Panel: Strategies for CyberGIS Partner Engagement

1. What CyberGIS activities, particularly those conducted by your organization for example, are setting directions for CyberGIS research and education community engagement?

Geospatial data acquisition and processing, particularly lidar, IfSar, and image data

Data modeling, specifically 3d and temporal GIS. Currently working with commercial partners to determine a suitable solution using high performance computing and CyberGIS

Building semantics for terrain data. Community development of semantics in the form of Ontology Design Patterns, but solution of using the semantics for geospatial data (particularly terrain and hydrography) will rely on CyberGIS

USGS integrated science is being developed using CyberGISClimate change effectsNatural hazard modeling, e.g., wildfireEcosystem servicesHydrological modelingSpecies habitatEnvironmental effects on human and wildlife healthMinerals and energy

Quality LevelSource Point Density

Pulse Spacing

DEM post Spacing

Vertical Accuracy (RMSE)

Contour Interval

QL 2 LiDAR 2 pts/m2 0.7 m 1/27 arc-sec ~1 meter 9.25 cm 1-ft

For the U.S. data volumes will be 7-9 petabytes with complete coverage in 8 years. (includes only point cloud, intensity signals, and bare Earth elevation model; other products to be determined and add to data volume)

Source Data Driving need for CyberGIS

2. Where do you and your organization see CyberGIS developments headed as strategic directions for research, education, and/or practice?

• Currently use desktop and server-based GIS for automatically generating topographic maps from USGS geospatial databases (The National Map). We generate over 100 maps per day. Each map is a complete 7.5 minute topographic tile with final cartographic labeling and symbolization

• Elements of this process are now moving to CyberGIS based on high performance parallel computing

• The change in resolution and data volume of elevation data used for contour and hydrography generation from 10 m post spacing , currently in use, to 1 m spacing (100 times increase in resolution and data volume) drives research in CyberGIS

• CyberGIS developments in parallel i/o and data handling and user interface simplification are critical for this transition

3. How might we further develop the partner engagement aspect of the CyberGIS project? What needs to happen, what might be done?

• Streamline user interface and access for partners• Develop capability so partners can pose problems and a search process

determines data needs and availability, retrieves data if user says go, and presents solution

• Engage efforts in CyberGIS from government and commercial sector• Develop CyberGIS solutions for partners, e.g., local government geospatial

modeling

4. Are there particular strategies that are more challenging to address, but with higher payoff, if the CyberGIS project were to more broadly engage the research and education community? How might that be done?

• Handling higher resolution data

• Digital Earth with centimeter resolution data

5. What other comments about strategies for CyberGIS partner engagement do you want to voice?

• Basic problem is understanding CyberGIS and how it can be used

• Demonstrate vlue of CyberGIS over other methods