PRESS RELEASE

Developing a Dynamic and Distributed GIS to Support Coastal Management Along the Lake Superior Coast of Wisconsin

Richmond, VA, July 1, 2005. Cadastra has completed a project funded by the NOAA Coastal Services Center to develop a "dynamic and distributed" geographic information system (GIS) to support integrated coastal management along the Lake Superior coast of Wisconsin. A dynamic and distributed GIS is one where custodians, whether they be local, regional, state, federal, academic, or non-profit, maintain and provide access to the most current spatial data and multiple remote users can access and integrate data in real-time from multiple sources.

The first phase of the project involved the development of web mapping interfaces and tools to support public access to local government GIS data. Accomplishments include enhancement of the public access web mapping site developed for Bayfield County; purchase of a web mapping server and development of web mapping sites for Iron County; and provision of technical support for web mapping at the City of Superior, the Northwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey.

The second phase concerned the implementation of web mapping services that allow integration of disparate GIS data across political boundaries. Rather than developing stand-alone local government web mapping sites, the project draws upon the principles and protocols of the Open Geospatial Consortium to link local web map services (WMS) and build an interoperable, "bottom-up" coastal GIS. Accomplishments include the development of resources to aid in creating and utilizing interoperable WMS in Wisconsin; creation of interoperable WMS in Bayfield and Iron Counties for local government GIS data such as parcel maps; and the discovery and cataloging of many existing interoperable WMS that contain information relevant to Lake Superior.

Finally, the third phase of the project involved the integration of interoperable WMS to address regional coastal management issues, including coastal hazards and comprehensive planning. The most significant accomplishment of the project involves the development of a Lake Superior Coastal Mapping Portal. The components of the Portal include general information on the project and its partners, a multi-faceted map viewer interface that integrates interoperable web mapping services, links to access local government web mapping sites, links to web resources about interoperability, and a forum to encourage project collaboration. In addition, a series of integrated web map viewers were developed that provide access to technical information about coastal bluff stability, view current weather observations on the Great Lakes, and display recreational opportunities along the Lake Superior Circle Tour.

The project has already had many beneficial impacts. Public access to GIS data has improved in northern Wisconsin and the Portal represents a single point of departure for viewing pre-configured maps on a variety of coastal issues of regional interest, searching for and viewing specific web mapping data, understanding how GIS interoperability works, and sharing ideas about how web mapping can be applied to decision-making in the region. The day-to-day work on the project has helped identify the technical and institutional barriers to developing a "dynamic and distributed" regional GIS. This knowledge will be very useful in the future development of the National Map and the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Finally, the Portal will serve as the starting point for many other coastal GIS applications on Lake Superior and beyond.

Cadastra, Inc. specializes in parcel data development and implementation services for government and private sector organizations. Among the services Cadastra provides are parcel data conversion, adjustment, ongoing data maintenance, database design, workflow optimization, training, technical support, application development, web mapping and enterprise GIS integration. The company's success is a result of quality work performed by a team of innovative, skilled professionals focused on customer service. Cadastra is a memember of the Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software team based in Richmond, Virginia.

For more information contact Brad Llewellyn at 804-673-9700 or visit us on the web:
www.cadastra.com