Integrating and Standardizing Integrating and Standardizing Trails Data for West VirginiaTrails Data for West Virginia

Evan FedorkoEvan Fedorko13 April 201013 April 2010

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Project Goals

• Combine trail data (spatial and tabular) for West Virginia into one dataset– Dataset must be easily updateable – features

must be easily traceable to source dataset• Conduct a gap analysis• Utilize Federal Interagency Trails Data

Standard for development

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Benefits

• Consolidates WVDOT Trail Coordinator’s knowledge into one DB and allows for spatial queries along side existing tabular reports

• Framework layer for future trail outreach, management, tourism applications, etc.

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Study Area

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Data

• Spatial data: available for ~2,300 miles of trails;

• Tabular data: available for ~3,100 miles of trails encompassing ~10,000 individual trails

• Challenge: merging spatial datasets with one another, with tabular data and then conducting a gap analysis – all within funding constraints!

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Target Attributes

• Based on the FITS - why use this standard?– Well vetted– Designed for use across agencies– Well documented

• Will the standard work as a tool for compilation rather than data development and maintenance?

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Source Attributes

• Spatial data sources from ~10 agencies• Actual trail managers/stakeholders number

closer to 200 given lack of top down standards within some organizations and varying degrees of local activity

• Existing attributes vary. Mostly skeletal.

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Process

• Compile existing data• Add/remove datasets based on currentness,

extent, etc.

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Process (2)

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Process (3)

• Database design for new dataset• Mostly straightforward – utilize FITS for fields and

field definitions• Some fields are being dropped due to their

program specificity• Challenge: we must be able to trace each feature

back to an originating agency/dataset for the purpose of future updates– Likely solution: Custom attribute

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Process (4)

• Edit source data to eliminate repetition• Combine into single dataset– QA/QC attribute field map

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Tracking Sources

• Development of a “tracking” attribute is a top priority

• Plan is to track three things:– Data source agency– Date of current source data– Date of last compilation

• We hope this will make “delete and replace” style updates very simple and based entirely on attributes

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Harmonization

• WVDOT Trail Coordinator maintains a tabular database of WV trails.

• That data is unique and needs to be preserved – somehow we need to harmonize that information with spatial data

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New Attributes and Datasets

• Develop new attribute values where possible– Attributes from WVDOT database– Geographic attributes; eg. County, Congressional

district, etc• Create new versions of source datasets and

provide to stakeholders

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Comments on FITD

• Devoid of attributes such as:– Source scale– Accuracy metric– Feature date

• Model seems to struggle between trail management information and trail entity information.

• That being said, FITD does mandate the creation of FGDC metadata which will fill holes.

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Comments on FITD (2)

• Data model does a great job of:– Tracking/querying trail type– Allows us to store ATV trail info alongside rail

trails, wilderness trails, etc.

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Timeline

• Data processing has begun – principal compilation efforts expected to be complete within ~1 month.

• Gap analysis sometime within another month. • True test: receipt of updated data from a trail

stakeholder!

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Questions?

• Thank you for your time!

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