Enhancing Louisiana s GNIS An Outreach Effort Between USGS and the Louisiana Geographic Information Center Louisiana Remote Sensing and GIS Workshop Lafayette, LA April 28, 2010
Louisiana Geographic Information Center LAGIC mission Created by an act of the State legislature in 1995 to provide technical support, geospatial training and outreach to state and local governments Goals: GNIS Training and Outreach Project Educate local and state government about the GNIS Deputize workshop attendees as GNIS users Promote updating and editing of geographic names by state and local governments
Digital Map-Beta Lafayette, LA
Digital Map-Beta Strategy Initial content Orthorectified image National Orthoimage Dataset (National Agricultural Imagery Program - NAIP) Roads National Transportation Dataset (US Bureau of the Census) Names - Geographic Names Information System Three-year revision cycle (follows NAIP) Conterminous US 4
U.S. Geological Survey Louisiana Geographic Information Center (LAGIC) Geographic Names Partnership Workshop Format Conducted at local government offices or universities Partner with Metropolitan Planning Organizations Short Time Period (2 3 hours) GNIS overview, history, and importance GNIS website and update/edit instructions Local topographic maps and names assembled for attendees
U.S. Geological Survey Louisiana Geographic Information Center (LAGIC) Geographic Names Partnership LAGIC Workshop Preparations : Distributed lists of GNIS data by Agency State Agencies Distributed lists of GNIS data by Parish (county) All lists contained the Quad Name for that feature We gathered all the relevant quad sheets and laid them out on tables during the workshop so that agencies or parishes could find that feature on the quad, if that is what they were comfortable using.
2007 Coastal GNIS Workshops 6 5 4 3 1 2 May 5, 2010 NSDI Partnership Mtg.
GNIS Workshop, Hammond, Louisiana
USGS & LAGIC Geospatial Training Workshop Updating your Community Geographic Names A Hands - On Workshop When: Friday, December 14, 2007 Where: Burton Business Center, McNeese University 4205 Ryan Street, Lake Charles, LA 70609 Time: 10:30 1:00 pm Cost: Free and parking provided To reserve a seat: Craig Johnson, Director Call or e-mail Louisiana Geographic Information Center (LAGIC) (225) 578-3479 w. cjohnson@lsu.edu
This aerial photo of Jesuit High School was snapped on September 5, 2005 by Lt. Eric Lowry '96, who was part of a helicopter crew that had been assigned to conduct rescue operations throughout the city.
Cohen vs. Cohn Elementary School 1995 USGS Topo 2008 Yahoo Maps
2008 State Agency GNIS Workshop 1 May 5, 2010 NSDI Partnership Mtg.
Louisiana Department of Education Records & GNIS
U.S. Geological Survey Louisiana Geographic Information Center (LAGIC) Geographic Names Partnership Survey Monkey Online Workshop Survey Did you find the GNIS system easy to use? Have you entered any geographic names using the GNIS website since attending the GNIS workshop? If no, why? Have you showed anyone else in your agency how the GNIS functions? Do you have suggestions for improving the GNIS training experience?
Survey Monkey
2009 North Louisiana GNIS Workshops 3 4 2 1 5 May 5, 2010 NSDI Partnership Mtg.
Results: GNIS Workshops 1. Deputized 145 local and state government folks to be GNIS data stewards in their jurisdictions, which were widely scattered throughout the entire state, 2. Added over a thousand new entries in the GNIS system, the bulk of which came from state agency data sets (Education, Natural Resources, Health & Hospitals). 3. We have had discussions with the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) about using the GNIS to preserve historic French Names for place names and geographic features.
Lessons Learned: 1. Keep the training short, fast paced and relevant! 2. State agency data sets were the single greatest source of GNIS entries (Education, Natural Resources, and Health & Hospitals). 3. The importance of promoting the workshops in a way that makes sense to local government. For example, we tailored e-mails to public safety professionals, such as emergency preparedness and 911 staff.
Future Efforts: 1. USGS funded Louisiana Structures Project has resulted in the addition of new GNIS data: Ex: Lafourche Parish, where our survey of structures revealed 4 additional post offices, 51 churches & 54 misc. new buildings, total of 109 new entries to the GNIS 2. Both the GNIS and the Structures Data could be brought into FEMA s HAZUS database
Questions? Chris Cretini, USGS Geospatial Liaison for Louisiana NSDI Partnership Office Lafayette, LA. (337) 266-8621 cretinic@usgs.gov Craig Johnson, Director Louisiana Geographic Information Center Baton Rouge, LA. (225) 578-3479 cjohnson@lsu.edu