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1. Call to Order
Rick Gelbmann called the meeting to order at 8:45 am. The meeting was held at the Metropolitan Council.
Members Present: Pat Cook, North Suburban Cable Commission; Lt. Gary Gary, Ramsey County Sheriff Department;
Rick Gelbmann, Metropolitan Council; Carol Kaszynski, Richfield; Susanne Maeder, LMIC; Tim Morehead, USWest
Communications, Inc.; Jim Sydow, TIES.
Members Absent: David Arbeit, LMIC and Chair of the MetroGIS Coordinating Committee; Tom Bisch, Heritage
Development; Gina Buss, BRW Inc.; Ben Ferguson, Coon Rapids; Lisa Freese, Eagan; Allen Hoffman, Anoka County; Ben
Verbick, LOGIS; Jan Vanderwall, Roseville Area Schools (ISD 623).
Support Staff: Tanya Mayer, Metropolitan Council.
2. Acceptance of the Agenda
Rick Gelbmann explained the changes to the format of the agenda. Lt. Gary Gary recommended that team members
who can not make the meeting should contact Tanya Mayer so that staff can decide if enough people can attend to make
the meeting worthwhile. No additions or modifications were made to the agenda.
3. September 6th Meeting Summary
Chairperson Sydow continued with the meeting agenda. The October 5th meeting summary was unanimously approved.
4. System Model Proposal and Discussion
Rick Gelbmann handed out a Proposal of MetroGIS Index memo to the Data Access Advisory Team members (see
handout for details).
Jim Sydow clarified his understanding of the proposed model with an example of how his organization would fit
in the model. An organization wishing to provide access to data or information could implement a server connected to
the internet. This server could be connected or disconnected from the organization's internal network, depending on
security needs for sensitive data. The organization would periodically run summary database updates linking attributes
to some pre-defined geographic unit. The organization would need a way to programmatically populate that pre-defined
geographic unit with their data. Sydow confirmed that the model works for the needs of Lt. Gary Gary (Ramsey County
Sheriff) and Carol Kazynski (City of Richfield). Sydow recommended documenting and outlining strategies for this
proposal, assuming it is viable.
Gary Gary asked if the clearinghouse concept was still being considered. He emphasized that this was an
important part of the model. Rick Gelbmann said that there is still a clearinghouse role implied here, but management
and logistics of a clearinghouse are not clear. There are 2 functions of the MetroGIS web site 1) to centralize
(metadata, search functions, some core datasets), and 2) to link to other sites that provide geographic information
and data. Susanne Maeder suggested that a "key-word" search engine driving this web page model must have agreed upon
key-word standards.
The team saw several benefits to the web site model. Tim Morehead stated that although the private sector
would use such a model to see available information, private sector will ultimately want the data and pay for it, if
necessary. Gary Gary commented that the web site may be a good tool for more directly linking users with an
organization's contact persons to start the negotiating process of acquiring data. Rick Gelbmann added that this model
allows organizations to maintain security over their own data.
Discussion focused on which unit of geography would be best suited for aggregation of data. The Census Bureau
census block was strongly supported as a good unit. Address to census block coding is needed for many of the databases,
and the lack of address standardization will be a problem in some cases. Rick Gelbmann clarified that aggregating to a
census block is not a requirement. Organizations may choose to provide raw data or data aggregated to another unit.
Gary Gary stressed that this index needs to be user friendly in order to maximize the amount of users. Gary
suggested the Pioneer Planet web page as an example.
At Sydow's suggestion, the team agreed to communicate recommendations to the Coordinating Committee. For
instance, at this meeting, the group identified 5 items related to access and delivery:
- Develop a web site that is designed to provide links to other sites and designed with interactive mapping
capabilities.
- Recommend three common file formats for summary data.
- Proceed with a recommendation for how a data producer could design a link to the model.
- Identify security issues.
- Recommend a common geographic unit for data producers to aggregate their data, if needed.
Rick Gelbmann stated that the Metropolitan Council has an opportunity yet this year to produce an interactive
web mapping application for the Transportation Planning division. This application would also fit in the proposed model
of the Data Access Advisory Team. Two goals he identified for this project are: 1) to build the application for
Metropolitan Council's need to make travel time maps available and 2) to develop a flexible web design to which
MetroGIS participants can index and link their metadata, information, products and data. At issue is the role MetroGIS
will take and policy decisions that may be necessary before completing such a pilot project. The group agreed to pursue
this pilot project as a means of testing and evolving a data access mechanism which uses a world wide web site.
The team expressed further benefits of the model and pilot project. Tim Morehead stated that two issues are
being addressed here: 1) data exchange between governmental organizations; and 2) providing information to the general
populace. Jim Sydow stated that this model accommodates different technologies. Rick Gelbmann stated that we can build
a lot of support with this effort if we build summary data that people want. We can get a better understanding of what
people are interested in and learn from it.
The team concluded that the model work should be presented to the Coordinating Committee for review and
approval. The pilot project, for Metropolitan Council's interactive transit mapping application, as described above,
should proceed.
5. Coordinating Committee Update
Jim Sydow presented an update on the October 24, 1996 Coordinating Committee meeting. Approved minutes from
that meeting will be available on the MetroGIS web page. Of particular interest, the Data Content Advisory Team
requested clarification about a couple of their strategic issues, one of which was reassigned to the Data Access
Advisory Team: Define a logically integrated system.
6. Governor's Council on Geographic Information: Clearinghouse and Data Access Committee Update
Susanne Maeder provided an update on the Clearinghouse and Data Access Committee. The next meeting is
scheduled for November 12 to set their goals and agenda for the year. They plan to complete a final report of the
theoretical aspects that were researched last year and decide what direction to take in the coming year.
LMIC plans to become a National Spatial Data Clearinghouse Node between now and June 30, 1997. They are
completing metadata on their datasets and plan to test the clearinghouse with the Ground Water dataset.
7. MetroGIS Business Object Modeling Session Update
Rick Gelbmann provided an update on the 2-day JDA (Joint Development Approach) session on October 30 and 31,
1996. Advanced Strategies, Inc. (ASI) has been contracted for the entire object modeling process. Thirty-three people,
representing each of the focus group themes from the September 19, 1996 meeting, participated each day. They
constructed a business model (or an entity relationship model) of the world of business activities in which those
people participate. ASI, Inc. will take the information gathered at these meetings and refine it into a final Business
Object Model for MetroGIS for further work on December 4, 1996. There are 2 goals for that meeting: 1) review the model
so that the 750 questions identified in September can be answered and 2) rank the datasets that are most important to
MetroGIS. The process for ranking is being reviewed by the project team and ASI. There have been positive reactions by
participants that this will be a good foundation for identifying cross-juridictional data needs.
Rick stated that the model clarifies specific data needs and their relationship to each other (e.g. the
definition of a parcel or a road); and also identifies which data are core sets needed initially for MetroGIS. There
will be 2 "products" delivered from this process: 1) a list of all the items collected and 2) the model including a
report. These products will be made available to MetroGIS teams as soon as possible. Reports and progress of this
project are posted on the MetroGIS web page.
8. Action
Staff will prepare a draft access model and proposition statements for team review. The draft will be
presented at the December 12th Coordinating Committee meeting for review and approval.
9. Next Meeting
The next meeting date is: December 5, 1996, 8:30-10:30. City of Richfield. Future meetings scheduled: January
9, 1997 TIES, Roseville
10. The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 AM
Prepared by Tanya Mayer, GIS Specialist & Heidi Welsch, GIS Intern
Recommendations to the Coordinating Committee
For Review at the 12/05/96 Access Team Meeting
- The proposed model and approach of Data Index and Access (to information and data), based on the Internet
and World Wide Web (Model Diagram and Proposal). This model:
- Addresses five (5) strategic issues that were identified early in the process of developing
MetroGIS.
- Is flexible in the types of searches available and the order in which they occur.
- Provides easy and quick access to information (metadata, views and data).
- Addresses security issues identified by several data producers since the Data Access Advisory Team
has been meeting.
- Recommend one (1) of three (3) common file formats for summary data to be made accessible (but not
limited to):
- ArcInfo Export (many organizations use this format)
- DBF (this is a very common format for databases)
- ASCII (this format generally works well to transfer data to those without the ability to use ArcInfo
Export or DBF format)
- Recommend two (2) common unit of geography for those data producers who need to aggregate their data that
is not individually identifiable yet provides useful information (but not limited to):
- U.S. Census Bureau Census Block
- U.S. Census Bureau Census Track
- When data for a particular common unit of geography is individually identifiable, the data record
may be tagged as Data Not Available (DNA).
- Complete a pilot project, which demonstrates web site access and offers the opportunity to develop a
flexible web design to which MetroGIS participants can index and link their metadata, information, products and data.
For example:
- Metropolitan Council Transit Planning
- Anoka County
- City of Minneapolis
- City of Roseville
- Additional Tasks for the Data Access Advisory Team
- Prepare a list of assumptions for the model.
- Develop a web site that allows:
- links to other sites
- data searches
- examination of metadata
- viewing of information products
- access to data
- Identify and document security issues.
- Design a process on how a data producer could design their link to the model.
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