Experiences with Data Dissemination

1
Experiences with Data Dissemination

• ACMLA Meetings
• Toronto, 2002
• Bo Wandschneider
• Manager Academic Service
• University of Guelph
• Bo_at_uoguelph.ca

2
Introduction

• Parallels between what we went through in Data
  Centre with DLI and what GIS librarians going
  through now
• There is overlap and we can gain from each others
  experiences
• Many sites integrate data and maps

3
Topics of Discussion

• History of DRC
• Proposal Stage
• Why Successful
• Hardware
• What You Need
• Developments
• GIS

4
What To Expect

• Not providing answers
• Outlining our process and solutions with respect
  to data
• May help you make decisions for your own site
  with respect to geospatial data
• Speak in general terms with focus on UoG
  experiences

5
History of DRC I

• Grew out of the Social Sciences
• There was a need
• Economics researchers did a lot of empirical work
  and other departments looked to their support
  person for help (this included library)
• Already developed interfaces to CANSIM, CRSP and
  LAVAL

6
History of DRC II

• Joined ICPSR in early 90s
• Questions re funding and support
• Attended a summer workshop at ICPSR put on by
  Chuck Humphrey, Diane Geraci and Jim Jacobs
• Visited Laine Russ and Vince Gray and talked to
  lots of of people on lists like CAPDU, DLI,
  IASSIST

7
Proposal Stage

• Based on information gathered
• Wrote a detailed proposal outlining various
  models for a Guelph data centre in 1993
• Flogged it to EVERYONE
• DLI was the key
• Kansas was playing with SAS/Perl
• Developed a prototype

8
Proposal to Pilot

• Set up a Pilot in Fall of 1996
• Partnership between CCS and Library and CSS
• Moved from CSS to CCS partnership changed
• SAC formed to give us a forum to vet ideas and
  generate support

9
Why Successful

• Timing was right latent demand
• Collaborative CCS/Library
• Built a TEAM
• Librarian - Gov Docs
• Library Associate - Gov Docs
• Systems Analyst programmer
• Systems Analyst background with data
  applications in Social Science research

10
Hardware/Infrastructure

• Physical location with personal/public
  workstations in Library
• Central Unix Server (piggy back on Stats Server)
• Started as HP K200, single Processor, 256 Mb
  memory with about 10GB dedicated to DRC
• Now a Sun E450, 4 processor, 4Gb memory with
  about 200GB disk for DRC

11
What you need

• Need someone with vision and drive
• Dont get stuck talking in committees about
  problems needs and ideal solutions. Although,
  buy-in is critical
• Demand is out there now so get the info to the
  users and worry about the details later.
• Someone will always do it better tomorrow use
  that to grow your service
• Get people with hands-on experience or train,
  train, train This is applied work
• Publicize

12
Further Developments

• Moved to integrate with Gov Docs Reference
  (challenging, really just happening over last
  year)
• TDR partnership
• Developed DDI compliant metadata
• GIS

13
GIS

• From the beginning we discussed what to do with
  Census Maps
• Lacked GIS skills on our team
• Most of our data is geo-spatially referenced
• Problem - no consensus on GIS tools on campus
• Lacked specialized equipment/lab in library to
  deliver information
• Needs exist in departments beyond core GIS users

14
GIS - What we did first

• Started small biggest bang for the buck
• Hired a work study student
• They wrote web pages to wrap around census files
• Explained files and how to use them in detail
• Simply served the files to user
• Worked very well
• Used by other sites
• http//drc.uoguelph.ca/GEOG/geogindex.htm

15
GIS - What happened?

• NTDB, NRVIS, DMTI, DCRB, Grand River, Municipal,
  OMAFRA Soil Maps .
• This is a good thing, right ?
• déjà vu ?

16
GIS - What did we do next

• Jenny Marvin became the GIS librarian
• Integrated, Gov Docs, Data and Maps
• Changes in CCS staffing of DRC allowed us to have
  our staff gain experience with GIS, specifically
  ESRI
• Negotiated a site licence for ESRI on campus
• Someone gave us a disk tower
• Still a partnership between CCS and Library

17
GIS - What else did we do

• Wrote pages around the new data and served it to
  the users like what we did for census
• Added 3 work stations outside DRC with account
  security for maps that need licences signed by
  user (incl. ESRI and CDRWs)
• High School and Work Study help
• Onus is still on the client to figure out how to
  view information they need the skills

18
GIS - What are we going to do

• ARCIMS deliver maps on the web for those with
  no GIS skills
• ARC Catalog create metadata for collection
• Offer training in ARCGIS similar to what we do
  with SAS and SPSS
• Promote use of ESRI
• Establish a GIS lab in library
• http//drc.uoguelph.ca/GIS_SITE/