Integrating and Standardizing Trails Data for West Virginia

1. Integrating and Standardizing Trails Data for West Virginia Evan Fedorko 13 April 2010

2. Project Goals • Combine trail data (spatial and tabular) for West Virginia into one dataset • Dataset must be easily updateable – features must be easily traceable to source dataset • Conduct a gap analysis • Utilize Federal Interagency Trails Data Standard for development

3. Benefits • Consolidates WVDOT Trail Coordinator’s knowledge into one DB and allows for spatial queries along side existing tabular reports • Framework layer for future trail outreach, management, tourism applications, etc.

4. Study Area

5. Data • Spatial data: available for ~2,300 miles of trails; • Tabular data: available for ~3,100 miles of trails encompassing ~10,000 individual trails • Challenge: merging spatial datasets with one another, with tabular data and then conducting a gap analysis – all within funding constraints!

6. Target Attributes • Based on the FITS - why use this standard? • Well vetted • Designed for use across agencies • Well documented • Will the standard work as a tool for compilation rather than data development and maintenance?

7. Source Attributes • Spatial data sources from ~10 agencies • Actual trail managers/stakeholders number closer to 200 given lack of top down standards within some organizations and varying degrees of local activity • Existing attributes vary. Mostly skeletal.

8. Process • Compile existing data • Add/remove datasets based on currentness, extent, etc.

9. Process (2)

10. Process (3) • Database design for new dataset • Mostly straightforward – utilize FITS for fields and field definitions • Some fields are being dropped due to their program specificity • Challenge: we must be able to trace each feature back to an originating agency/dataset for the purpose of future updates • Likely solution: Custom attribute

11. Process (4) • Edit source data to eliminate repetition • Combine into single dataset • QA/QC attribute field map

12. Tracking Sources • Development of a “tracking” attribute is a top priority • Plan is to track three things: • Data source agency • Date of current source data • Date of last compilation • We hope this will make “delete and replace” style updates very simple and based entirely on attributes

13. Harmonization • WVDOT Trail Coordinator maintains a tabular database of WV trails. • That data is unique and needs to be preserved – somehow we need to harmonize that information with spatial data

14. New Attributes and Datasets • Develop new attribute values where possible • Attributes from WVDOT database • Geographic attributes; eg. County, Congressional district, etc • Create new versions of source datasets and provide to stakeholders

15. Comments on FITD • Devoid of attributes such as: • Source scale • Accuracy metric • Feature date • Model seems to struggle between trail management information and trail entity information. • That being said, FITD does mandate the creation of FGDC metadata which will fill holes.

16. Comments on FITD (2) • Data model does a great job of: • Tracking/querying trail type • Allows us to store ATV trail info alongside rail trails, wilderness trails, etc.

17. Timeline • Data processing has begun – principal compilation efforts expected to be complete within ~1 month. • Gap analysis sometime within another month. • True test: receipt of updated data from a trail stakeholder!

18. Questions? • Thank you for your time!