Surveying, Mapping and GIS

The Times of India brings a story, speaking to the necessity of preserving maps and records dealing with boundaries - apparently the official maps depicting the boundary of the Indian state of Nagaland have gone completely missing.

Nagaland is a hill state in the foothills of the Himalayas, located in the far northeast of India, adjoining the Indian states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, and bordering Myanmar (formerly Burma) to the east.

From the article,

The government has lost all "original documents" — comprising details of boundaries — of Nagaland, in a glaring instance of callous handling of vital public documents.

The Union home ministry and the Assam government, which originally kept the records of Nagaland, do not even have the valid "map" of the state which ironically is in the throes of violence sparked by the demand to carve out Greater Nagaland by extending the existing boundaries of the state.

The matter came as a shock to home ministry officials when it was brought to light for the first time by Nagaland during its submission before the Local Commission on the Assam-Nagaland Border here last week.

In response to the commission's direction to submit before it the original documents of the state to settle boundary disputes, Nagaland said it was not in a position to give the written statement unless "its original documents which were purportedly lost by Assam" were returned.

At present, it looks like some of the details of the boundary will have to be recreated from surveys and whatever remaining documentation can be salvaged. The region has not been without its share of historic boundary disputes.

Was just a little over a year ago that I shrugged at the release of the iPhone... Finally, they are coming through with some of the things I suggested quite a while back, primarily

• True GPS


• 3G data connection vs. EDGE

Almost as good as my AT&T Tilt now, but still doesn't run all of the mobile GIS apps I have.

This is an interesting view of the United States:

- found on Ben Fry's website, http://benfry.com/allstreets/index.html

The author compiled all local roads, and visual patterns of density and human use rapidly emerge. Here, a mix of physical barriers (such as valleys within the Appalachians) can be seen along with major corridors of development. There are still some blocks within some states which are not fully populated (shown as generally-rectangular, lighter-density areas in some of the midwest states), Fry ascribes this to differences in how roads are characterized and classified.

For developers using Virtual Earth, the Virtual Earth API version 6.1 was released a few days ago:

Official SDK Documentation: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb429619.aspx

Other discussion:

• Steve Lombardi's Blog (Microsoft) on 6.1 Enhancements: http://virtualearth.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!2BBC66E99FDCDB98!14129.entry
• Chris Pendleton's Blog (Microsoft) on 6.1 Enhancements: http://blogs.msdn.com/virtualearth/archive/2008/04/11/new-virtual-earth-api-release-virtual-earth-6-1.aspx
• Johannes Kebeck's Blog on 6.1 Enhancements: http://johanneskebeck.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!42E1F70205EC8A96!3858.entry

Overview of changes: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb412561.aspx

Virtual Earth Map Control SDK, version 6.1

What's New in the Map Control?

Welcome to version 6.1 of the Virtual Earth map control. This page explains the new features for version 6.0 and 6.1 on a high level. To see a detailed list of the objects, methods, and properties that have changed, see the Version Changelist.

Version 6.0 and 6.1 of the map control includes improvements in the following areas:

• Enhanced accuracy
• Additional functionality
• Enhanced performance
  

Enhanced Accuracy

The Virtual Earth team is committed to constantly improving the accuracy of the map control. This release of the map control includes improvements in the following areas.

• Enhanced Geocoding. The map control integrates multiple geocoders and datasets to provide the most relevant and accurate results. You can perform these searches using the VEMap.Find Method.



• Rooftop Geocoding. Rooftop locations are the most precise geocoding results available in the United States today. Rooftop geocoding is now available through the map control VEMap.Find Method.



• Consistent Pushpin Accuracy. When switching between aerial and birdseye views, pushpin accuracy is maintained, delivering a more seamless experience. Use the VEMap.SetShapesAccuracy Method to get the accuracy you desire.

Additional Functionality

This release of the map control includes additional functionality in the following areas.

• Printing support. Use the VEMap.SetPrintOptions Method to enable printing support.



• Reverse Geocoding. Reverse geocoding allows the user to find places based on a specific point on the map. Use the VEMap.FindLocations Method to accomplish this.



• Traffic-based Routes. A new option allows the use of available traffic information in route calculations, enabling quicker routes and more accurate route times during heavy traffic periods. Use the VERouteOptions.UseTraffic Property to turn on this feature.



• Birdseye Map Style with Labels. A road label overlay increases the usability of the Birdseye map style. This map style is called BirdseyeHybrid and is a new member of the VEMapStyle Enumeration.



• Walking Directions. Provide users the option to walk to their destination by returning walking directions instead of driving directions. To return walking directions, set the VERouteOptions.RouteMode Property to VERouteMode.Walking.



• Multipoint Routing. A new method takes multiple points for a route instead of just start and end points, allowing for more complex trip planning. Localized directions are also available in this version. Use the VEMap.GetDirections Method to get a multipoint route.



• Bulk Addition of Shapes. A new method to add multiple pushpins in one call while maintaining high performance and avoiding performance slowdowns. Use the VEMap.AddShape Method to add multiple pushpins.



• Improved Shape Control. You can now specify how a shape object appears relative to other shapes or tile objects, providing greater control in viewing data and objects. Use the VEShape Class to create shapes.



• MapCruncher (Beta). MapCruncher Beta for Microsoft Virtual Earth makes it easy to publish maps overlaid in an application using the Virtual Earth map control. See the MapCruncher Web page for further information.



• 3D Altitude Settings. Altitudes for three-dimensional objects can now be specified in meters.



• Updated interactive SDK. A new version of the Virtual Earth Interactive SDK is available, demonstrating the new functionality of the Virtual Earth Map Control. See the Virtual Earth Interactive SDK Web page for further information.

Enhanced Performance

There have been significant speed and accuracy improvements for pushpins and shapes, even in high numbers. Performance enhancements also include faster map panning.

Version Changelist is available here: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb412440.aspx

The New York Post has an article today, titled "Treasured Maps" - highlighting the work of Scott Stringer, who is charged with preserving historic maps of New York City - among them, the Randel Farm map, which laid out the grid of Manhattan Island from Houston to 155th St.

These historic maps show many features of streams, wetlands, lakes and other things which have since been reshaped through development - a timeline of the good, bad, and the ugly contained in a map repository going back to 1748.

The world needs more Scott Stringers - he is steward for New York County's maps - I unfortunately hear periodically of plenty of other instances where maps lie crumbling, for lack of proper preservation.

As reported by some news outlets, Lakota activists have sent a letter to the US State Department announcing their intention to secede from the United States.

Came across this interesting hack for the HTC TyTn II / AT&T Tilt:

With a registry editor, open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Camera\ - and in folder called P9, change the value "enabled"from 0 to 1.

And, voila:

You now have an additional option button to select GPS Camera, and now your lat/long will be grabbed automagically from the integrated GPS to be embedded in the photo's EXIF tag.

Now if only I can find a hack for the camera's lag...

Seems a post on All Points Blog regarding NeoGeography has unleashed a flurry of posts relating to "paleo" versus neo and a whole lot of other issues.

I think I have a slightly different of a take on it... I view the two as sort of a Venn diagram, with each representing expanding spheres, with an equally expanding area of overlap and merging between them.


Note, my little 5-minute Visio diagram is not by any means intended to be comprehensive... But the fuzziness and overlap is fully intended.

I do not view them as "in competition" - each has its own stakeholders and requirements, and between the two there is a considerable area of commonality. The exciting thing about neogeography, however, is that it's about empowerment and putting tools and capabilities into the hands of the public, which previously would have been inaccessible. Additionally, it's about fusion and collaboration - which benefits both communities.

And along the whole NeoGeo theme, I will leave with this:

Along the historic maps vein, another ancient map receiving a lot of press of late is the Tabula Peutingeriana - this one I find tremendously fascinating, being a view of the Roman world of nearly 2000 years ago. As a kid, I grew up in Germany, near Roman ruins of the Limes Germanicus and other features, and as such, I have always been fascinated with all things ancient.

Presently, the Tabula Peutingeriana is being added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register as an important artifact, and, given its extreme fragility, was recently placed on public display for one day in Vienna on November 26th.

The Tabula Peutingeriana is a copy of a Roman cursus publicus, which was a schematic roadmap of roads, cities and other features as developed and used in the Roman Empire. There are no longer any known copies of the original Roman cursus publicus charts, however the Tabula Peutingeriana is believed to have been transcribed from an original one by a thirteenth-century monk in Colmar, and consists of a number of sheets with schematic diagrams showing stops along routes, very similar to a modern-day subway map.


As such, it displaces many features to fit the route rather than attempting to be cartographically correct, and as such, it does not represent latitude and longitude in a conventional sense - instead accomodating the routes and features along them first and foremost, resulting in a very long, skinny map generally oriented west to east.

The geographic extent of the map is staggering, spanning the British Isles to India and Sri Lanka, showing what would have been trade and military routes, the infrastructure and cultural exchange that would have gone on in Roman times.

One of the things that I was playing around with over the weekend is trying to match up features as shown on the Tabula Peutingeriana to modern features - one of the tools I was playing around with is Microsoft Research's MapCruncher for Virtual Earth:

While I wouldn't expect MapCruncher to be able to rubbersheet a schematic map such as the Tabula Peutingeriana to a conventional map, it has nonetheless given me many insights just in being able to match up ancient designations and routes to their modern counterparts in a managed fashion, and it has made for a fun rainy (or snowy, as the case may be) day project.

Reuters is carrying a story about the preservation of the 1507 Martin Waldseemüller World map, the first known to refer to the New World as America.

Some of the individuals cited in the article express their puzzlement at how Waldseemüller was able to portray as much detail and accuracy as he did, given the extremely limited amound of knowledge that is generally believed to have been extant regarding the New World at this time - for example, Vasco Núñez De Balboa had not crossed the Isthmus of Panama to reach the Pacific until 1513, and likewise, Magellan had not rounded the southern tip of South America until 1520, yet these are shown.


Interestingly, many features in this map are reversed in subsequent maps by Waldseemüller.

The map is cited in the article as a 'keystone map', showing a fundamental shift in how Europe viewed the New World. It also raises many questions about how much we really understand geographic awareness and the availability of cartographic information in ancient times.

My own notion is that we sometimes do not give our predecessors enough credit for their knowledge of the world around them.

I finally got around to upgrading my mobile platform. I had been toting around my Motorola cellphone, iPaq, Holux GPSlim 240 bluetooth GPS, and all of the associated iGo tips and other associated cables...

I looked at a number of units, Blackberries, Treos, Nokia N95 (very nice), along with the Samsung BlackJack (BlackJack II coming soon), Motorola MotoQ and others - but ultimately narrowed things down to Windows Mobile, as I have a lot of software for that platform (ArcPad, navigation, et cetera) - and Windows Mobile can run your selection of Java VM as well - best of both worlds.

Yesterday, I ended up getting the HTC TyTn II (also known as AT&T Tilt and by a few other names) - and I'm pretty happy with it thus far. It's the only Windows Mobile unit that I came across to feature BlueTooth, WiFi, 3G Data, and integrated GPS. It also has a 3 megapixel camera to boot.



I'm still looking to pick up a nice big MicroSD card, so I haven't yet loaded it up with a lot of stuff, but I have been playing with Google Maps Mobile, Microsoft Live Search Mobile (Virtual Earth), and Mobile GMaps on the Esmertec JBed JVM that ships already installed on the HTC unit. Notably, when I went to Esmertec's site, I was greeted with an Android info page, so I may be looking at gPhone apps as well.

Pretty nice, so far! I am looking forward to developing some things that take advantage of this new platform...

This would have been the colonists' view of New England, as they set sail - from the website description,

Captain John Smith's map of New England, dated 1614.

The map was probably drawn by Simon van der Passe, the son of a Dutch engraver, based on one drawn by John Smith. It is very similar to an earlier version which omitted the "New" which prefaces "Plimouth," and does not include Salem. The English colonists who settled in Plymouth in 1620 almost certainly had access to this map. In his Advertisements for the Unexperienced Planters of New England, or Any Where (London, 1631), Smith commented wryly: "Now since them called Brownists went, some few before them also having my bookes and maps, presumed they knew as much as they desired . . . " (The Complete Works of Captain John Smith (1580-1631), ed. by Philip L. Barbour (Univ. Of North Carolina Press, 1986), vol. 3, p. 285.

Reprinted in Deetz and Deetz, The Times of Their Lives, p. 70.

Also featured in this map archive is the following:

The only known map of the town layout, as drawn by William Bradford in 1620. From the site,

William Bradford's sketch of the town of Plymouth.

The Bradford sketch, entitled "The meersteads & garden plots of which came first layed out 1620" is the only known map of the original town layout. The sketch is bound into the front of a manuscript volume entitled "Plimouths Great Book of Deeds of Lands Enrolled from Ano 1627 to Ano 1651." The first part of the volume is in the handwriting of Governor William Bradford, as is the map. The volume now comprises Vol. 12 , Deeds, &c. Vol. 1 1620-1651 of The Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England, edited by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff and David Pulsifer (William White, 1855-61; AMS Press, 1968).

John A. Goodwin, in his The Pilgrim Republic (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1920; Kraus reprint 1970), has extended the plan to include his interpretation of the position of occupants on the north side of the street, and of the street in relation to the harbor and the fort.

The original Bradford sketch is reprinted in Deetz and Deetz, The Times of Their Lives, p. 66.

Finally, from Wikipedia's entry on the Plymouth Colony, a map showing the geographic extent of the Plymouth Colony:

Yesterday, I was offered an iPhone, out of the blue. Yea, it's really cool, has an incredible interface, is power-packed with features, and just amazing technological innovations. But... I remain skeptical, I just don't share the enthusiasm that Peter Batty and others are demonstrating. Just a few things I have found thus far:

A GIS Advice Column?

I haven't posted in a while, have been busy with a number of things, such as new projects kicking off, proposals to write, along with a number of meetings.

This weekend, I got home from a couple of meetings, the NCEES Northeast Zone meeting and Colonial States Boards of Surveying Registration. One of the interesting things I learned a bit more about there was the South Carolina system of tiered land surveying licensure. One that struck me as odd is the GIS Surveyor licensure that was passed several years ago.

In South Carolina, they have implemented a series of surveying licenses, which are subsetted to certain disciplines - photogrammetry and geodetic surveyor were two of the ones I had heard discussed more about. With these, it's historically been my understanding and feeling that geodesists and photogrammetrists pretty much stuck to their respective fields, with little overlap or interest in boundary work or other aspects of surveying. GIS Surveyor seems like an odd one, though.

This is how South Carolina has implemented it:

• South Carolina Code of Laws
• South Carolina Code of Regulations

Historically, geodesy and photogrammetry have gone hand-in-hand with surveying, each a very specialized subdomain. Historically, however, neither of these have required licensure in most areas, and given the limited numbers of practitioners in these fields, and the limited number of litigations or other legal conundrums generally associated with geodesy or photogrammetry, I am not entirely certain that licensure even is warranted.

However, GIS is such a broad field. GIS supports so many disciplines, such as archaeology, urban and regional planning, resource conservation, geology, socioeconomics, and so on. In terms of overlap with surveying, it would be a Venn diagram showing a modest overlap - particularly where it comes to cadastral data, geodesy, photogrammetry, and locational data acquisition and locational data quality. But there is plenty to GIS which has nothing whatsoever to do with surveying.

The question of licensure brings up a number of other questions. Has the practice of GIS been trouble-free? Not at all. Has GIS been misused, have lawsuits arisen due to improper use of GIS? Yes. And unfortunately many of these have been as a result of improper use of cadastral data, where for instance tax-map grade GIS data was used to pursue building setback violations, or other ordinance-based conundrums, rather than relying on an actual field survey to verify lines of possession and improvements in the field. In some instances, unlicensed GIS practitioners have done such things as utilized handheld GPS units to locate property corners and similar features in the field. When it comes to these sorts of things, does GIS trespass on practice of land surveying? In most states, yes. And as such, they can be pursued under existing land surveying licensure laws.

In some instances, GIS data must be strictly controlled, due to legal implications, due to pending litigation or cost recovery in the instance of environmental cleanup data, due to loss of sensitive and endangered species in the case of conservation, or risk of looting in the case of archaeological data, and so on. In some of these instances, perhaps professional licensure may indeed be appropriate for GIS practitioners - the "protect the public" part of the equation being bolstered with risk to practitioners who do not exercise proper care, such as fines or loss of licensure. But does that have anything to do with surveying? No. Another approach is through self-policing within the GIS community, as some current proposals have it, but even good intentions pave the road to hell.

It will be interesting to see what the times bear.

For additional background, I have found a number of discussions on this - yet they all just seem to scratch the surface...

Information posted to the South Carolina State Mapping Advisory Committee

Further correspondence posted by Patrick J. Bresnahan, Richland County SC

I am looking forward to attending the EPA GIS Workgroup meeting coming up in Boston. This time around, the spring meeting will be in Boston, at the Omni Parker House Hotel, May 15th to 18th.

It will be good to refresh some contacts and make some new ones. We are hoping to make some further inroads in the EPA GIS community, combining our present USEPA geospatial expertise and SDVOSB status to reach out and support USEPA regions and other USEPA program offices. For me, it's also another opportunity to go and visit with my relatives in Massachusetts.

Over the last few days I have been working with a great newly released metadata editor tool developed by our good friends over at Innovate!

It's based on the Coeur d'Alene Tribe "3-Tab" editor, and provides a customized environment which is database-driven and customizable for an Agency's needs, as well as highlighting some elements which are not mandatory for FGDC CSDGM compliance, but which are mandatory for Agency profile compliance above and beyond FGDC requirements.

The tool integrates seamlessly with ArcCatalog and also provides a validation tool, to ensure compliance with the Agency profile.

Tab 1: Basic Dataset Information

Tab 2: Quality, Coordinate System and Attribute Information

Tab 3: Distribution & Metadata Information

In just a matter of minutes, it's fairly easy to generate a complete, compliant metadata record, which passes validation in metaparser (mp).