GIS and DM Conference — 2008 Transitioning from

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Transitioning from Shapefiles to Geodatabases Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Topics • Intros • Review GDB Concepts/Formats • Tips and Tricks/Lessons Learned • Hands-on: Converting SHP to GDB Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Why use GDBs? • Improve data integrity, consistency, speed • Faciliate data management (editing, multi-user, etc. ) • Handy storage container • Expanded functionality: – – Subtypes, domains, relationship classes Topology rules Enforce spatial references Networks, Terrains • But, GDBs are not appropriate for all situations!!! Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 GDB Pitfalls • Complexity complicates utilization: – Map display of related features, identification of attributes – Querying across relationships often requires SQL statements – Data delivery challenges • Creation and maintenance requires good GIS skills • Relationship Classes <> Database Integrity Constraints Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 SHP Pitfalls Does • Flat-file format • Restrictive naming convention • Lacks topology • Hard to track updates/versions • No inherent mechanisms to enforce data integrity • Multiple conversions required when dealing with GPS and other data sources (Analogy courtesy of Joel Cusick – AKRO!) Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 GDB Options at 9. 2 Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Geodatabase Feature Dataset Feature Classes Relationship Classes Object Tables In a feature class, a row stores a feature (sort of similar to a row in a DBF of a shapefile) Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Subtypes Allow categorization of features: • for display • for analysis • for validation Defined at feature class level Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Relationship Classes Associate feature classes to object tables or object tables to object tables • assign behaviors (e. g. cascades) • assign rules (a type of ‘integrity’) Not materialized as database relationships!!! Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Domains Data validation and integrity Defined at geodatabase level: • Useable across all FCs, tables Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 3 GDB Raster Data Types Raster Datasets Raster Catalogs Raster Attributes in feature classes or tables Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Raster Attribute Tables • Anyone remember *. VAT (value attribute tables) in Arc/INFO? Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Topology Rules • Manage how feature classes share geometries (nodes/points, arcs/lines, polys) • Enforce geometric relationships and consistencies • Enhance editing, data validation (visually) • Examples of rules (currently there are 25): – “Line must not self-intersect” – “Line must not have dangles” – “Polygons must not have overlaps” Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Other Features of 9. 2 GBDs • • • Annotation feature classes Networks/Routing Terrains Versioning, Replication and Archiving Cartographic Representations High Precision Coordinates Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Resources • Arc. GIS Help (surprisingly useful) – http: //webhelp. esri. com • EGIS’ ESRI UC 2007 site: – http: //egis. nps. gov/services/esriuc 2007. aspx • ESRI Virtual Campus: – http: //data 2. itc. nps. gov/gis/esri/vc. cfm • Tools/Utilities (Geodatabase Designer, XML Export, Case Tools, Arc. Toolbox) Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Converting to GDBs • What are your goals? – How will your data be used? – Who are your users? – Who maintains the data? • Storage vs. Usage • Read-only vs. Active Editing • Sophisticated GDB capabilities – do you really need them? Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Tips and Tricks Lessons Learned Aneth Wight and Russ Den. Bleyker (NCPN, CANY, COLM) - Vegetation Geodatabases Heather Stanton (GRE) - Data models, topology and personal SDE Judy Daniels and Branon Barrett (SRI) - File geodatabases and imagery Peter Lindstrom (CAVE) - Park data management and workflows Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Soil Resource Inventory and Geodatabases Judy Daniels Project/Data Manager 303. 969. 2091 Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 SRI File Geodatabase • Limitless storage capability • No Lock Files! • Increased performance for large files • Raster Catalog – Imagery Management • no need to cache images; referenced by the file GDB – Store individual images (SRI does not use mosaics) • Do not use the “add data” function in Arc. Map – drag image catalog object from Arc. Catalog to Arc. Map TOC (prevents loading of overlapping images) – Note: Raster datasets are continuous single raster Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 SRI Personal GDB • Locking issue with MSAccess – In Arc. GIS (desktop and server), MDB file will lock if opened by someone with read/write permission (i. e. the author) – No lock files produced with multiple users who have read-only access – Therefore, problems occur with mixed user permissions and are a concern when distributing data Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Using Help Files Stored on a Server • On Window Server 2003 OS – SRI uses help files to share soil characteristics – When complied as HTML, Windows sees it as a security risk • Open in HTML help window – blocked as security risk • LOL - both are MS products!!! – When complied as individual HTML pages, not a security risk • Open with a Internet Explorer window… • ‘Problem’ resolved!!! Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Data Modeling and Design • Choose a practical level of detail/normalization – Start with a schema (exported as XML or designed in Arc. Catalog) – Or, just hack away at it (exports/imports in Arc. Catalog, use interchange files) Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program

GIS and DM Conference - 2008 Data Prep – Some Tips • BACKUPS!!!!! • Geometry Issues – Run Repair and Clean (example tool/script) • Data clean-up (duplicates, etc. ) • Skeleton of GDB ‘model’; match up data • Data interchange (temp tables, XML, etc. ) – Test structure and logic; understand initial pitfalls of your data • Script everything you can – easy ‘do overs’ Natural Resource GIS & GIS Programs NPS Natural Resource. Program