www.hsvcity.com/gis

What Will We “Search By” Next?What Will We “Search By” Next?Building Custom GIS Search Applications for the InternetBuilding Custom GIS Search Applications for the Internet

Presented By: Amy KenumPresented By: Amy Kenum

City of Huntsville: GISCity of Huntsville: GIS

The Problem

• Cemetery Department– Application to Search and Locate Cemetery

Plots• Make it accessible by the public

• Easy to use search commands

• Only show specific attributes

• Print maps of the cemetery

• Have database updated regularly by Cemetery Dept.

History of Maple Hill

• Established around 1822, when LeRoy Pope sold 2 acres to the city for a municipal cemetery

• Registered by the Alabama Historical Association in 1962

• One of the oldest cemeteries in the state of Alabama

• Currently almost 100 acres and over 80,000 burials

Pictures By: Felicia Sisk

List of Data Needed

• Database– Burial Block

– Burial Lot

– Burial Space

– Interment Last Name

– Interment First Name

– Interment Middle Name

– Person’s Title

– Data of Death

– Age at Death

– Sex

• Map showing Spatial Location– Location of Burial Block, Lot

and Space

• Link– Database– Spatial Location

Digital Data with Attributes• Created Shapefiles

– Block Polygons– Lot & Space Polylines– Converted Labels to Points

• Created Point Database– Burial Block

– Burial Lot

– Burial Space

CAD Drawing• Digital Cemetery Layout

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Spatial Data Evolution

Scroll• Cemetery Layout• Plot Purchaser

Database Evolution

RecordBooks

Access Database

SQL Database

Entered Burial Locationand Interment Detailsinto Access Database

Imported Data intoSQL Database

Building a Link

• Spatial Data (Shapefiles)• Database (SQL Table)

Burial BlockBurial LotBurial Space

Unique ID to tie tables together

Space ID - BCL104S5Lot ID - BCL104SBlock ID - BCLS

B + “Block” + L + “Lot” + S + “Space”

Joining Tables

• 1 to 1 join

– Space ID – BCL104S5

• 1 to Many join

– Lot ID BCL104S

– Block ID BCLS

• Field check records with incomplete data

Records are old anddon’t always have thefull burial location

• 52,000 cemetery locations• 28,000 interment records are linked

Creating a Webpage

Designed using Active Server Pages (ASP) & GeoMedia Web Map

www.hsvcity.com/gis

www.hsvcity.com/cemetery

Home Page

• Click to begin Search

• Click to view a printable map of the entire layout of the cemetery

Search Engine

Search3 Ways Barnes

List of all theresults that matchthe query withattributes

Click Mapto find the locationof the burial plot

Map Burial Plot

Tools-Zoom in/out-Go back to the search window-Print-Help

Burial LocationAnd IntermentDetails

Red Dot marksthe location ofthe burial plot

Legend andOverview

Zoom In/Out of Map

The moreyou zoom,the moredetail you get

Maintenance

• Cemetery inputs new and updated records into a database interface• ITS Dept. stores and backs up the data through a SQL Server

– Unique ID (number) Field– Data Added Field– Date Modified Field– Exports new records into temporary table in the GIS database

• Once a week through script (local package) based on date added or date modified

• GIS Dept. pulls in new and updated records from temporary table– Creates ID from Block, Lot, & Space to link to spatial point

• Once a week through script (local package)– Verify that all records join properly– Website is automatically updated

Other Search Applications

• Other Cemeteries in the City (Pending)• Dedicated Tree Locator (Pending) • Bicentennial Park Brick Locator - Created using ArcIMS

HomePage

Brick Locator

Search

Map

Contributors:Webpage Design: GIS – Tom McDonoughHelped with field work: GIS – Erin DyerDBA: ITS – Sandra BarnesRecords: Cemetery – Brenda Webb, Felicia Sisk

Mayor: Loretta Spencer Urban Development Director: Dallas Fanning

GIS Manager: Tim Barnes

Software Used:ESRI: ArcInfo, ArcIMSBentley MicrostationGeoMedia Web MapMicrosoft SQL Server