GIS for People & Parks

@jerememonteau from @trailheadlabs #GISDay #BendTECH

Geographic Information Systems

Of the people, by the people, for our parks!


GIS For People & Our ParksGIS started as obscure technology used by pros.

GIS has been democratized and now everyone can use it.

This is enabling really awesome things for people & parks. That’s why we’re excited!

I’m going to tell you all about it.


Wait a minute. Who am I?Jereme Monteau

Co-Founder and CTO of Trailhead Labs(We help park agencies get you outside!)

Born and raised in Alaska

16 years in the Bay Area

Relocated to Bend 8 weeks ago!




OK, back to GIS

It started out small and obscure. Only for pros.

It turns out to be really useful, especially for parks!

Now it’s huge and can used by everyone. *

* - This is really important. More on that later.


“The early days of GIS were very lonely. No-one knew what it meant.”

Roger Tomlinson



GIS is super useful!Everything happens somewhere.

We use GIS to make important decisions every day.GIS has probably impacted at least one decision of yours today.

It’s critical for managing our amazing public lands. We specialize in that at Trailhead Labs.


“Knowing where things are, and why, is essential to rational decision making.”

Jack Dangermond


GIS is kind of a big deal now!Everybody is getting in the game and that’s great!

But still...it’s pretty fundamental...

Geographic = about geography

Information = structured data

System = cooperative pieces


GIS In Practice = Software + DataSoftware that does geographic computation really really well.

Information about geographic coordinates and shapes. Location, location, location!

Results are analytical models and visualizations and much much more.


GIS Software Runs EverywhereWe put a PC in every home.

Now there are billions of smartphones.

Browsers and JavaScript are literally everywhere.

GIS Software exists for all platforms now.


GIS Software For EverythingArcGIS & QGIS - Desktop & Online GIS

Esri-Leaflet & Leaflet - Web Maps

Esri Geometry Engine - Java Parallel

Processing

TerraFormer & Turf.js - JavaScript Geospatial

Collect & AmigoCloud - Mobile Data Collection

Maplets - Georeferrenced PDFs


Data Coming From EverywhereStorage is basically free

The network is ubiquitous and getting faster

Apps & sensors of all kinds are proliferating

Cultural default is shifting from private to open

The result is massive amounts of available data!


So what about parks?Park agencies are sitting at the intersection of a bunch of great GIS technology, a bunch of awesome data

But everyone has to do more with less and things change fast. Keeping up is hard work.

By the time you start running there’s a new race.


Park Agency DecisionsWhat space should be for recreation?

Where should we manage for fun and safe mountain biking?

What space should be for conservation?

Where do we need better signs?


Park Visitor DecisionsWhere are the parks and trails?

How do I get to them?

Where can I go mountain biking?

Where can I see wildlife?

Where can I walk my dog?


We Serve Park Agencies

Help parks manage their data in GIS and publish it to visitors in convenient ways!

Get the best information out to visitors.

Improve data quality and user experience.


What does this look like?Web authoring tools built on GIS data.

Embeddable interactive park maps.

Publishing data via REST API and OpenTrails

A platform for gathering and improving data.

Powerful tools for understanding visitation.







A Tale of Many TrailsTrails are managed for specific uses.

Trails are managed to be safe.

Trails are managed to minimize impact.

But trails kind of look the same on the ground.So we have to publish good information!


Please take the right trail and don’t kill us!


Trail Data is EverywhereAgencies manage trail data in GIS.

Trail data also exists in other public data sources.

Applications are recording trail visitor usage.

We brought them all together.






Because GIS is democratized!Many components of GIS could be combined.

Data is contributed at scale by the crowd.

Creates a new picture of the world.

Allows for better decisions by agencies and visitors.


Stories like this are everywhere.

Conservation & Climate Change

Disaster Preparedness & Relief

Transportation

Health & Human Services


“The application of GIS is limited only by the imagination of those who use it.”

- Jack Dangermond


“In outer space you develop an instant global consciousness, a

people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of

the world, and a compulsion to do something about it.”Edgar Mitchell

Apollo 14


Geographic Information Systems

Of the people, by the people, for our parks!

Technology

GIS for People & Parks