KGS ITGeoinformatics Activities

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KGS IT/Geoinformatics Activities Ken Nelson,
Jeremy Bartley, Kurt Look
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KGS Computing Resources
A central part of the Surveys mission is to
preserve and disseminate information. While we
have full access to the computing resources of
the University of Kansas, the Survey has invested
heavily in its own computing infrastructure since
the early 1960s. As new grants and projects are
proposed, we can leverage this investment,
allowing much of the effort on a grant to go into
the project, not into infrastructure development.
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Geoinformatics?
Our definition The application of computer
technologies and methodologies to scientific
results with spatial-temporal coordinates. Alter
nate definition A fancy way to explain why we
have so many servers in the machine room and so
many programmers running around the building
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KGS Geoinformatics Research Development

• Data
• Legacy (notebooks, literature, scanned logs)
• Repository for newly acquired data (WWC5,
  Petroleum)
• Creating/Collecting new data (Wizard, seismic).
• Tools
• Web based, project independent
• Designed to do specific tasks (scientific,
  educational)
• Run off of database or XML.
• Data Distribution-Access
• Query, Download, Visualize
• Portals
• Organized web sites that catalog a specific
  topic
• Interoperable, distributed connections between
  different data repositories.
• IT Infrastructure
• Redundancy (24/7)

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Technical Architecture
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Application Development

• KGS uses a combination of commercial and
  open-source application development tools
• ColdFusion MX Application Server
• Flash
• JavaScript
• Java.
• We do not use the Microsoft development
  environment (mainly for security reasons)
• ASP
• .Net
• Internet Information Server (IIS)
• SQL Server.

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Informatics Staff Resources

• Computer Services
• Kurt Look - Section Manager/Oracle
  DBA/Programmer
• Jim Deputy - Unix Administrator
• Mike Neighbors - Network Administrator
• Glen Gagnon Programmer.
• GIS Services/DASC
• Ken Nelson - Section Manager
• Jeremy Bartley GIS/Geoinformatics
  Coordinator
• Asif Iqbal Application Developer/Programmer
• Keith Hunsinger Application
  Developer/Programmer
• Shawn Saving GIS Specialist
• Amber Reynolds DASC Portal Manager/Application
  Developer
• Mike Killion GIS Specialist/Application
  Developer
• (3) Graduate Students IT/Geography.
• Energy Research
• Melissa Moore Data Manager
• Ken Stalder Web Developer

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IT Management Practices

• Redundant data backup
• On-site/Off-site
• Multiple electronic media format (CD, SDLT
  tape, DVD)
• Oracle backup file based system backup.
• Redundant Oracle server
• Nightly replication
• Hosted at KU Computer Center
• Hosted at the Arkansas Geographic Information
  Office (AGIO).
• Remote system management utilities
• System (stop/start services Apache, Tomcat,
  ColdFusion, ArcIMS, reboot)
• MapServices (start/stop/add/remove/edit/transfer
  to backup server)
• Automated error-tracking and notification
• Only requires a browser password protected.
• Redundant application servers (under
  development)
• Apache HTTP server
• Tomcat servlet engine
• ColdFusion/Java
• ArcIMS.

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Off-site Backup Server

• During FY05, DASC began to acquire the necessary
  hardware and software components to develop a
  fully redundant backup system. The backup system
  will be hosted at the Arkansas Geographic
  Information Office (AGIO) in Little Rock,
  Arkansas and will provide backup for the Kansas
  Geodatabase, the Kansas Geospatial Community
  Commons (KGCC) web site, and DASCs web-based GIS
  services. The hardware/software components of
  the system are listed below
• Hardware
• RDBMS server - Sun Fire V240
• Application server Dell PowerEdge 2850
• Storage array - HP StorageWorks MSA30
• Hard disk storage (10) 146.8-GB 10,000 rpm
• Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - APC 1000
• Rack storage 15U height computer system rack
• Software
• ColdFusion MX 7 Application Server
• ArcIMS
• ArcSDE
• Oracle Standard Edition
• Apache HTTP Server
• Jakarta-Tomcat Servlet Engine
• NSF is starting to require proposals to address
  backup and redundancy architecture.

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KGS/DASC Geodatabase Access Model
Statewide database extracts available in
multiple geospatial data formats
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Custom database extracts available in ESRI
formats - Shapefile and Personal Geodatabase
(9.x). User defines spatial extent, format,
projection, and clip preferences
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Map Services available in ESRI or OpenGIS
Consortium (OGC) formats
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Geodatabase
Web applications interactive mapping
applications available via any standard web
browser. Applications range from simple data
viewers to targeted applications with advanced
geoprocessing capabilities
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Web services geospatial data and geoprocessing
functions exposed through standard URL and SOAP
protocols that can be integrated into other
web-based applications.
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Kansas Geodatabase Catalog
Databases available in multiple map service
formats
Databases available in multiple formats
Interactive preview
Metadata delivered via web service
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Development Hosting Partnerships

• KU Department of Geology Doug Walker (NAVDAT
  EarthChem), Alumni mapping (Larry Brady/Bob
  Goldstein)
• KU Department of Biology Daphne Fautin
  (Biogeoinformatics of Hexacorals, Ocean
  Biogeoinformatics System (OBIS), Assembling the
  Tree of Life (AToL)
• Ohio State University Meg Daly (Edwardsid)
• KU Department of Education - Pathfinder Science
  (Steve Case Tom Baker)
• DASC Partnerships Division of Water Resources
  (DWR), Division of Health Policy Finance,
  Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program (KARS),
  Kansas Department of Health Environment (KDHE),
  Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM),
  Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS), Kansas
  Department of Wildlife Parks (KDWP), Kansas
  Water Office (KWO), Kansas Bureau of
  Investigations (KBI), State Conservation
  Commission (SCC), Northeast Kansas Environmental
  Services (NEKES), Kansas Alliance for Wetlands
  Streams (KAWS), Douglas County, Shawnee County,
  City of Lawrence, Burns McDonnell Engineering
• Why? leverage the investment in one database
  and application server infrastructure.

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Image Viewer (DRG superimposed on top of DOQQ)
A basic data viewer
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Kansas Green Report (KARS)
The Kansas Green Report provides images showing
current vegetation conditions, greenness maps,
and difference maps as compared to the previous
week, the previous year, and the average
vegetation conditions.
Dynamic data satellite imagery updated weekly
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Water Information Storage and Retrieval Database
(WIZARD)
Linking from pre-existing databases to the map
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Water Well Completion Records (WWC5)
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Petroleum Research
Map content is determined on-the-fly based on a
database join and user-defined preferences
(query)
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Find My Elected Officials
Performs a GIS function (point in polygon
analysis) to return the appropriate information
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Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) KDHE/Burns
McDonnell/DASC
User validates existing data and can digitize
additional data points (data development)
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Demonstration

• MapMaker web-based cartographic development
• Geolocator web-based GIS database
  development
• KGS Mapper potential habitat modeling web
  mapping service that renders data from
  standards-based oceanic species observations
• NATCARB integration of data from multiple map
  services into one geographic view
• Mapdex an index of over 2,000 servers and
  36,000 (and growing) map services.

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KGS Geoinformatics Team
Tim Carr John Doveton Lynn Watney Kurt Look Dana
Adkins-Heljeson Jeremy Bartley John Victorine Ken
Nelson Asif Iqbal Brownie Wilson
Margaret Townsend Bob Buddemeier Daphne
Fautin Dave Young Geoff Bohling Amber Shultz Mike
Killion Glen Gagnon Melissa Moore Ken Stalder
And many others..
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Contact Information
Ken Nelson GIS Services Section
Manager Kansas Geological Survey 785-864-216
4 nelson_at_kgs.ku.edu Jeremy Bartley KGS
GIS/Geoinformatics Coordinator Kansas
Geological Survey 785-864-2126 jbartley_at_kgs.
ku.edu Kurt Look Computer Services Section
Manager Kansas Geological Survey 785-864-208
6 look_at_kgs.ku.edu