Paul Braun, D. Phillip Guertin

Public Access to Spatial Data:<BR>Neighborhood Association Information Needs in Tucson, Arizona

Public Access to Spatial Data:
Neighborhood Association Information Needs in Tucson, Arizona

The majority of the text in this paper is extracted from Paul Braun's 1996 Masters Thesis at the University of Arizona, School of Renewable Natural Resources within the Advance Resource Technology (ART) Group

Abstract

The public has a legislated right to access spatial data generated by the government. Unfortunately, spatial data is often hard to acquire, unwieldy, and difficult to analyze. Although opportunities for public access to spatial data have increased in recent years, limited research has been done to define what spatial data people want access to and what characteristics a public access system should have in order to meet the public's informational needs. This paper will describe a study that analyzed the informational needs of four neighborhood associations in Tucson, Arizona and their interactions with supplied spatial data. The results were then used to define a series of pragmatic guidelines for developing a public access GIS system.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Although opportunities for public data access have increased in recent years, there has been little research on the types of GIS data the public would like to access, what they would do with the data (e.g., view it, query it, comment on it, correct it), in what formats they would like to view the data (e.g., graphs, tables, maps), and what aspects of metadata the public needs in order to understand and utilize spatial data. Superseding these topics is a lack of knowledge on the public's willingness to financially support development of digital information and subsequent public access.

WWW sites have begun to provide interactive access to spatial information. However, these sites are not supported by a documented understanding of the issues listed above. This study will examine these issues in order to create a more responsive, effective, and efficient public access tool.

The intent of this paper is to describe the results of the study with four neighborhood associations in Tucson, Arizona and use the results to define pragmatic guidelines developing a public access GIS system.

Background

Numerous articles and reports have been written discussing the basic elements of and the need for public access to spatial data (Archer and Croswell 1989, Tosta 1991, Friedley and Colbert 1991, Lerner 1992, Stipek and Torrace 1993, Bauman Foundation 1995, Corbley 1995). These authors stress easy to use interfaces, accessibility to data via public terminals, and the Internet and WWW as emergent tools that will transform how public access to spatial data is performed. These authors often mention lack of training, insufficient hardware, and concerns of public challenges to institutional information as hurdles to the development of better public access to spatial data. Virtually all agree that there is a need for public access to spatial data but disagree as to what extent, in what format, and the associated costs.

The Bauman Foundation published a report in 1995 titled Agenda for Access: Public Access to Federal Information for Sustainability through the Information Superhighway. The document was developed with input ranging from Clinton Administration officials to grassroots community organizers with the intent of "developing a blueprint of and concrete implementation steps for assuring that a broad range of federal information associated with sustainability is disseminated to the public on the National Information Infrastructure" (Bauman Foundation, 1995). The report focuses on non-profit organizations' access to federal information and how access can positively affect sustainable development. The authors of that document stress that successful access to information hinges on availability of hardware, proper training, funding to develop such systems, developing the capabilities of organizations to tap into such systems, and convincing low income users that a computerized public access system could be beneficial to them. A problem mentioned by many authors is the establishment of information and communication programs without consulting end users. They offer the solution of joint design teams including technical and non-technical representatives from all affiliated user groups.

What is not apparent in most literature dealing with public access to spatial data is a clear definition of what data the public wants access to, what they would do with that information, and suggestions as to how their needs and desires may impact the development of spatial data.

Models for Public Access

Community Networks

There are trends in computing and networking that support the idea of public access to data. One of those is community networks. A community network is the ideal location for a public access system. Unfortunately, there is very little published about community networks. Most information about community networks comes from where they exist; the Internet. A community network movement is one or more computers providing services to people so that users can gain access to services and to each other (Guy, 1991). These networks serve as a good model for public access systems. Organizers of community networks wish to add value to a community and make services and information more readily available to the public, however, precious few provide access to spatial information. The movement is generally championed by librarians because of their professional ties to information and increased pressure to "go digital." However, community networks are also promoted by commercial and governmental agencies.

The community network movement began with bulletin board systems (BBS). A BBS is a computer that can be accessed by another computer via a phone line and modem. BBSs are founded in order to connect people with a similar problem, concern, or interest. If someone owns a computer or has access to a computer and a modem, they can dial in to a BBS to read messages, leave messages, take part in discussions, and learn from others. The community network movement took this concept of connecting people one step further by connecting people within a geographic area to share information and learn more about what is happening in their area. Community networks, based on a BBS model, provide an opportunity to offer inexpensive, efficient access to information.

Community networks are often funded jointly by public and private organizations. They are often built with a small amount of seed money and second hand computer hardware. Once they are proved useful, equipment and services are often upgraded. Community networks offer a variety of different interfaces and designs. In many locations, citizens can access a community network through terminals in libraries, schools, government office buildings, and coffee shops, or via modem in their personal computers. Many community networks only offer access to local citizens only.

Most community networks function primarily with a text interface. Few community networks provide the ability to view graphics, query data, or analyze it. This is because expensive software and hardware is needed for both clients (end users) and servers. Click here for a list of community networks (also called freenets) that have a web site.

Services Provided by the Average Community Network

  1. Information about operating times and locations of social services,
  2. Tourism information for vacation planning,
  3. Information about the school system,
  4. Health care in the community,
  5. Access to home pages of all public entities within the municipality,
  6. On-line retrieval of municipal codes,
  7. Contact names for clubs, boards, commissions, and committees,
  8. Public transportation schedules and routes,
  9. Calendar of events,
  10. Forms for citizens to leave comments and criticisms,
  11. Job training and listings, and
  12. Weather

Some of the better funded community networks have branched out to the World Wide Web (WWW) to take advantage of it's graphic capabilities. This is not to say that they have eliminated their text based interfaces. Often, community networks provide both services in order to appease different user groups. The community networks on the WWW provide a more user-friendly interface than do the traditional text based networks. A graphic interface on the WWW allows hotlinking of information, display of graphics such as images and maps, and access to multimedia information (sound and video).

Even though some community networks have developed a WWW version of their network, virtually all of these lack interactive spatial capabilities. That is, users cannot query spatial data and get results. For example, users cannot view a map of landuse in their area and then ask for the land uses to be reclassified based on a different classification scheme. However, client-server technology is quickly evolving to provide these capabilities. Esri, and many of their competitors, have introduced Internet spatial data server technology that can provide interactive analysis of spatial information via the web.

In the mean time, it is important to understand and examine how community networks are currently organized and determine their strengths and weaknesses. By learning from past mistakes, a well designed, effective public access system can be embedded into a community network. What follows is a description and analysis of five different community networks.

Ideally, a community network should:

  1. Be easily accessible to all socioeconomic classes,
  2. Be simplistic to save time on slow public access modems or systems (this will change over time),
  3. Provide access to local, regional, national, and global information,
  4. Have a clearly organized interface,
  5. Be flexible enough to run on multiple platforms through multiple software products, and
  6. Provide opportunities to leave comments and opinions.

Five community networks are briefly described below.

The Cleveland Community Free-Net (Telnet to freenet-in-a.cwru.edu)

The Cleveland Community Free-Net within the Greater Cleveland area was one of the first community networks in existence. It began as a system dedicated to public provision of medical information. It quickly blossomed into a system serving 30,000 people in the Greater Cleveland area. It began as a BBS and grew quickly with support from the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN). The NPTN is a national organization aspiring to be the Public Broadcasting System of community networking. The Cleveland Community Free-Net popularized the term "free-net" and developed the system of a virtual community. A virtual community is a series of menus that begin generally and delve into a particular theme with a series of submenus. Currently, the Cleveland Community Free-Net does not offer a graphic user interface. However, it does provide access to a large audience, has a clearly organized interface, and is simplistic and useable on slower, older computers. The Cleveland Community Free-Net is an excellent model to be emulated.

The Blacksburg Electronic Village

The Blacksburg Electronic Village in Blacksburg, Virginia is a community network begun by self-motivated private parties. It was initiated by Bell Atlantic who provided telecommunication resources and expertise for establishment of the network. The Blacksburg Electronic Village is available from both text and graphic web browsers making it a flexible community network. It provides electronic mail, discussion groups, the ability to make commercial purchases on-line, and access to static graphic images. The Blacksburg Electronic Village is a blend of information services and commercialization with considerable activity revolving around advertisement.

Big Sky Telegraph

The University of Montana runs the Big Sky Telegraph out of Dillon, Montana. It was begun in 1988 with assistance from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and US WEST. The original intent was to provide an educational tool for teachers in distant rural areas. After a startup lesson on telecommunications, teachers used the system for collaborative efforts and long distance classes. The system is a classic example of a low cost community network that reaches new audiences in remote areas. Big Sky Telegraph began running on a IBM-compatible 386 running Linux and BBS software. Funding for the system is primarily soft funding from donations and grants. The community network is text based but offers full Internet connectivity. No access to graphic information or GIS functionality is possible.

The Boulder Community Network (BCN)

The Boulder Community Network (BCN) in Boulder, Colorado is accessible via terminals in public schools and libraries as well as from dial-in access. BCN is accessible via the WWW. Like many sites on the WWW, BCN can be viewed with both text browsers or graphic browsers. BCN offers on-line information about itself, business opportunities in Boulder, education, health and environmental issues in the area, job training, human services, public transportation, and local and regional weather. BCN is the best example of a community network that emulates what the PAS could be on the WWW. BCN contains a link to the Boulder County Land Use Department GIS WWW site. Once the user is at this site, they can view spatial data and a data dictionary. Users can observe the comprehensive plan, zoning updates, and ongoing parcel changes. However, no interactive GIS functionality is provided. Electronic mail can be sent directly to BCN developers and staff. BCN tracks users and provides weekly and monthly statistics. By the first week of June, 1995, BCN had almost 52,000 users access the system. Local government leaders can also track public opinion by following who accesses particular pages in the system and compiling comments left by users. BCN is successful because it is easily accessible and user-friendly.

The Santa Monica Public Electronic Network (PEN)

The Public Electronic Network (PEN), of Santa Monica, California was started in 1989. PEN promoted computer mediated communication in the concept's earliest days. Computer mediated communication consists of electronic mail, public discussions, and providing an area for the public to post opinions. PEN limits user membership to members of the community and does not provide mail connectivity to the outside world. This is done to preserve a sense of place and culture for Santa Monica.

Free access terminals were installed in public libraries and other places around Santa Monica. Shortly afterward, users began to coagulate into interest groups. The plight of the homeless became one of the major issues of PEN users. PEN administrators noticed homeless people participating through library terminals demonstrating an example of a community network involving a hard to reach audience. This interest group eventually formed an organization to benefit homeless people. Fund raising began and a shelter was built. PEN organizers reported that a benefit of the system was that users could read system postings before becoming involved, thus retaining some anonymity. PEN has recently been upgraded to a WWW site. Although the site does not offer access to spatial data or GIS functionality, it does offer many of the attributes similar to the Boulder Community Network and Blacksburg Electronic Village.

Home Owner and Neighborhood Association Selection

Neighborhood and home owner associations were selected as the unit of study because they have localized interests, are well organized, a need for access to local spatial information, and they are often a conduit for residents to voice their concerns and objections to local municipality planning and policy decisions. After discussion with the City of Tucson's Citizen and Neighborhood Services office and experts working with neighborhood and home owner associations throughout the area, four selection criteria were identified:

  1. Associations must be active with regular meetings,
  2. Associations must be spatially dispersed throughout the metropolitan area,
  3. Associations must have differing physical (lot size, age of homes, land uses) and social characteristics (renter/owner distributions, economic status), and
  4. Association leadership must be willing to take part in the study.

Four Neighborhoods and Their Affiliated Neighborhood Associations

Once the selection criteria were developed, four neighborhood associations (Figure 1) were selected:

The Balboa Heights Neighborhood (Figure 2)

The Balboa Heights neighborhood is defined by Glenn Street to the north, Stone Avenue to the east, Grant Avenue to the south, and Oracle Road to the west. Balboa Heights shares it eastern border with the Keeling Neighborhood. Balboa Heights has a strong presence of multi-family apartment complexes and is distinctly urban in nature.

The Balboa Heights Neighborhood Association is well known in the City of Tucson for its activism and successful programs. Balboa Heights was the first neighborhood association to successfully construct and manage a neighborhood park on donated land. The association has a President - Jane Baker, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The group meets monthly at E.C. Nash Elementary School.

The Corbett Neighborhood (Figure 3)

The neighborhood is defined by 22nd Street to the north, Alvernon Avenue to the east, Golf Links Road to the south, and Campbell Avenue to the west. The Corbett neighborhood covers one square mile in the near southeastern part of Tucson. The neighborhood is comprised predominantly of small single family lots and is bordered and intersected by major arterial roads. The neighborhood was built almost entirely in the late-1950s as Tucson expanded to the southeast. This one-time growth spurt gives the neighborhood a common thread of house design, spatial layout, and street appeal.

The Corbett Neighborhood Association is an active association with a core membership of approximately 20 people. They have been active for many years and focus primarily on crime reduction, neighborhood clean up, and lobbying for the design and construction of a local neighborhood center. The association has a chairperson - Debbie Johnson, a Vice Chairperson, and a Secretary/Treasurer. They meet on a monthly basis in the Corbett Elementary School.

The Flecha Caida Neighborhood (Figure 4)

The Flecha Caida neighborhood covers approximately 2.5 square miles. The neighborhood is unlike the other three in that it is actually three disconnected pieces. The neighborhood is in Pima County between the City of Tucson's northern boundary and the southern border of the Coronado National Forest. The entire Flecha Caida neighborhood is part of phase one of the Catalina Foothills development. Residents refer to different areas of the neighborhood by the stages in which the original developers laid them out. However, the neighborhood is clearly unified by the deed restrictions initiated during its inception.

The Flecha Caida Home Owner's Association is comprised almost entirely of home owners. Deed restrictions limit land use within the development and have played a large role in the homogenous evolution of the neighborhood. The association charges a small fee for yearly dues and uses that money to upkeep a FAX machine and PC computer as well as publish a newsletter entitled 'The Arrow.' The association spends most of its time tracking violations of deed restrictions primarily pertaining to illegal home businesses, mailboxes painted the wrong color, and other aesthetic issues. The association has a President - Tonya Hladky, executive board, and board of directors. They meet on a bi-monthly basis.

The Keeling Neighborhood (Figure 5)

The Keeling neighborhood is defined by Fort Lowell to the north, 1st Avenue to the east, Grant Road to the south, and Stone Avenue to the east. The Keeling neighborhood is located directly east of the Balboa Heights neighborhood. The neighborhood strongly resembles Balboa Heights in terms of land use and character but is slightly larger.

The Keeling Neighborhood Association is an active association with a core membership of about 30 people. The association is concerned about neighborhood crime, graffiti removal, fund raising, and continuing their projects of a neighborhood circus and house repairs. The association has a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The association meets on a monthly basis at Keeling Elementary School.

Pre-Prototype Questionnaire

A pre-prototype questionnaire was used to solicit direct responses from the neighborhood association participants in regard to their perceived importance and awareness of 30 spatial data themes. The pre-prototype questionnaire was administered and retrieved at neighborhood association meetings. Administering the questionnaire at association meetings was done to ensure a high rate of return. A brief project overview was carefully worded so as not to bias participant attitudes and opinions. The primary purpose of the pre-prototype questionnaire was to determine socio-economic parameters of the study population (e.g., age distribution, level of education, and sex distribution) as well as participant attitudes and opinions toward public access to spatial data and their spatial data needs.

Because of space limitations, only perceived theme importance and awareness ratings for the overall study population and each neighborhood association are examined in this paper. Refer to Paul Braun's Masters Thesis for an analysis of the remaining contents of the pre-prototype questionnaire as well as how responses varied by sex and home status (owner versus renter).

72 people responded to the pre-prototype questionnaire.