An Integrated Spatial and Attribute Data Structure to Support National Park Service Management.

Abstract

The National Park Service (NPS) maintains and supports various databases relevant to its mission. These include archeological sites, cultural objects, and exotic species inventories, to name a few. Data associated with each of these domains forms the basis on which NPS policy is formulated. However these databases often exist in independently maintained systems, often at different locations. Additionally these domains often contain spatial data in which data objects can possess spatial characteristics and location information. Currently most National Park Service non spatial attribute databases (e.g. ASMIS, CLAIMS, FMSS, and LCS) are centralized at regional or national headquarters, whereas most spatial information is generally created and maintained at the park. It is left to the data user to connect to these data entities, and this is at best cumbersome and at times, impossible.

This project is a feasibility study that analyzes the use of GIS to integrate of park service attribute databases with locally collected park spatial data. The core procedure focuses on the application of computer aided software engineering tools to National Park Service GIS database design. This includes modeling database relationships and generating the database schema. The resultant prototype database was tested in two National Parks, Valley Forge National Historic Park and Appomattox Court House National Historic Park. In both instances, locally generated spatial data were imported successfully into a standardized ESRI geodatabase and integrated with other enterprise, non local data through the use of reusable objects.