group
£
Licensor
£
Joint Information
Systems Committee
Collections Co.
£
£
Content
Providers
Institution
End user
(staff/student)
National Data
Centres
Digimap – A Case Study
(with a specific focus on the provision of
Ordnance Survey GB digital map data)
Digimap Service - Overview
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
an online mapping and data delivery service
originally built to provide access to Ordnance
Survey (GB) maps and data - a 'virtual map
library’
launched in January 2000
content extended to include historic OS, GB
geology and UK and Ireland marine maps and
data
subscription service with some 50,000+
registered users
nationally and internationally recognised
first time UK academia had access to this type
and quantity of high quality data
Compared with other (commercial) services…
•
customisable maps - ability to select individual
feature types
•
access to highly detailed data – building
outlines, road centre lines etc
•
high quality and large format cartographic
output over the web (up to A0)
•
availability of raw map data for use in GIS
•
detailed postcode, boundary and gazetteer data
•
extensive and detailed online help
•
EDINA Helpdesk and specialist support staff
History – the early 1990’s and the need
•
researchers increasingly wanted access to maps in
digital forms
– data for 7 small sample areas available from OS
•
interest in using Ordnance Survey digital map data
was high
– a multi-disciplinary resource of utility to nearly ever field of research
and teaching in HE
– provides the geographic framework for integrating other data in GB
context
•
traditional means for consulting large-scale Ordnance
Survey paper maps was under threat
– but the alternative was expensive
•
increasing demand from employers for graduates
skilled in use of digital map data
•
number of meetings between OS and UK academia
but failed to progress
History – the late 1990’s
•
1996-1999, the e-Lib Digimap project
– trial service with 6 universities
– aim was to promote use
– used software familiar and available to libraries and
users i.e. a web browser
– key findings: demand existed but guaranteed access
required
•
•
in 1998 discussions began regarding
establishing a national service
with funding from the UK Joint Information
Systems Committee (JISC), the service was
launched in January 2000
What made Digimap possible
•
•
•
a perceived user need and proven demand
an NMA facing a new data distribution challenge
in an important market sector
the existence of an organisation with the remit
to provide electronic services
– i.e. JISC
the existence of National Data Centres
• the Internet
• already proven
• a secure national authentication scheme
• university map librarians
• the individuals involved
•
OS Data Products
2000-2004
2005+ ‘Old Style’
Strategi®
Strategi®
• 1:250,000
• 1:250,000
Meridian™
Meridian™
• 1:50,000
• 1:50,000
1:50,000 Colour
Raster
and Gazetteer
1:50,000 Colour
Raster
and Gazetteer
Land-Form
1:25,000 Colour
Raster
PANORAMA™
• contours and DTM
2007+ MasterMap
Integrated
Transport
Network (ITN)
1:10,000 Colour
Raster
Land-Form
PROFILE™
• contours and DTM
Land-Line.Plus®
Land-Line.Plus®
• 1:10,000 - 1:1,250
• 1:10,000 - 1:1,250
Code-Point
with polygons
Code-Point
with polygons
Topographic
• 1:10,000 - 1:1,250
The OS Collection applications
Mapping facilities
Classic
Carto
Data supply facilities
Boundary
Download
Data Download
Gazetteer Download
MasterMap data supply facility
Misc. applications
Postcode Query
Gazetteer Query
Gazetteer
Download
Site
statistics
Supporting a heterogeneous user community
•
comprehensive support
strategy produced
•
Ordnance Survey data
are complex; knowledge
in 1999 was low
•
users are distributed
and heterogeneous
•
resources at EDINA
limited so…
•
significant amount of
support offered on-line
•
local support within the
institution seen as
crucial
Terms of use and copyright - Overview
•
•
•
great flexibility for academic purposes
covers teaching and research activities
no restrictions on place of use
– e.g home use, workplace, outside UK
•
publication only for teaching or research
– various size limits
– includes electronic (web/CDROM) publication and
posters
•
•
•
•
can be used for sponsored research but results
must be published widely and immediately
data can be shared between registered users in
subscribing institutions
output can be used in teaching practice
limited business use
Subscription rates
Annual
Subscription Fee
JISC Banding
HE / Research Councils
1 Aug ‘08
to
31 Jul ‘09
A-B
£6,924
C-D
£5,831
E-F
£4,738
G-J
£2,551
(€8,700 – €3,200)
Bands are related to size:
no. students, research income
e.g. A = University of Cambridge
Usage
Facts and Figures – OS Collection
80000
Subscriptions
Registered Users
70000
50
60000
Subscriptions
50000
30
40000
20
30000
20000
10
10000
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Cumulative Growth in Usage
1400000
1200000
1000000
800000
600000
400000
200000
Year
20
08
20
07
20
06
20
05
20
04
0
20
03
2006
2007
0
-10000
Year
20
02
2005
Registered Users
40
-10
20
01
•
20
00
•
150 subscribing
institutions
some 37,000
currently registered
users
a total of 107,000
users over 8 years
Sessions
•
60
Facts and Figures
Downloaded Files
loaded for printing (60%
at largest scale)
– 662,000+ data files
downloaded
average 20,000 user
sessions per month
• in 2004/5, users
downloaded over £15m
worth of data
• 80% of usage is mapping,
only 20% relates to data
downloads
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
in last 12 months
– 128,000 maps down-
250000
2000
•
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Printed Map Usage
50000
45000
Number of Maps
40000
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
•
Number of Files Downloaded
300000
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Facts and Figures
Staff
14%
•
64% of users are
undergraduates
Postgraduate
22%
Undergraduate
64%
– unexpected
•
wide range of users
– less than 19% of users
are geographers
– But geographers take
the bulk of downloads
at 45%
•
used for a very wide
range of purposes
Users
Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences
4%
Engineering and
Physical Sciences
33%
Particle Physics and
Astronomy
1%
Download
Requests
Engineering and
Physical Sciences
29%
Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences
3%
Art and Humanities
9%
Natural Environment
13%
Medical Sciences
1%
Geography
19%
Art and
Humanities
9%
Particle Physics and
Astronomy
1%
Geography
46%
Economic and Social
Science
17%
Information Services
4%
Natural
Environment
4%
Medical Sciences
1%
Economic and Social
Science
7%
Information
Services
1%
Example uses
Archaeology
Spatial analysis of prehistoric rock art in Northumberland
Architecture
3D modelling for flood prevention designs
Horticulture
Ability of particular tree species to reduce air pollution
Meteorology
Effects of orography in weather radar measurements
Planning
Sustainable integrated transport planning
Economics
Retail stock changes in deprived areas
Sociology
Changing spatial pattern of behavioural and mobility as children grow up
Zoology
Analysis of home ranges and foraging patterns of urban foxes
Computer Science
Research into graphics and visualisation
Engineering
Effect of construction programming on passenger flows
Health
Cancer incidence in relation to mobile phone masts
Environmental
Effects of disturbance from roads on nesting stone curlews
History
How did Cromwell feed his New Model Army
History
Distribution of 18th Century brewing and malting
Retail
Credit card customers’ shopping behaviour for major UK retailer
Geomorphology
Glacial landform mapping and reconstruction of UK ice sheets
Case Studies
What have been the benefits?
Benefits - Users
•
fast and efficient access to up-to-date OS data
[‘wonderful resource for student who might never
have considered utilising digital map data in their work’]
•
students can focus on the problem, not data acquisition
•
has enabled research/teaching to happen without
regard to mapping costs
[91% of researchers now conducting research they would not have
been able to do previously...]
•
no longer geographically limited
•
potential for use of real, local data in teaching and
projects
[“we can now do our projects using site information as if the
students are in a real architect’s office”]
Digimap surveys, July 2004; 350 respondents; May 2007, 572 respondents
Benefits – The University Sector
•
costs lower than purchasing directly from Ordnance
Survey GB
•
increased use of geo-spatial data and GIS in
teaching and research [29%]
“GIS at [] was almost solely a Geography Dept thing,
now it is used widely across the campus”
•
increased awareness of geo-spatial data in teaching
and research [23%]
•
improved graduate employability
•
improved research methodology using current spatial
data
[20%]
“the methodology was proven and illustrated with Ordnance Survey
and census data… it has put the UK in the forefront of
international research in this field”
•
improved IT skills of students
Digimap surveys, July 2004; 350 respondents; May 2007, 572 respondents
Benefits – Ordnance Survey GB
•
Ordnance Survey products presented to and used by a wider
audience
•
Ordnance Survey data can now be seen to be enhancing
research in many different disciplines
•
enabled graduates to take their experience of Ordnance
Survey data into business (first hand experience with our
own graduate entrants)
•
opens up communication links with universities
•
helps to build valuable research links at all levels
•
highlights the diverse application of Ordnance Survey data
•
a new user base to feedback on how fit-for-purpose are
Ordnance Survey data products
•
reduced administrative overheads in dealing with data for
academics institutions
•
“created the OS customers of tomorrow…”
10 Years On
Developments, Issues &
Lessons Learnt
The Digimap Collections
Historic Digimap
Data:
Large scale (1:1250,
1:2500 & 1:10 560)
maps for 9 epochs
(1843 – 1996)
Facilities: Mapping and data
download
Format:
TIFF images
Supplier: Landmark Information
Group/Ordnance
Survey
When:
Launched April 2006
Type of
service:
Subscription (67)
(but no user registration)
© Crown Copyright Landmark
Geology Digimap
Data:
1:625,000 (solid & drift)
1:250,000 (solid)
1:50,000 (solid & drift)
Rock Lexicon
Facilities: Mapping and data
download service, rock
lexicon look-up
Format:
shp, mid/mif
Supplier: British Geological Survey
When:
Launched January 2007
Type of
service:
Subscription (39)
Marine Digimap
Data:
Charted Raster (variable scale
Admiralty charts)
Coastal Raster (coastal
marine
raster merged with OS
1:25,000 land-based
mapping)
Hydrospatial: "Marine
Mastermap“ (vector
marine/coastal zone themes,
incl. 1:250,000 bathymetry)
Facilities: Mapping and data download
service
Format: shp, mid/mif & GML;
GeoTIFF for rasters
Supplier: SeaZone/UK Hydrographic
Office
When:
Launched January 2008
© Crown Copyright UKHO
(Some of the) Issues
“build it and they will come”
• managing growth - scalability
•
Facts and Figures
(Some of the) Issues
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“build it and they will come”
managing growth - scalability
‘Digimap is expensive!’
sustainability
exposed a major issue regarding local support for
such services
moving from map user to geospatial data user –
bridging the skills & knowledge gap
lack of local copy (archive) means the historical
record is lost
derived data and sharing data
responding to the Google effect and Web 2.0
policing usage
Lessons learnt
Ensure…
•
the service is accessible to all
•
that it meets user needs
•
the necessary resources exist to keep pace with a
fast-moving area and changing user requirements
(e.g. grown from 3 staff -> 10)
•
the right support structure is in place
•
the service allows users to pursue their activities
– licence and T&Cs – responding to a changing environment
•
the underlying technology is up to the job
•
the stakeholders remain committed
•
access is guaranteed in the longer term
Where next…
replacement of the map
production sub-system
• enhancements to services
• new access points
•
– OGC web services
– e-Science GRID
– mobiles and PDAs
•
additional content
– focus on environmental types
of data e.g. soils
– internationalisation,
particularly into Europe
•
grow the UK academic SDI
Thank you
Any Questions?
Dr David Medyckyj-Scott
Head, Research and Geo-Data Services
Email: [email protected]
EDINA web site: http://edina.ac.uk
Tel.: +44 (0)131 650 3302
Fax: +44 (0)131 650 3308
Digimap - One Architecture, Many Services (2004+)
end-user
desktop/browser
User tools
(clients)
Digimap
Classic
Common application
servers
Vector map
server
Digimap
Carto
Historic
map viewer
Data Download
Client
Raster map
server
Gazetteer
server
Web Services
e.g. to 3rd party
Portal
File based
data
server
Common data(base)
servers
Ordnance Survey
digital map data
Common hardware
infrastructure
Historic map
images
Geological
map data
Marine map
data
Data from
another Supplier
How we make the data usable
Software + application of
default cartographic rules
specified by vendor
Software + application of
cartographic rules
11000152100913Playing Field 0901103
120001016400000%
2100000010001004040097130 0%
15000155
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001055810075820 0%
15000156
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001057130076690 0%
15000157
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001060110075460 0%
15000158
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001063260074650 0%
15000159
0321 8010619 0000000%
2100000010001063370071760 0%
15000160
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001066730076700 0%
15000161
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001058910068550 0%
15000162
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001064490069040 0%
15000164
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001055710052730 0%
15000173
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001058730050390 0%
15000174
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001059520050430 0%
15000175
0321 0901103 0000000%
2100000010001056430049210 0%
15000176
0321 0901103 0000000%
OS digital data
Value added component
Flow of money, data and rights
HE & FE funding councils
£
£
£
Ordnance Survey
£
Licensor
Collections Co.
Service Provider
Data
£
Data
end user
(staff/student)
access
institutional
(subscription)
Impact on Map Libraries
•
will lead to the “the renaissance of the map library”
•
reality has been a bit different & impact varies
– “the advent of the Digimap service has been the most
important and influential event in British academic map
libraries in, at least, the last thirty years”
– does Digimap complement existing map holdings OR replace
the map library?
“more comprehensive than what we can offer”
– increased number of digital map users (but not of paper
maps) and, for some, increase in use of map library
– but also seen downsizing/closure of map libraries
– raised user expectation
* want access to other large scale maps
* that other data are online (when it is, “the map user will
never physically work in the map library again”)
* they can get the map ‘view’ they require