Topographic mapping in Fiji: Challenges and opportunities

1. Topographic mapping in Fiji:Challenges and opportunities Conway Pene 2012 Pacific GIS&RS Conference 27-30 November 2012, Suva

2. Thoughts from the field • A user .... and abuser... of topographic maps • In the field and in the office • On paper and on screen • About Fiji... but may be relevant to other island countries

3. Why do we still use topographic maps? • Doesn’t everyone uses Google Mud Earth?

4. Topographic maps in Fiji • Series • Updated every 10 years (well... almost) • About 60 A1-size sheets • Scale • Published at 1:50,000 • Content • 6 themes • Vegetation • Hydrography • Terrain • Survey • Structures • Transport • Annotation

5. Topographic map production process • Review – problems with existing maps • Plan – what do new maps need? • Fly – logistical challenges • Capture – sensors record images • Process – add spatial context to images • Digitise – interpret images; feature data • Map – cartographic design • Distribute – publish and print

6. Topographic map use process • Buy map from lands department • Scan on desktop scanner – produce image • Geo-reference in GIS • Use as backdrop for operational data • Digitise features for spatial analysis

7. Challenge - scale • Are current capture and production scales suitable? • Suitable for what?... Suitable for whom? • Do we know who uses these maps and why? • What scales do we work at? • Hydrology, infrastructure, population – 1:5,000 • Agriculture, forestry – 1:10,000 • ????? at 1:50,000?

8. Challenge - content • Topographic themes – how relevant? • Do we need new ones? • Labels – on the map, but no index • Gazetteer –allow geocoding attribute data • Imagery – image backdrops more useful • Where to get imagery? • But how to integrate?

9. Challenge - quality • Topological accuracy of underlying spatial data • Points, line polygons used to generate symbols • More useful to GIS as raw spatial features • BUT... need major topological improvement • Attribute quality and consistency • “the power of the map is from the table”

10. Opportunity – improve quality • Printed index – find features more easily • Name and x,y coordinates of all labelled features • Start of a gazetteer? • Gray-scale compatible colours • Detail lost when printed/copied to black-white

11. Opportunity – digital publication • Raw data – for GIS industry • Analysis, value adding • Digital end products • Topo sheets in GeoPDF, GeoTIFF • Directly from source vector layers and cartography

12. Opportunity – digital publication • Map and data services • www.fijitopo.gov.fj • Web service – maintains cartographic standards • Web services – access data without having data • GPS integration • Consumer GPS market • Currently no good quality Fiji base maps

13. Opportunity – new backdrops • Current – vegetation... Interpreted, outdated • Other possibilities • Imagery – obviously... • Land cover – new categories, more detail • Substrate – soils and geology • Administration – hierarchy of boundaries, places • Infrastructure – transport, pipes, cables, wireless coverage • Services...

14. Opportunity – collaboration • User community • What do end users want to see in their topographic maps? • What can end users contribute to the topographic map?

15. Opportunity – multi-purpose map • One map, many uses • Beyond the topographic map?... • 19th century concept and product • 21st century problems and technologies • The National Atlas? • www.nationalatlas.org.fj • Improved topographic mapping as a vehicle for geospatial development

16. Opportunities – outsourcing 1 • Review • Seek input from community • Multi-stakeholder consultation process • Business role – independent consulting • Plan • And collaborate • Advice on technology and production process • Business role – independent consulting

17. Opportunities – outsourcing 2 • Fly • Air survey specialist companies • Capture • Sensor and platform vendors • multiple bands, LiDAR • Process imagery • Image processing specialists • All these already outsourced

18. Opportunities – outsourcing • Digitise • labour intense • Outsource to digital sweatshops • Map • Cartographic design • Outsource to graphic design • Distribute • Multimedia publication • Outsource to publication specialists

19. Opportunities – new roles • Currently – Government department trying to do everything • Role for the private sector? • Data is infrastructure • Who builds infrastructure best? • Look at current trends... Teleco, power, water, roads • Coming soon... Hospitals, schools,

20. The Fiji xxxxxxx Authority • What is the role of government? Depends on.. • Needs of the sector • Capacity of the market • What could government do? • Data designer – help define what we need • Data client – buy data on behalf of the taxpayer • Data reviewer – quality control what is produced • Data authority – certify data to a standard

21. This is already happening... • Cadastral mapping • Community expresses needs • Government sets standards • Private sector does the heavy lifting • Government checks and certifies

22. So what was the point of all that? • Make existing products more useful • Make new products from existing data • Develop roles for private sector in mapping • Use improved topo mapping as opportunity to develop modern geospatial information industry

23. But please don’t reinvent the wheel!