17.7 FUTURE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE SATELLITE SERVICES DIVISION Ralph E. Meiggs* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution, Satellite Services Division, Camp Springs, MD, Marlene Patterson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution Satellite Services Division, Interactive Processing Branch, Camp Springs, MD Tad Franson, RS Inform ation Systems, Camp Springs, MD 1. INTRODUCTION formats aligns with the SSD Mission and Vision Statem ents by providing “near real-time Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are environmental data from polar and geostationary becoming more widely used for data dissemination satellites to a diverse community, and pioneering and integration. Satellite Services Division (SSD) is development and implementation of superior striving to provide satellite products in a more quality environmental satellite services and widely used format for interoperability in products which surpass customer requirements.” com mercial software. 2. MISSION GIS development in SSD would also align with the OSDPD mission to “provide environmental satellite The National Oceanic and Atm ospheric data and derived products to domestic and foreign Administration (NOAA) has an enterprise-wide users, serving as an interface with users from the effort for a geospatial foundation model for data civil sector and providing plans for initiation of new sharing and is working toward the government services to meet user requirements.” wide effort for the concept of a Geospatial One- Stop website. The Federal Geographic Data 4. VISION Committee (FGDC) is involved in the I-Team Geospatial Information Initiative which is working The SSD GDT is actively participating in the NOAA toward implementing the National Spatial Data Enterprise GIS Committee. This group combines Infrastructure (NSDI) to integrate and disseminate offices throughout NOAA with the goal of accurate spatial data. The goal is to offer data in centralizing GIS efforts to provide a NOAA GIS more widely used universal formats, that are community to share data, information and spatially enabled with accompanying FGDC technical expertise with standardization. The compliant metadata through a web interface. ultimate goal of this group is to combine all NOAA GIS data into a NOAA Geospatial One-Stop web 3. OBJECTIVES portal to provide a central location for easily accessible data not only to NOAA users but to The Satellite Services Division (SSD) can play a other governm ent offices and the public as well. role in this effort by utilizing the (SSD) Geographic Information System (GIS) Development Team SSD image products are produced in formats (GDT) to convert existing image products into which limit the number of users. There are a standard GIS compatible formats with limited number of sites which can use the McIDAS accompanying metadata. Offering data in more file format. Offering the data in a more widely used widely used formats which are spatially enabled format provides the user the ability to download will not only bring more users, but will also prepare and integrate data, creating value added products us for integrating our data to the National on the user end, reducing those efforts at the SSD Geospatial Data Clearinghouse and NOAA level. Geospatial One-Stop or any other web interface data sharing portal. 5. GIS STRATEGIC PLAN Providing image products in more widely used GIS technologies are ready for assimilation into SSD operational products. The GIS Strategic Plan presents a high level strategy and tactical plan for the enhancement of operational products throughout SSD. It lays out * Corresponding author address: Ralph E. Meiggs, key strategies for fulfilling the expectations NOAA/NESDIS,5200 Auth Rd., Camp Springs, expressed in the Vision statement. MD 20746; e-mail: [email protected] The elements of the Plan present a GIS roadmap • Recognize that work flow and responsibilities for the expansion of GIS that will require significant must be adjusted to achieve the benefits of a commitment of resources over the next several collaborative GIS program years. During the expansion phase of the GIS, • Make information highly available and further definition in all areas of the GIS program formatted for assimilation with disparate will be developed as an incremental process applications working from general to specific levels of detail. Key strategies that set the character and In addition to providing a roadmap for GIS direction of this program are as follows: development, a key purpose of the Plan is to • A GIS utility serving SSD and external entities communicate the goals and approaches for will address diverse needs through a reliable expanding GIS technologies throughout OSDPD. information infrastructure. • Develop partnerships with non-Office of Key program needs include: Satellite Data Products and Distribution • Highly available and useful GIS information (OSDPD) organizations to cooperatively and tools to support current SSD customers. develop and manage the GIS program • Improve service to the public with improved elements. information access. • Through cooperative agreements, acquire • Integration of GIS with existing and planned existing best practices, digital information and information systems. technical methods of implementation where • Enhancement and ongoing management of a these elements meet SSD’s specifications. GIS basemap consisting of raster and vector • Participate in NOAA’s development of a based spatial data sets. shared Geographic inform ation repository to • Enhancement of methods for generating provide a one-stop portal for accessing dynamic sensor based data sets. shared GIS information through an • Development and management of a GIS enterprise-wide network. infrastructure providing secure and reliable • Define standards for all GIS information, access to information and applications. document the standards and other Metadata • Development and management of Metadata characteristics, and provide on-line access to collection, storage and dissemination facilitate users finding information that meets techniques. a variety of analytical and scientific needs. • A governance structure to address policy and • Enhance the existing GIS data generation operational program issues that is open to methods to meet a defined quality standard stakeholder input. that fulfills SSD’s internal and user content • Skilled support staff to develop, enhance, and and accuracy requirements. maintain the core GIS program elements. • Establish guidelines and procedures for the • An ongoing coordination effort that fosters continuation of copyright and distribution collaboration on GIS program elements. controls. • Standards, specifications, and a quality • Develop an integrated maintenance process management program that enables to improve efficiency and effectiveness interdepartmental / interagency sharing of throughout all facets of GIS product information. development. • A long term funding strategy and structure to • Enhance and deploy a web-based GIS assure program longevity and sustainability. information browser application to meet the common needs expressed by SSD’s user The design of the GIS program is based on the community for basic information retrieval. following guiding principles and values: • Focus on providing quality geographic Implementation of these strategies will result in information supporting SSD current and significant changes to the current method of envisioned operational commitments information management and access. Most • Centralized GIS program administration and profound will be the reduction in redundant accountability is essential to ensure planned information management efforts, significant outcomes improvement in information accessibility and • Support the established SSD GDT to usefulness, and streamlined development and coordinate development, use, and implementation of GIS based processes. These management of geographic information changes will increase the efficiency of the SSD • Provide enduring policy direction, funding GDT and also provide improvem ents in nearly mechanisms, and coordination among every aspect of geographic information cooperating NOAA divisions management, development and access. • Embrace an extended enterprise GIS program definition • Encourage shared information resources -2- 6. POTENTIAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Center to discuss and compare GIS development efforts on ice mapping and to provide assistance Through the NOAA Enterprise GIS community with obtaining snow and ice m aps from the IMS efforts, the SSD GDT has developed various system for comparison with operational ice NOAA contacts for collaboration. Technical charting. assistance from commercial vendors are also being explored. The SSD GDT has completed work on a direct connection between the spatially enabled database The National Weather Service Office of Science located in the SSD and the National Geophysical and Technology approached the GDT of SSD for Data Center (NGDC) geospatial database for the satellite data over the eastern Atlantic basin in a purpose of making our data available to more GIS compatible format. Goes East GeoTiFF users and for entering our data in the images are integrated with NWS data in an Com prehensive Large Array-data Stewardship experimental ArcIMS