GeoBC File Geodatabase Standards

1. GeoBC File Geodatabase Standards Chris Ens Land Information Coordinator Chris.Ens@gov.bc.ca

2. File Geodatabase StandardsPresentation Overview • Why FGDB Standards? • Overview of the standards • Challenges • Tools for implementing standards • Questions

3. Why File Geodatabase Standards? • Why Standards? • Ease use and sharing • common names, common structure, etc. • Ensure data integrity • Minimize data cleanup • Why File Geodatabase Standards? • ESRI software moving away from Coverages • Newer GIS professionals don’t use Coverages but do use FGDB • FGDB enables data integrity checks (unlike shapefiles)

4. GeoBC File Geodatabase Standards • The most comprehensive set of standards for FGDBs? • Could not find a comparable document on the web to borrow from. • The standards include: • FGDB standards Quick reference and Detail sections. • A ‘Step-by-step’ tutorial section for applying the standards. • A set of tools to help implement the standards. • Developed by: • Chris Ens (Regional GeoBC, ILMB, Kamloops) • Chris Steeves (Regional GeoBC, ILMB, Kamloops) • Kevin Metcalf (GeoBC, ILMB, Victoria) • Input from wider Government GIS user community

5. GeoBC File Geodatabase Standards • http://ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/dm/docs/file_geodatabase_standards.pdf • Google search: geodatabase standards • Send feedback to: chris.ens@gov.bc.ca

6. FGDB Structure/ Use of Feature Datasets Naming Conventions Projection and Datum XY Tolerance XY Resolution Configuration Standard Fields Indexing (Spatial and Fields) Data Integrity (Spatial and Attribute) Metadata Compacting Compressing Format for Distribution Scope of Standards

7. Challenges Challenges in developing standards: • More variables than with coverages • Topology rules (26 potential rules to apply) • Naming conventions (more than 13 characters to work with) • More functionality and uses (multiple datasets, toolboxes, etc.) • More dependent on User to know data and apply standards appropriately • More thinking and more effort to apply Solutions/Results: • The standards are usually not hard and fast rules • Developed tools to help automate common tasks

8. File Geodatabase Structure / When to use Feature Datasets Project Level Work Use Feature Datasets Many Feature Classes per Geodatabase Data Publication (File Repositories, etc.) Single Feature Class per Geodatabase No Feature Datasets Data Distribution (FTP, Folder Publication, etc.) Single Feature Class per Geodatabase except when distributing sets of data Use Feature Dataset only when distributing sets of data Receiving Data (from Contractors, etc.) Use Feature Datasets Many Feature Classes per Geodatabase Also include Toolbox, models, and scripts with or inside Geodatabase

9. Spatial Data Standards • Projection and Datum: • BC Environment Albers, NAD 83 • XY Tolerance: • 1/10th positional accuracy (0.1m for 1:20k data) • XY Resolution: • Default (0.0001 meters) • Spatial Indexing: • Re-calculate spatial indexes when feature classes are complete

10. General Data Standards • Naming Standards: • Descriptive yet concise, unique • Standard Fields: • FEATURE_CODE • _TAG (for linking to other databases/tables) • ORCS_ or ARCS_ (for fields with associated managed government records with ORCS or ARCS numbers) • Field Indexing: • Apply field indexes when the following is true: • A field that is queried often • There are many records in the table • Editing is complete • Metadata: • ArcCatalog’s XML metadata should be filled in with the key fields required for GeoBC’s Discovery Service.

11. Data Integrity Standards • Spatial Data: • Repair Geometry • Apply the ‘Repair Geometry’ tool to each feature class • Topology • Cluster Tolerance = XY Tolerance • Only feature classes with rules applied to them should participate in a topology element • More trusted feature classes should be higher ranks (lower numbers) • Rules will depend on what spatial relationships need to be enforced. • Attribute Data: • Attribute Domains • Apply domains to fields that have specified values or value ranges

12. Publishing, Distribution, Closing Projects • When closing off a project or publishing/distributing data: • Compact the FGDB • Compress the FGDB • Zip the FGDB (when distributing) • Format for distribution is a compacted, compressed, zipped FGDB • File should be named <FGDB name>.gdb.zip

13. Tools for Applying FGDB Standards • Geoprocessing Tools developed to automate common tasks Accessing Tools • Internal Government Users: • Located in the script warehouse: P:\corp\script_whse\python\Utility_Misc\FGDBStandardsTools • External Users order it through the data distribution service • http:/geobc.gov.bc.ca (Direct link:: https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/geometadata/metadataDetail.do?from=search&edit=true&showall=showall&recordSet=ISO19115&recordUID=55759)

14. Checking/Reporting Tool • Inventories contents of FGDB • Reports out contents of FGDB and properties of FGDB elements • Highlights some errors (non-standard projection, geometry errors, etc.) • Author: Chris Steeves (Regional GeoBC, Kamloops)

15. Create File Geodatabase and Feature Dataset Tool • Creates a new File Geodatabase • Optionally Creates a new Feature Dataset with the default spatial reference and the user defined XY Tolerance. • Author: Mark McGirr (Regional GeoBC, Williams Lake)

16. Apply Default Topology Tool • Creates a new topology element • Applies default rules to the participating feature classes • Optionally validates topology • Author: Chris Ens (Regional GeoBC, Kamloops)

17. FGDB Project Close-out Tool • Used when a project is complete to: • Compact FGDB • Compress FGDB • Re-calculate spatial indexes • Run Check Geometry and optionally Repair Geometry • Author: Carole Bjorkman (Regional GeoBC, Williams Lake)

18. FGDB Publication/Distribution Tool • Used to prepare data for publication or distribution: • Extracts selected Feature Classes to their own FGDBs • Compresses the new FGDB • Optionally zips the FGDB (for distribution) • Author: Mark McGirr (Regional GeoBC, Williams Lake)

19. Summary • Standards are important for streamlining data sharing and use • These standards are thorough yet flexible (due to variability of data model and need to be specific to datasets use) • Geoprocessing Tools help to automate tasks where possible.

20. Questions?