|
Track: Natural Resources and Conservation
Craig Wissler
University of Arizona
BSE 325
Tuscon, AZ 85721
Telephone: 520-621-9588
Fax: 520-621-8801
E-mail: craig@sisyphus.srnr.arizona.edu
Karen Borstad, Deborah Angell, Mitchell McClaran
Using ArcInfo To Develop a Data Query Interface for the Santa Rita Experimental Range Ecological Information System
Defining Issue: Developing an ecological information system for the Santa Rita Experimental Range that supports local and remote dynamic queries is a complicated task. Issues include automation of historical data, normalization, query processing, user interface development, and data service. GIS Solution: The Advanced Resource Technology (ART) Group at the University of Arizona is approaching this task in an incremental manner. To facilitate the research and development of an information architecture for data service in the system, a prototype ArcInfo application was developed. Methodology: An application developed using AML allows users to query the Santa Rita database both logically and spatially. The application starts by providing metadata to the user on a wide range of data sets that have been grouped into categories such as physical environment, vegetation, management treatments, and infrastructure. After reviewing the metadata by category, the user may choose to select data records for any
data category. The selection process includes a user interface and associated query engine that allows users to subselect data records through high-level logical queries and/or locational queries. For example, a user could choose to view precipitation records for any subset of available years and further reduce the selected set by a variety of interactive locational selections. After obtaining a query table of selected records, the user may create a new query table from a different category, view the current query table, or download the data. Software: The entire prototype application was written in AML. This software platform was chosen because its structure and function was well known and, therefore, would facilitate research and development of larger information architecture issues. It is likely that the final software platform will include advanced DBMS interfaces linked to spatial data through MapObjects and/or SDE.
|
|
