NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Partnership with Library of Congress Preserves At-risk Mapping of North Carolina

By Anna Dahlstein, External Relations

A wide range of state and local government agencies in North Carolina produce digital geospatial data for use in tax assessment, transportation planning, hazard analysis, health planning, political redistricting, homeland security, and utilities and natural resources management. Over the past ten years, there has been an exponential growth in the volume of data produced, which includes digitized maps, digital aerial photographs, and geographic information systems (GIS) data sets.

The NCSU Libraries began offering geospatial data services in the mid-1990s and was an early leader in collecting data from North Carolina's local governments. Data resources continue to be acquired, cataloged, and made available in the library and through a campus-wide networked server. These resources are used by every academic college at NCSU. The demand for geospatial data is high across such a broad spectrum of academic disciplines because "its applications are virtually infinite," according to Steve Morris, head of the Digital Library Initiatives Department at the NCSU Libraries. "Geospatial information may be compiled for a specific purpose--such as road planning or fire insurance--but it can eventually be used for all sorts of research not originally envisioned."

For instance, graduate students in the College of Natural Resources who are studying wildlife populations can gather data points in the field with Global Positioning System (GPS) units and then overlay their observations on-screen with GIS data that depicts habitat conditions. Meanwhile, economics faculty on campus have used GIS census data to track correlations between socioeconomic factors, housing values, and crime statistics.

One drawback of data that is "born digital" is that it poses special challenges for preservation and long-term access. Because computer hardware and software rapidly become obsolete, there literally is no paper trail. "In a way, is easier to locate paper maps from 1975 than GIS data from 1995," concedes Data Services Librarian Jeff Essic

Rising to this challenge, the Digital Library Initiatives Department is working on a project of national importance, albeit with a local focus. On September 30, 2004, the NCSU Libraries entered into a cooperative agreement with the Library of Congress to complete a $1 million project through the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. Over the next three years, the NCSU Libraries is partnering with the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis to collect and preserve digital geospatial data resources from state and local government agencies. Although the effort will focus solely on North Carolina, the project is expected to serve as a demonstration model for other states.

Not surprisingly, state and local agencies frequently offer more detailed and up-to-date geospatial data than federal agencies. However, entities such as county and city governments are by definition decentralized, and they focus almost exclusively on providing access to the most current data available, rather than any older versions. "There is rarely any incentive or requirement o keep older data after replacing yesterday's version with today's," explains Essic. In 2003 the North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council launched a plan to "organize the geographic information assets statewide" under a program called NC OneMap. One of the stated goals of NC OneMap is to ensure continuous access to historic and temporal data. The NCSU Libraries and the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis are now identifying available resources through the NC OneMap data inventory and acquiring at-risk data. The project partners will develop a digital repository architecture for geospatial data through use of open source software tools such as DSpace and emerging metadata standards such as Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS). In addition, the partners will investigate methods for automating the identification and capture of data resources by using emerging Open Geospatial Consortium specifications for data interoperability.

An important outcome of the North Carolina project will be the development of a model for data archiving and time series development that can guide and inform digital preservation efforts in other states and countries. "Just as local geospatial data is often of a higher quality than federal data, the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program recognizes that innovations are often best developed on the grassroots level. This project takes a ground-up approach in many regards," said Morris.

Each project partner brings complementary assets to the table. For instance, thanks to the NC OneMap initiative, the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and AnalysisÑa division within the state's Department of Environment and Natural Resources--has already secured data-sharing agreements with many of the ninety-two North Carolina counties that currently produce GIS data. Meanwhile, the NCSU Libraries has experience in balancing content providers' interests with users' interests in licensing agreements. "Thirty years from now, when a researcher needs to know the land-use patterns in the early years of the twenty-first century, our data will be extremely valuable," predicts Essic.