Data Delivery

The delivery of information to the widest possible number of users is key to RSGL's efforts. Geospatial information of all kinds, once the domain of specialists, is now available to every citizen in the region. Participatory governance and decision making is improved in this manner. Toward this goal, the Lab is developing Internet-based delivery of information.

TerraSIP
TerraSIP was created to address the need for timely and accuracte land cover and use for land managers and the public.  The objective is to develop applications of satellite imagery and related geospatial data for Minnesota and other Upper Great Lakes states by using:

• Open Source MapServer development

• Procesing techniques for AVHRR, MODIS, and Landsat Imagery

• Internet delivery of geospatial data

• Geospatial educational outreach for 7 - 12

• Prototyping a GIS for Wildlife Refuge Management Planning

Prototyping a GIS for Wildlife Refuge Management Planning
University researchers are working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to build GIS capability for Comprehensive Planning (CMP) efforts for wildlife refuges across eight upper Midwest states.  The project is:

• Producing legislative boundaries, WPA's, and easement boundaries for refuge areas in this Midwest region.

• Gathering base map and refuge-specific layers

MapServer
MapServer is an Internet-based GIS software can run in a web browser and deliver GIS data products created dynamically from underlying datasets. MapServer is Open Source software, built upon other Open Source components. MapServer also supports popular, commercial GIS data formats including ESRI shapefiles, ESRI ArcSDE, and ERDAS. MapServer allows data to be simultaneously accessed in any of the multiple supported formats, and output generated (and re-projected) in a uniform, standard way.