Virginia Coastal Program: 2003 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
95.011
Grantee:
Virginia Commonwealth University
Project Title:
Development of a Blue-Green Mapping Portal
Project Description as Proposed:
The Virginia Coastal Program’s “Integration Strategy” was proposed during the last 5-year planning cycle for Section309 Grants to create practical linkages among agencies and between levels of government when dealing with coastal resource management issues.
The “Integration Strategy” is a term described for a group of projects which fall under the Section 309 Coastal Zone Enhancement Area of “Cumulative and Secondary Impacts of Coastal Growth and Development”. These projects are funded to support progress towards a “coastal vision” of improved coastal resource data and better coordination in coastal resource management decisions on a coastal zone wide scale.
The availability of adequate coastal resource data is essential in improving any decision making process within the coastal zone and this data may be used by all levels of government, private organizations, and even the general public. Although spatial and non-spatial data for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are becoming more and more accessible through the internet, often these data are scattered throughout different agencies’ and organizations’ websites and are not organized into one central application to allow all users equal and efficient access to this information and make coordination and communication much easier to accomplish.
Towards this desired goal, Virginia Commonwealth University (with support from DCR-Division of Natural Heritage and other networked agencies) is designing a Blue-Green Infrastructure Portal for the Coastal Zone of Virginia. This portal, currently named Coastal GEMS (Geospatial Environmental Mapping System), will integrate and provide access to a wide range of coastal resource data, fact sheets, and regulatory information. As of this time, most of these datasets have resulted from funding in whole (i.e. Blue Infrastructure Project to VIMS) or in part (i.e. INSTAR project at VCU or VANLA project at DCR) through Virginia Coastal Program funding, but efforts are underway to include geospatial data from other state and local agencies.
When completed in 2006, the GEMS portal will be a robust, one-stop, data gateway for federal, state, and local government decision makers, will facilitate data sharing among governments, NGOs, and the general public, and will promote the development of standards for environmental data management within the region. GEMS also represents a unique research instrument to explore and describe patterns and relationships among water and land ecosystem elements across broad (i.e., landscape-level) spatial scales.
The Center for Environmental Studies will use web-based geographic information system components and database to create an interactive portal and viewer for the Virginia Coastal Program (VCP). The Center will use the Environmental Systems Research Institutes (ESRI) ArcIMS and ArcSDE software and utilize Microsoft’s SQL as the underlying database to serve information to the public. The Center will create a custom viewer using Microsoft’s .NET technology and host the viewer and application for the VCP. Querying the data inside the application will be done either by spatial query or by an attribute query. Specific search methods will be; by river drainage, county, planning district commission, hydrologic unit (11 digit), or by interactively drawing a box on the map to select features that intersect that box. The VCP will provide a descriptive database on the geospatial layers to display on an integrated results page as well as other files that may be pertinent. Information on current and past projects funded by the VCP will be listed pertaining to each data layer. Selected features will also be displayed along with other attributes. Pre-generated printed document files will also be incorporated along with pictures, and internet web sites for more detailed information on each layer of spatial data. A draft schematic of the interface and results pages is provided within this document.
Federal Funding:
$32,496
Project Contact:
Greg Garman, (804) 828-7202; gcgarman@vcu.edu
Project Status:
Grant Closed
Final Product Received:
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
VCU developed a Geospatial and Educational Mapping System (GEMS) that provides Internet access to Virginia’s coastal resource data and maps; coastal laws, regulations and policies; and, downloadable facts on coastal resource values. Coastal GEMS is meant to serve as a tool for people to access for the best remaining blue and green infrastructure spatial data sets. VCU integrated 20+ spatial data layers into one internet mapping application along with basic non-spatial information to allow users access to high quality information on Virginia’s Coastal Zone. A major part of GEMS is a public information fact-sheet on each spatial layer for who created it, why it was created, and where to go for additional information. This is especially useful for the public to gain access to information to better educate themselves about what is in their backyard. As a first phase of the application can be viewed online, a second phase is currently under negotiation to enhance the current state of Coastal GEMS and to refine the spatial data layers.
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
