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Abstract
Student Digitizing of Coal Mining Permit Maps in West Virginia
Track: Universities and Higher Education
Author(s): Jerry Steketee, John Churchill
We digitized 1,045 permits from 1,333 coal mining permit map images for the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) in Nitro, West Virginia, between December 1998 and May 2000. ArcInfo coverages were developed to assist the DEP in regulating mining operations throughout the State of West Virginia. Digitizing was done by students at the Natural Resource Analysis Center at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. We encountered several problems throughout the course of the project including insufficient and/or misleading data on permit maps and sporadic participation of student digitizers. We employed various methodologies to improve quality control including inspections at various stages of the digitizing process and a final check on all delivered coverages. We also drafted manuals providing instructions for digitizers. We have learned (and continue to learn) a lot from this project about what to expect from student labor and how to improve the quality of output. Students work best when well supervised and when output is closely scrutinized.
Jerry Steketee
Natural Resource Analysis Center at West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6108
Morgantown, WV 26505
USA
Phone: (304) 293-4832
E-mail: jstekete@wvu.edu