Mooney, Peter and Winstanley, Adam C. (2009) Representations of Environmental Data in Web-based GIS. In: Representing, modeling, and visualizing the natural environment. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 101-116. ISBN 9781420055498

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Abstract

The GIS community is using the vast potential of the Internet to disseminate geospatial information. Web-based GIS software and services are key components in distribution of geospatial data. Web-based GIS provide government departments, local authorities and environmental agencies with unprecedented opportunities to offer online access to their environmental information and related services for citizens. Web-based GIS offers access to information services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In order for web-GIS to be successful in delivering environmental information the representation of the input datasets and output delivery formats/structures must be suitable to both the Internet delivery medium and the intended audience. In the majority of cases this will involve conversion and re-modelling of existing data resources. This paper discusses representations of environmental data for delivery and dissemination using web-based GIS in order to serve a variety of stakeholders : policy makers, scientists, media, and the general public. We summarise the major issues for delivering complex geospatial data about the environment using this medium. Prioritisation of metadata collection and geospatial data interoperability are crucial factors in delivering effective web-GIS tools. The INSPIRE Directive will greatly increase the number of available data sources and the use of webbased GIS for environmental information provision in the future will be discussed.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	Preprint version of original published chapter.
Keywords:	Environmental Data; Web-based GIS; GIS software; geospatial data; interoperability; metadata collection;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Computer Science
Item ID:	2913
Depositing User:	Dr. Adam Winstanley
Date Deposited:	04 Jan 2012 15:49
Publisher:	CRC Press
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://www.crcpress.com/
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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