Welcome to Geospatial resources use in tertiary education - ‘Shaping the Future’

Welcome to

Geospatial resources use in tertiary education -

‘Shaping the Future’

15th May 2007

Shaping the Future Workshop – 15th May 2008, Edinburgh

Welcome


Everyone is different but we share something in common

We recognise the importance of space and

place!


Aims of the workshop

• To establish the future requirements of those who use geospatial resources within UK tertiary education

• The focus is very much on the 'what','who', 'where' and 'when' – what will we want to be doing in 5 years time– what sorts of data, services and tools will we need– how will people want to access and use the data– who will we be working with– how do we want to exploit the new types of geospatial

technologies, etc.

• To identify the roles & responsibilities of ALL interested parties

• To identify the next steps and actions


What are geospatial resources?

• Data• Services• Tools• Teaching material• Other types of content… but geographically

referenced– full text, images, primary research material,

sound and film– “information that has been geographically

organised”

• Support (people, training, manuals)• (Social) Networks


Why now?


Geospatial information – it’s increasingly ubiquitous

• 3 billion Number people now with access to high resolution images

• 400millionNumber of Google Earth users

• 42.85 TbVirtual Earth imagery update per month

• (1mEstimate of no. of Google servers (Gartner 2007))

• 140K– No. data files download from

Digimap in Nov 2007

"The next web will be about place and time.“

Marc Davis, Yahoo's Social Media Guru @ Web 2.0 2008


Use of geospatial data in research & teaching growing


New initiatives, policies, behaviours & opportunities

• Research councils increasingly focusing on infrastructures (research, scientific, data)

• INSPIRE Directive– GEOSS, GMES

• GI Strategy for the UK• Community generated content

– 10m maps in Google’s My Maps

• JISC funded activity– Re-engineering of Digimap– New content e.g. MIMA and GB Aerial

Photography


Technologies are maturing

• Web 2.0– Geoweb, GeoRSS, GYM

• Mobile applications• Standards

– (ISO, OGC, W3C, OASIS)

• Infrastructures– SDIs, GRID, Networks

• Real time data feeds from Sensors

– http://transport.wspgroup.fi/hklkartta/

• Open source tools

http://transport.wspgroup.fi/hklkartta/


Case Study - Geology


Your involvement is important

Think widelyThink creatively

The Art of the Possible


Facilitator’s Intro Slides


Future Opportunities & Challenges

How wewill work?

The future GI world

The Enablers?

Roles & Responsibilities

Making it happen!

Sponsor Close

Sponsor Address

High Level Agenda of the Day


Opportunities/Challenges in the Future World

In your group, brainstorm the opportunities/challenges that will face us in the future for ONE of the following areas:

• Research environment – GROUP 1

• Teaching environment – GROUP 2

• Technology environment – GROUP 3

• Social/Political/Economic environment – GROUP 4

10 minBrainstorm high level thoughts using Post-it notes provided.

Give a 5 minute report back of your top 5 key messages to all delegates in the plenary area.5 min

10 min

Sort your ideas into broad categories & capture your key findings on the flipchart paper provided.


How will we work in this future world?

Each group will be given a role (or ‘persona’) to work with.

For this persona, & using your own experiences, identify how they would need to work in the future world discussed in the previous session:

• key activities

• resources required to support these activities

15 min

Read through the persona provided & write the activities, resources & any other key information on the flip chart paper provided.

10 min

Add any further information to your ideas based on your own experience in that role/similar role.

5 min/group

Select one group member to remain with your output, the rest of the group will move round looking at the other groups’ output – ask questions/seek clarification/ add any missing key information. Return to your original group to review any amendments.

10 minReview

GRAB A COFFEE DURING THIS ACTIVITY


Team Splits

Group 1: ResearchNeale BlairIan Gregory Humphrey SouthallAndy TurnerLucy BastinTim Fearnside

Group 2: TeachingDouglas Cawthorne Alastair GeddesTim le BasWilliam MackanessStuart NicolNick Tate

Group 3: ResearchPhil JamesDuncan SmithMike SmithClaire JarvisDave MartinAudrey Martin

Group 4: SupportAmanda RussellAlison Turner (Support)Anna Clough (support)Peter Halls (support)William Kilbride (if present)Kamie Kitmitto


What will the future GI world look like?

Using the prediction provided, look at the statements within it and assess to what extent you believe that this ‘landscape’ will support the opportunities/challenges/key activities identified in the previous sessions.

20 min

In your group, identify any additions/amendments/deletions – annotate the statements.

N.B. the focus should be on the essence of the statements, not ‘word-smithing’.

15 min Plenary discussion to agree the key themes.

Prediction• It is 2010 and geographic information (GI) is everywhere.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) interoperability has revolutionised the way we deliver GI solutions.

• GI is embedded in a very wide range of information systems and decision support products.

• They all rely on a common global spatial data infrastructure that provides scale-independent data constantly updated. GI is available whenever and wherever it is needed. GIS have become so thoroughly interoperable that they have all but disappeared as distinct products……

• GI education requires a wide diversity of courses; each targeted upon the needs of differing groups of students and of employers.

• For most students the focus of their learning is upon the use of digital geographic information, not upon the technologies which deliver this information.

• The ubiquity of digital geographic information and the extreme ease of use of geo-processing tools have allowed geographical analysis to spread way beyond its traditional confines within the spatial sciences.


Lunch


Energiser


How well do you know your standards?

General• ISO 216• ISO 3750• IEEE 802.11• BS 1363• ISO 3103• BS EN 1866

Geography related• ISO 3166• ISO 19115• BS 7666-5:2006

Lastly• BS 0


How well do you know your standards? - Clues

General• ISO 216 – ‘Save the trees!’• ISO 3750 – ‘Always read the label…’• IEEE 802.11 – ‘Say no to cables.’• BS 1363 - ‘Power point.’• ISO 3103 – ‘Milk and 2 sugars, please.’• BS EN 1866 – ‘Use in case of emergency.’

Geography related• ISO 3166 – ‘Abbreviated nations.’• ISO 19115 – • BS 7666-5:2006 ‘Of utmost importance to your postman’

Lastly• BS 0 – ‘One standard to rule them all and in the darkness

bind them…’


Answers

General• ISO 216 - International paper sizes (A4, A5 etc)• ISO 3750 - Laundry Care Symbols• IEEE 802.11 - A set of standards for wireless computer communication• BS 1363 - Mains Power plugs and sockets• ISO 3103 - A standardised method for brewing tea• BS EN 1866 - Mobile fire extinguishers

Geography related• ISO 3166 - Codes for countries and subdivisions e.g. CA Canada• ISO 19115 - How to describe geographic metadata (data and services)• BS 7666-5:2006 - a method of referencing delivery points by means of

unique references and descriptive delivery addresses i.e. Addresses

Lastly• BS 0 - The Standard that governs the way BSI standards are produced.


Standards – why they are important?

• Lots of reasons e.g.– They inform us about the reliability and fitness for

purpose of the goods and services we buy and use– They enable us to use more things more widely

giving us greater choice

• Standards are extremely important in the computer industry because they allow the synergy or interoperability of tools and data enabling the creation of more customizable, advanced and powerful systems.

• BUT most people shouldn’t need to know the specifics of standards just that they exist.



What are the ‘Enablers’?

Each group will be given one of the following categories:

Data/Content; Tools/Technology; Skills/Knowledge/People; Legal/Policy; Social/Institutional/Economic

20 min

5 minPrepare a short report-back of your key findings.

5 min/group

Each group to report back their findings to the rest of the delegates.

10 minOpen discussion

For your category, identify all the elements within that ‘Enabler’ which will need to be in place in order for people to operate as effectively as possible in the future landscape – capture this on the flipchart paper provided.


Short Coffee and Comfort Break


Roles and Responsibilities


Worked ExampleName:

Data CentreRole:

• provision of quality services by which users access geospatial resources which support other services (infrastructure)

• curation of data• provider of technical support & training to institutional support

staff and expertsResponsibilities:

• Meet standards for good practice• Meet Service Level Agreements• Comply with funder/institutional data policies• Comply with funder/ industry/community standards• Promoting the use of data and service• Maintaining & publishing up-to-date information on data

holdings


Worked Example• Act as a gateway to other data, services and resources

• Stay abreast of technical developments and ensure services meet user needs as they mature

• Represent the interests of it’s uses nationally and internationally

Relationships with:

• With user (researcher, scientist, student) as “client”

• With user communities

• With institution through support and expert staff

• With funder(s) of service(s)

• With other service providers within tertiary education

• With service providers within research councils

• With data/content providers


Template

Name:

Role:

Responsibilities:

Relationships with:


How do we make this happen?

Discussion


Close


Where next…

• This event has been funded by JISC –e-Framework programme

• The e-Framework has been established to help the education and research worlds to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the service oriented approach and web services

• Members: JISC (UK) and DEST (Aus), New Zealand's Ministry of Education and SURF (NL)

• A workpackage of the JISC funded SEE-GEO project

• Outcomes of today also of interest to JISC, JISC Collections Company and its’ geospatial working group.


Deliverables and timetable

• A documented set of key ideas about the Landscape

• A documented set of high level requirements for the Landscape

• A documented set of proposed roles and responsibilities

• A documented set of agreed next steps and actions

Deadline for a first draft is soon … why?...


Next Steps (1)

Because the document(s) will feed into a second workshop next month

This has the goal of defining a technical roadmap for an UK Academic SDI

• We will circulate a copy of the document produced for comment

• Final copies will be deposited with e-Framework Programme Manager, JISC Collections and JISC GWG

• Copy available on EDINA web site


Next Steps (2)

• <<key ideas/activities from the ‘How do make this happen’ discussion>>


Thank you

To youTo our sponsors

To the workshop team

Have a safe journey home

Documents

Welcome to Geospatial resources use in tertiary education - ‘Shaping the Future’