Susan D. Price, John W. Jones and Gregory B. Desmond
Eastern Geographic Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, USA

Projects don't often have the resources to produce and maintain dynamic mapping websites. However, in many cases static mapping can meet users’ needs without overly burdening data distribution and outreach resources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has collected highly accurate ground surface elevation data with approximately 400 m spacing across most of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Region. Straightforward, easy-to-use mechanisms for data display and plotting (to aid fieldwork) are needed by a variety of scientists both in and outside of the USGS. This demonstration shows our prototype for an electronic atlas that we propose to serve through the South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) High Accuracy Elevation Data Web Page. The user selects the desired USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle on an index image of South Florida. A Portable Document Format (PDF) file of the point data and its corresponding digital elevation model are displayed, thereby, giving the user information (e.g. point distribution, elevation values) about the data available for download.

The atlas files were generated using ArcGIS and DS MapBook code (free code from ESRI * website). The files can be easily updated as the data are modified, thus providing flexibility for keeping the website current. This system will allow the USGS to better serve its customers while using only a small amount of additional resources.

Contact Information: John W. Jones, Eastern Geographic Science Center, USGS, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192 USA, Phone: 703-648-5543, Fax: 703-648-4603, Email: jwjones@usgs.gov

(This abstract is from the 2006 Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Conference.)

Back to Project Homepage