Why The Historic Environment Needs A Spatial Data Infrastructure

Why the historic environment needs a Spatial Data infrastructure

Peter McKeague (Historic Environment Scotland), Anthony Corns (Discovery Programme, Ireland)

Axel Posluschny (University of Bamberg, Germany)

Laser scanning Analysis

Field survey

Remote sensing

Excavation Create the evidence base

Inform decision making

Historic Environment data – inherently spatial

But we don’t always know where the data is • Retained by the data creator• Lost• Deposited in an archive – if so which archive

o Is it accessioned?o Is it catalogued?

• Or how to use the data with other datasets o Lack of standards in contento Accuracy and format across projects

• Further hindered by accessibility o Copyright o Intellectual Property Rightso Data hoarding

….but not easily accessible

INSPIRE sets down the general rules for establishing an infrastructure for spatial information in Europe for the purposes of Community environmental policies and policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment

• Data should be collected once and maintained at the level where this can be done most effectively

• The ability to combine seamlessly spatial data from different sources and share it between many users and applications

• Spatial data should be collected at one level of government (the Profession) and shared between all levels

• Spatial data needed for good Governance should be available on conditions that are not restricting its extensive re-use • It should be easy to discover which spatial data is available, to evaluate its fitness for purpose, and to know which conditions apply for its use.

Source: (after) David Fry, Inspire Directive: GIS Professional issue 15, April 2007, 18

Measure

once,

use m

any

times

and follows good governance of spatial data as defined by INSPIREINSPIRE: Delivering spatial data efficiently

The INSPIRE Directive: themes

Source: http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reports/ImplementingRules/inspireDataspecD2_3v2.0.pdf

Annex I1. Coordinate reference systems2. Geographical grid systems3. Geographical names4. Administrative units5. Addresses6. Cadastral parcels7. Transport networks8. Hydrography9. Protected sites - *

Annex II1. Elevation2. Land cover3. Ortho-imagery4. Geology

Annex III 1. Statistical units 2. Buildings 3. Soil 4. Land use 5. Human health and safety 6. Utility and governmental services 7. Environmental monitoring facilities - * 8. Production and industrial facilities - * 9. Agricultural and aquaculture facilities - * 10. Population distribution – demography 11. Area management/restriction/regulation zones & reporting units - * 12. Natural risk zones 13. Atmospheric conditions - * 14. Meteorological geographical features - * 15. Oceanographic geographical features 16. Sea regions 17. Bio-geographical regions - * 18. Habitats and biotopes - * 19. Species distribution - * 20. Energy Resources - * 21. Mineral resources - *

-* heavy weighting towards the natural environment

Annex I Protected Sites and the wider Historic Environment

A Protected Site is defined as an

“Area designated or managed within a framework ofinternational, Community and Member States' legislation to achieve specific conservation objectives” [Directive 2007/2/EC].

“..a Protected Site is an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effectivemeans.” [International Union for the Conservation of Nature]

The INSPIRE Directive – Protected Sites

What is a Spatial Data Infrastructure?

Coordinating body

Component GI Services

Framework GI / Thematic GI

Interoperability Standards

Resources Research & Development

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SDI is the technology, policies, standards, human resources and related activities necessary to acquire, process, distribute, use,maintain and preserve spatial data

What is a Spatial Data Infrastructure? … and why it matters

GI Enabled Business Applications and Services

Coordinating body

Component GI Services

Framework GI / Thematic GI

Interoperability Standards

Resources Research & Development

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Social, Economic and Environmental Benefits

The INSPIRE Directive

• Requires that existing data held by member states is compliant with INSPIRE standards

• It does not require the creation of new datasets but it does state that when new datasets are created they must comply with INSPIRE standards

• INSPIRE requires Metadata for the creation and maintenance of searchable catalogues to identify what data is available, who holds it and any access constraints.

• INSPIRE requires data publishers to setup network servicesView Services (WMS) Transformation servicesData harmonisation – consistent schemaDownload services (WFS and ATOM feed)

• INSPIRE outlines charging for public access to services

• Monitoring and reporting on INSPIRE compliance

• INSPIRE is about Public Sector data – it does not address data created by the private sector

Publication in Portals

Compiled by data curatorPublished on Scottish SDI

Harvested to UK data.gov.uk portal

(and copied to MEDIN portal for marine data)

And in turn to the INSPIRE geo-portal

Separate metadata records for Resource discovery (datasets)View: Web Map Services Download: Web Feature Services

Data search and retrieval only as good as the Indexing of terms

What is needed is a dedicated portal for heritage datasets ?

Metadata records

Common terminologies

Brandenburg Tor, Berlin, Germany The East Port, Dundee, Scotland http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/details/1232014/Attribution: James Denham

Bootham Bar, York, England

WP15 Linking Archaeologica

l Data.

Remote access, visibility and what we value: Eco-system services

http://www.openness-project.eu/

Managing change in landscapes throughdecision support tools (Quickscan)

Data needs to be understood by the non-specialist user

Excavation

Laser scanning

Analysis

and the techniques that inform our interpretation and decision making

The I

The INSPIRE Directive and the historic environment – much more than Sites

Cropmark interpretation Remote sensing

Field survey

Project

Remote Sensing (Magnetometry,

resistivity etc)

Extent

Processed data

Analysis /Interpretation

Field Survey

Extent

Mapping / Interpretation

Excavation

Extent

Trench details (Contexts)

Interpretation

Activity

Levels of information from fieldwork

Data specific metadata

Spatial Discovery metadata: Describes the nature and content of the dataset

Exploration metadata:The information required to ensure the data is appropriate for purpose

Exploitation metadata:The information required to access, transfer and apply the data

Geophysical survey Airborne Laser Scanning Laser scanning

After:Shaw, R., Corns, A. and McAuley J. Archiving Archaeological Spatial Data: Standards and MetadataIn the online proceedings of Making History Interactive, CAA 2009, 22-26 March 2009, Wiliamsburg, Virginia, USA

http://field2archive.org/map.php

Publication of remote sensing data: The National Roads Authority, Ireland

So why develop a thematic Spatial Data Infrastructure?

Coordinating body

Component GI Services

Framework GI / Thematic GI

Interoperability Standards

Resources Research & Development

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There is a wealth of spatial data created through fieldwork, analysis and designation

The value of the data is not realised beyond the individual project- too often locked into publication and grey literature reports or catalogued in an archive

There is a need for a thematic approach to mapping: A Spatial Data infrastructure for Heritage

A thematic Spatial Data Infrastructure … work in progress?

Access Mechanism

Framework GI / Thematic GI

Component GI Services

Interoperability Standards CIDOC – CRM, Europeana EDM

Portals, Metadata, View and Download services

Need to agree on datasets and specifications

Policies / Legal Framework INSPIRE but no sectorial framework

Coordinating body No coordinated approach

Anyone who creates spatial data relating to heritageResources

Guidance exists, piecemeal implementation

Research & Development Ariadne, Arena, Europeana?

If OpenStreetmap can do it…why can’t we?

Peter McKeague (Historic Environment Scotland)peter.mckeague@rcahms.gov.uk

Anthony Corns (Discovery Programme, Ireland)anthony@discoveryprogramme.ie

Axel Posluschny(University of Bamberg, Germany)axel.posluschny@uni-bamberg.de

Why the historic environment needs a Spatial Data infrastructure