THE NPS GRI: DATA MODEL CONCEPTS AND IMPLEMENTATION, AND A PROGRAMMATIC APPROACH TO DIGITAL MAP PRODUCTION

Geologic maps describe the underlying physical conditions of many natural systems and are an invaluable tool utilized by the National Park Service (NPS) in making science-based decisions pertaining to the management and protection of our national parks. Capturing geologic map data in a GIS data formant enhances the functionality and usability of traditional paper geologic maps while also making use of GIS rules that govern feature spatial relationships and attribution, and allows for the integration of geologic information with other science-based digital datasets in a GIS.

To preserve and effectively communicate geologic information in a digital GIS format, the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory (GRI) has developed a geologic-GIS data model based upon the ESRI geodatabase format. Several design requirements were considered in the development of the geologic-GIS data model: 1) must address the needs of the intended users by ensuring consistent and useful GIS data, 2) possess the ability to handle diverse geologic terrains and features across the NPS, 3) must possess both the flexibility and scalability to accommodate multiple source map scales as well as varying spatial representation types for certain geologic features, and 4) must have the capability of compiling numerous source geologic maps.

Automation of GIS data capture and quality control processes helps increase the quality and consistency of the digital geologic-GIS data while providing efficiency that can’t be achieved through manual processing. A challenge within the GRI, with no full-time GIS programmers, is the ability to provide an adequate level of automation while still meeting the GRI’s annual map production goals -- the GRI development team consists of project managers who have programming ability, but also have annual production responsibilities. The development approach employed, as a result, is to identify specific steps within production workflows that are either error prone, inefficient, or both, and provide the minimal programming needed to achieve the automation desired. The resulting production tool is inserted into the workflow, tested and refined or extended if needed. This type of planning and development helps get new production tools into the workflow quickly while eliminating unneeded and/or unnecessary programming.