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Alaska Geographic Data Committee (AGDC) Introductions Mark Shasby welcomed the meeting attendees. Kerry Kirkpatrick, AKDOT/PF; Kathryn Lizik, AKDOL; Ron Skillings and Everett Hinkley, USFS, were participating via teleconference from Juneau. New AGDC Members Shasby introduced the five new members of the AGDC. They are ABR Inc.; AeroMap U.S.; BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.; Kodiak Island Borough; and the University of Alaska. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (AKDEC) expressed interest in officially joining the AGDC. Revision of AGDC Charter A copy of the original AGDC charter written in 1994 was distributed. Shasby noted that the time was appropriate for the AGDC membership to consider a Co-chair. Rich McMahon, AKDNR, was nominated and the motion seconded. The AGDC charter language will be amended to reflect the addition of a Co-chair. "Cook Inlet Information Management and Monitoring System" Russell Kunibe, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, gave a presentation on the Cook Inlet Information Management and Monitoring System Project (CIIMMS). The CIIMMS project is a collaborative effort between the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, with assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Forest Service, and the US Geological Survey. The project team is comprised of representatives from each of these agencies. The goal of this two year project, funded by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, is to create an information system for the Cook Inlet Basin that is easy for all users to access and understand. The database will be composed of habitat, environmental monitoring, water quality, and other relevant environmental and geographic information. Users will access the system using a graphical user interface. A CIIMMS workshop will take place January 26-27, 1999. A prototype for the Kenai River drainage is due in August, 1999, with system implementation scheduled for September, 2000. Subcommittee and Working Group Reports Digital Orthophoto Quad (DOQ) Gust Panos, BLM, reported that a memo had been drafted to Randy Olsen, Chief, Rocky Mountain Mapping Center, USGS, reiterating the AGDC-defined specifications for DOQs produced for Alaska. Alaska Digital Orthophoto Program Standards Scale: 1:25,000 A pilot project that will compare the costs associated with producing DOQs through commercial or satellite imagery is being considered as part of the DOI High-Priority Digital Base Data Program for Alaska in FY 1999. Under the DOI High-Priority Digital Base Data Program and other possible cost share agreements, complete DOQ coverage over Alaska is expected by 2004. Earth/Land Cover Sara Wesser, NPS, reported that the group is concentrating on developing a statewide land cover classification for Alaska. A consensus is growing that all interested parties need to work together to reach this goal. Wesser noted that the national level of interest has diminished which should give Alaska a sufficient time frame to complete the development of its own land cover classification system. Hydrography Dennis Tol, BLM, noted that there was no National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) pilot available for Alaska to date. The completion of the NHD for the lower 48 has been delayed and NHD in Alaska will not be addressed until that task is completed. The pilot for Alaska is expected by the end of March. Tol gave a presentation, "Integrating Tabular Data Using A Common Key." This was developed using dbase, Informix, and Excel spreadsheets. Three different watersheds were used as the pilot for demonstrating the routing procedure using the State of Alaska's anadromous fish database. The hydrography subcommittee will schedule a meeting date in January to work on a strategy to develop an interagency agreement to fund routing throughout the State. Shasby showcased a National Elevation Database (NED) image of the Cook Inlet Basin that was recently produced by staff at the USGS EROS Data Center. Transportation Rich McMahon, AKDNR, discussed the FGDC grant that will help to coordinate the effort to centerline all of Alaska's roads at the 1:63,360-scale. Source data for this effort will be the result of AKDOT/PF staff physically driving the roads using differential GPS mounted on the vehicle. There is a lot of data that needs to post processed. The staff of AKDOT/PF in Juneau is small, and this effort is time consuming. Data that was obtained in 1997 has been post processed, 1998 data is still awaiting post processing. This grant will also be used to pull together transportation data held by the boroughs and to perform data assessment. McMahon proposed having a transportation subcommittee meeting during the Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference in February to keep this project dynamic. Cadastral Rich McMahon, AKDNR, also reported on the activities of the cadastral subcommittee. A meeting was held in December. He noted that good progress was made on defining boundaries for conservation units. They was general agreement that the data from the Federal sector was good with sufficient attribution. The subcommittee is looking at an April deadline. McMahon also reported on the progress of the plat scanning project. BLM has completed the 1:25,000-scale source documents which comprise 5 meridians. AKDNR has done most of the testing and are in agreement with BLM. A common 'front door' is envisioned. There are issues relating to NAD27 versus NAD83. The vast majority of Alaska data is in NAD27. New data will be produced in NAD83 and the conversion to this new datum has been largely been ignored by the State. The idea was brought up that it may be prudent to apply for another FGDC grant for Alaska to address this conversion issue. Coastal Geodetic Bob Pawlowski, NOAA, reported that there are no formal actions regarding the subcommittee at present. He noted that there will be an increase in geodetic surveying over the next 3 years. New technology has produced a pronounced change in the density of ocean bottom point coverage. Pawlowski noted that NOAA is developing more Internet linkages including the Map Finder Index and the Tidal Station Index. NOAA raster charts are a geo-tool and other tools are being developed to convert graphics from NAD83 to NAD27. An 8-hour short course will be given at the Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference for hydrologic surveying. Clearinghouse Emily Binnian, USGS, reported that Dorothy Mortenson, AKDNR, has agreed to come on board as Co-chair of the working group along with Shari George, UAF/ADVAL. Binnian gave a presentation of the activities of the Clearinghouse and pointed out that there is no one metadata solution. Mortenson gave a brief overview of the activities of the State Clearinghouse group. This site can be accessed at <www.asgdc.state.ak.us>. Data Management Jim Haga, USGS, reported that the majority of the digital raster graphics (DRG) had been clipped by Jay Johnson. The one degree DEMs have been converted to ArcInfo .bil format with only a minor problem. The data will be publically available through the AGDC Clearinghouse. Graphic Revision Greg Durocher, USGS, showed the group a copy of the single edition USGS/USFS 1:63,360-scale map. There are 21 1:63K updated, single edition maps currently available through the Earth Science Information Center. A style sheet for the new graphics revision format was available for comment. The USGS has agreed to keep the controversial swamp symbology on future graphic map revisions. Soils Joe White, NRCS, noted that 340 national soil surveys have been certified to date. Alaska will have its first soil survey certified in the near future. Future Directions for the AGDC Shasby pointed out that until now, the AGDC has focused on data acquisition, primarily through the DOI High-Priority Digital Base Data Program. He suggested the possibility of having a speaker from Open GIS scheduled during the Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference in February. The AGDC should examine exploring different applications and the support for open concepts for data sharing and dissemination in the future. Other Business Ron Skillings, USFS, Juneau, emphasized that there is a shortfall on data management expertise and that there should be an increase in training in areas such as ArcTool development. Next Meeting The next general membership meeting of the AGDC is tentatively scheduled for March, 1999. Date, time, and location will be determined at a later date. Meeting notices will be posted on the Clearinghouse Home Page. |
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