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A Transboundary
NSDI/NBII Metadata Clearinghouse Node for the Texas/Mexico
Borderlands
OBJECTIVES/JUSTIFICATION:
Need:
Many critical issues are converging in the 1990's to focus attention on the Texas/Mexico border region. Among these are rapid population growth, water supply, the array of changes brought about by free trade, and the growing concerns about air and water pollution. Attempts to address these problems depend on reliable and timely data and information. This need exists on both sides of the border. The U.S. and Mexico borderlands have a common natural resource base; they share aquifers, surface water, and other resources. Solutions to many of the region's problems, therefore, must be addressed binationally, and this process begins with knowing of the existence of reliable, documented, and shared data.
Researchers, planners, environmental workers, public health officials, and others with responsibilities along the Texas/Mexico border are often unable to obtain reliable and thoroughly-documented data and information to carry out their plans and programs. Even when data are available, they are often so poorly documented as to render them of doubtful validity. Inadequate documentation of data, more often than not, makes them useless for serious research. As a result, many of the critical issues facing the borderlands are not thoroughly addressed.
There is an urgent need for a well-organized system by means of which researchers can learn about data availability in the borderlands. The Texas/Mexico Borderlands Information Center (BIC) attempts to fill this need by archiving key data files, providing a means for identifying environment-related projects, and serving as a means to link data users with data providers via the Internet and by more conventional means. However, a critical component of this system has yet to be developed, namely, a focussed and determined initiative to compile metadata for the existing data files from both the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border and to make that information available through an easily searchable National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)/National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) clearinghouse node via the Internet.
Objective:
The objective of this project, therefore, is to build on the current BIC activities to create an easily-accessible transboundary clearinghouse node on the Internet, compliant with NSDI and NBII metadata standards, for the listing and describing of multi-use environmental data files, for the Texas/Mexico border region.
Background: The proposed metadata clearinghouse node will be created through the Texas/Mexico Borderlands Information Center (BIC), a component of the Texas Water Development Board's Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS). The TNRIS has functioned for over 25 years as the state's clearinghouse and referral center for demographic and environmental data. It receives direction and guidance from the 42-member Texas Geographic Information Council (TGIC), the USGS-recognized liaison for mapping activities in Texas. TNRIS is a certified NSDI Clearinghouse Node for Texas.
The BIC was created in 1993 as a component of the TNRIS to give special emphasis to borderlands data and to transboundary data sharing and cooperation. The BIC is securely established within TNRIS and within Texas State Government having received legislative authority under Senate Bill 1 of the 75th Texas State Legislature. As a TNRIS component, the BIC receives support from the TGIC. The work described in this proposal has full TGIC endorsement.
The mission of the BIC is to "facilitate the availability of natural resource and demographic data and information to all parties working for the good of the Texas/Mexico border region and to encourage collaboration in transboundary data collection and sharing." In short, the BIC links data users with data sources and encourages transboundary data sharing. To perform these functions the BIC offers a data search and retrieval service, provides an Internet Web site providing accessibility to its own data and to TNRIS data and links to other sources. In addition, the BIC conducts an ongoing inventory of geospatial data files with the objective of making them available via the Internet. A primary goal is to expand this role to become a principal hub on the Internet for border-region data management and dissemination. In pursuit of this goal the BIC staff will profit from the expertise of the BIC parent organization, the TNRIS, which operates an NSDI-certified metadata node for statewide Texas data. Other BIC activities include cartographic services, very strong GIS capabilities, and image processing expertise. In addition, the BIC houses the administrative support functions, including responsibilities for Web Site development and maintenance, of the Transboundary Resources Inventory Program (TRIP).
PROCEDURES/METHODS:
The BIC proposes to establish its own NSDI/NBII Clearinghouse node providing users the capability to search BIC metadata holdings as well as to access the distributed metadata holdings of the entire NBII system. The following procedures and methods will be followed:
Prioritize data to be described:
For the sake of efficiency and to gain the highest return, project staff will prioritize known data files to be described in order of their importance and frequency of use. For example, high priority data sets targeted for early inclusion include Mexico's topographic, geologic, soils, climate, land use, and other map series which are available at the BIC in paper form; Mexico's currently-available 1:250,000-scale digital elevation models (DEM's) and digital highway files; and, as they become available in digital format, orthophoto quadrangles and other map data from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Geografia e Informatica (INEGI). The 1:50,000-scale topographic series as well as several other map series are expected to be available in digital format in the near future. Priority Texas data include files generated under the state's Strategic Mapping Program (digital orthophotos, digital elevation models (DEMs), soils surveys, transportation, hydrography, hypsography, political boundaries), border-wide digital raster graphics (DRG's), political boundaries, and river basins. Other priority files will be identified including files generated under the Transboundary Resource Inventory Program (TRIP).
Implement Education Program:
While BIC staff will personally document metadata for most of the priority files, there will be a serious effort to educate other data providers as to the importance of metadata, the benefits of participating in a data-exchange system based on metadata, and to instruct them in the use of the metamaker tool. This will involve writing brief, user-friendly, instructional materials to be made available over the Internet and through mailings. At least one formal workshop will be presented each year in conjunction with Texas Geographic Information Council's annual statewide GIS Forum. Personal telephone contact and site visits will be an important part of the education program. Bi-national participation will be a key element, possibly including a FAQ list on the BIC Web site in both languages, e-mail and telephone support providing assistance for data documentation.
Use MetaMaker Tool:
TNRIS staff have evaluated several metadata-builder tools including the one developed by the Lower Colorado River Authority of Texas, ESRI's Document AML, and others, and have selected the NBII metadata entry software, MetaMaker, as the most fully-functional one of the group. During the past year TNRIS staff have used MetaMaker to document approximately 2,500 geospatial data files, including DOQQ's and several hundred other in-house files. It will, therefore, be convenient and preferred to use this metadata tool. All data will be described in compliance with the NBII biological profile of the FGDC content standard for digital geospatial metadata.
Provide Web Access:
To provide access to the metadata descriptions through its Web site, BIC staff will follow the instructions listed in the NBII document "Instructions for Establishing an NBII Metadata Clearinghouse Node." BIC staff has experience configuring, compiling and installing computer software in UNIX and NT. The staff also has extensive experience in actually developing and using its own metadata tool (It is understood that the BIC metadata tool will not be used for this project). Minimum hardware and software requirements are currently in place and functional at the BIC offices with the exception of the actual free Isite and MP software, which will be downloaded from the sites listed in the NBII document mentioned above. BIC staff will profit from the experience and expertise of the TNRIS which operates an FGDC-certified data node for statewide Texas data.
EXPECTED PRODUCTS:
Metadata Clearinghouse Node:
The primary product of this project, an Internet-accessible NBII metadata clearinghouse node, will consist of a user-friendly, regularly-maintained Web site operated from the BIC providing access to metadata through key word, title, temporal coverage, and geographic area (lat/lon) search engine. The site will contain metadata for projects on both sides of the Texas/Mexico border. It will also link to the distributed metadata holdings throughout the entire NBII system.
A Component of a Larger System:
The NBII metadata clearinghouse node will not be developed in isolation; rather, it will be a critical component of a larger system for data search and retrieval. The planned system will consist of the following three parts: 1) The first part will be a "Project Locator" search tool, currently under development, which will enable a user to search by key word or geographic location (lat/lon) for projects (completed, current or planned). This will be a kind of 'Yellow Pages" offering only 5-10 fields of basic information (subject, location, contact person, etc.). Included will be a "Metadata Available?" button which will direct the user to metadata descriptions if such have been compiled for the data sets related to a particular project. 2) The second part will be complete NSDI/NBII metadata descriptions of the key data sets. This is the component of the system for which BRD funding is currently requested. 3) The final part, which will complete the system, will consist of links to Internet sites, including the BIC and TRIP sites as well as numerous others along the entire length of the border, from which the actual data can be downloaded.
The completed system will enable a researcher to submit a query by keyword or geographic location, access complete metadata for specific data files (assuming the metadata has been compiled), and then, if the data meets his requirements, link to the data source itself. If the data is not on-line, the researcher can contact the data provider by conventional means.
The BIC proposes to be a Border Information Node along with several other agencies on both sides of the border from California to the Gulf of Mexico. Each site will hold data for its geographic area as well as other specialized data sets, and each will act in coordination with the other border nodes.
Other Products:
Other products will include a set of metadata instructions made available over the Internet and a metadata workshop to be presented at the annual TGIC-sponsored statewide GIS Forum in January, 1999.
TECHNOLOGY/INFORMATION TRANSFER:
Intended users of the clearinghouse node include all those doing environmental research or projects related to natural resources in the Texas/Mexico borderlands. The metadata will be accessible and downloadable through the BIC Web server at the following address: http://www.BIC.state.tx.us. It will be searchable by keyword and geographic area, and political subdivision (counties, municipios). As detailed in the NBII document, "Instructions for Establishing an NBII Metadata Clearinghouse Node," the system will allow the user to search the BIC database and simultaneously search the NBII Clearinghouse. It will be linked to other existing databases as well, including those at the University of Texas at El Paso, the EPA, and others. The steps for establishing the node are explained in detail in the above-mentioned document and will not be repeated here.
PERSONNEL:
Project Manager:
Charles Palmer, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Border Affairs
Responsible for overall management of the project, specifying
tasks, setting and maintaining deadlines, writing progress
reports.
Principal Investigator:
Miguel A. Pavon
Border Information Center Administrator
Responsible for technical work associated with the project including configuration and maintenance of the Web server. Responsible for contacts with Mexican data providers and for providing all instructional materials in Spanish. Responsible for compiling metadata and for assisting data providers in applying metadata to their files.
COOPERATORS/PARTNERS:
Texas Water Development Board (TWDB)
As the BIC parent organization, the TWDB will provide office space, use of FAX, photo and laser copy machines, telephone, mail, and all other needed office support. In addition, the TNRIS, a Division of the TWDB, will provide means for publicizing the metadata initiative through its established newsletter, mailing lists, and annual statewide GIS Forum. Very importantly, TNRIS staff will provide long-standing expertise gained through all aspects of operating an FGDC-certified data clearinghouse, expertise in applying the metadata builder software, and broad experience in responding to public data requests.
Texas Geographic Information Council:
The Texas Geographic Information Council (TGIC), composed of 42 state agencies, universities, statewide associations, and regional governments, will provide support by relaying to their respective agencies the importance and benefits of the metadata initiative, and, in some instances, guaranteeing active participation. In addition, the TGIC itself, as the official liaison with the USGS for mapping activities in the state of Texas, will support the project and lend its prestige through letters of endorsement. Such letters may be used as a means to solicit support of key agency heads for having their staffs prepare metadata. The TGIC member agencies support this project not only because of its obvious benefits regarding data exchange, but because they have a particular interest in its role in assisting them with their data reporting requirements to the Texas Department of Information Resources. These requirements are state law, on-going, and will exist long after this project terminates. The standardized approach for meeting the data reporting requirements is welcomed by the agencies and will serve them well into the future.
National Wetlands Research Center:
Discuss NWRC's role as cooperator/partner in this project.
QUALIFICATIONS OF PROJECT PERSONNEL:
Charles Palmer, Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Florida, is currently the Coordinator of Border Affairs and the Director of the Borderlands Information Center for the Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS). He has been with TNRIS for 22 years, first as a remote sensing specialist and for a number of years as the TNRIS Manager. He is an experienced project manager having managed EPA, USGS, and NASA grants with project budgets up to $500,000. He served as project manager for the TNRIS FGDC Clearinghouse grant and is currently project manager for a $65,000 EPA grant for operation of the BIC. Dr. Palmer is bi-lingual in English and Spanish having lived for 2 years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, two years as a university professor in Colombia, and one year as a researcher in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Palmer's interests in international borders spans many years; his Ph.D. dissertation topic was ALand Use and Landscape along the Dominican-Haitian Borderlands.@ Prior to working for TNRIS Dr. Palmer worked for Dr. James R. Anderson, Chief Geographer for the U.S. Geological Survey during the early years of the USGS nationwide Land Use and Land Cover Program.
Miguel A. Pavon, is a native of Mexico City. His undergraduate degree is in Physical Oceanography from the State University of Baja California and he holds an MS degree in Environmental Engineering with a specialty in Geographic Information Systems from Monterrey Tech. After finishing his MS degree, Mr. Pavon worked as a GIS Analyst for the GIS Laboratory and for the Center for Strategic Studies at Monterrey Tech. He has been employed for two years by the Texas Natural Resources Information System as Administrator of the Borderlands Information Center (BIC). His responsibilities as BIC Administrator include facilitating access to data over the Internet, creating an on-line catalog for BIC data holdings, configuring and maintaining the BIC Web server and Web pages, providing GIS support to member agencies of the Texas Geographic Information Council (TGIC), and generating computerized maps and map indexes. Mr. Pavon has 5 years experience with commercial remote sensing and geographic information software and one year of experience with scientific visualization software. Very importantly for the current project, he has extensive contacts with data providers in Mexico. He is thoroughly bi-lingual in Spanish and English.
BRD PRINCIPAL CONTACT:
Helena Schaefer, Geographer
National Wetlands Research Center
700 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
Ph: 318/266-8696
FAX: 318/266-8616
FACILITIES/EQUIPMENT/STUDY AREA:
The BIC is located with the TNRIS in room B-40 of the Stephen F. Austin Office Building, 1700 N. Congress Avenue, in Austin, Texas. The BIC office and reading room covers 600 square feet, and houses flat files containing an extensive collection of Mexican maps and other data, work space for the BIC Administrator, work space for the TRIP liaison staff person, and the Web server. The Coordinator of Border Affairs is housed in an adjacent office.
The Web server is a Dell dimension XPS H266 with 12 GB of disk space and 64 MB of memory. Web and ftp services are run under a Windows NT 4.0 server platform. The server has recently been upgraded with a 8.4 GB hard drive and will be the server for the metadata clearinghouse.
The TNRIS provides a wide array of support hardware and software including microcomputers, a Sun Enterprise 2 server, workstations, CD burner, scanner, plotter, color and black-and-white printers and standard office equipment, all of which is at the BIC's disposal and available for use in this project.
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URL: http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/txsp.htm
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