Cultivating GIS at the
Brooklyn Botanic GardenKyle Heulitt
Advisor: Professor Ken TammingaGEOG 596A - Individual Studies Peer Review
Penn State University MGIS ProgramDecember 19, 2013
Photo by HorsePunchKid/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Presentation Overview• Background and
Objectives• Proposed
Methodology• Costs, Funding, and
Timeline• References• Acknowledgements
and Questions Photo by afagen/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Background and Objectives
Photo by HorsePunchKid/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
About the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG)• Located in the heart of Brooklyn,
New York City• Opened to the public in 1910• Original design by the Olmsted
brothers; current garden reflects design of landscape architect Harold Caparn
• More than 900,000 visitors every year
• 52-acres and over 12,000 kinds of plants
• One of foremost cherry-viewing sites outside of Japan
• Core missions to educate, conduct research, and display plants in a beautiful setting for the enjoyment of the community
Photo by Steve Soblick/CC by 2.0
Maps and Information Science at
Botanic Gardens - History
• For centuries – paper maps and index cards
• 1980’s – digital CAD maps and databases
• 2000’s – GIS
Photo by pennstatenews/CC BY-NC 2.0
Photo by Cartography Associates/CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Why Does BBG Need GIS? • To spatially enable
their existing plant data
• Improved curation and management
• Empower staff with location data
• Visitor engagement, education, and orientation
• Support and track research
• Facilitate data sharing
• Support of planning and design
• Visualize change in garden over time
• Work order and tree assessment management capabilities
Project Objectives• Create a geodatabase that enables the
garden to store location data for plants and other assets
• Tie into existing accession database• Develop a web/mobile GIS application to
support garden staff and provide public access to the garden’s GIS
• Provide adequate documentation and training to support garden staff
• Serve as a case study for other botanic gardens interested in deploying GIS
Proposed Methodology
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Proposed Methodology Overview• Existing Data and Map Infrastructure• Literature Review/Case Studies • Needs Assessment • Geodatabase Design• Location Data Sources and Collection• Web/Mobile Application Conceptual
Design• Training and Support
Existing Data and Map Infrastructure FileMaker Pro
Database• Used to track information
about plants • Each plant has a unique
accession number in database and in garden• Relational database structure
designed by BBG• Apple-centric software• Plan to serve data from
FileMaker Pro Server to field I-Pads AutoCAD Drawing• Plant locations with
accession numbers• Buildings and other features• Covers majority of garden• Not georeferenced• Not updated since 2009
Photo by aloucha/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Literature Review/Case Studies
Arboretum
Garden Size
Database
Year GIS Deployed
GIS Softwar
eGPS GIS
Server Web APIMobile
Framework
UC Davis
100 Acre/30,000 Specimens
BG-Base 2005 ArcGIS Trimble ProXH
ArcGIS Server 9.3.1
ArcGIS Adobe Flex
APIESRI
ArcPad
Arnold281 Acre/1.3
Million Specimens
BG-Base 2009 ArcGIS Trimble ProXRT Unknown
ArcGIS Javascript
APIjQuery Mobile
• GIS design and implementation at other gardens informs project design• University of California (UC) Davis Arboretum• Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
• Work at these gardens led to creation of:• Alliance for Public Garden GIS (APGG)• ArcGIS Public Garden Data Model• Arboretum Explorer
Needs Assessment• Will be conducted in collaboration with
garden staff• Meetings with key personnel are planned to
identify stakeholders, discuss current practices/workflows, and determine project requirements
• Metrics will be developed to gauge the success of the project
• Project requirements will be re-evaluated over the course of project
Geodatabase Design• Structure – ArcGIS Public Garden Data
Model • Format – File Geodatabase• Coordinate System – TBD
Location Data Sources• Basemap Data
• Orthophotos, topography, soil type, etc.• Local/State/Federal Agencies• Clipped to garden boundaries and uploaded to
appropriate feature classes in geodatabase• Site-Specific Data
• Plant centers, mass plantings, buildings, trails• Obtained from BBG AutoCAD Drawing or GPS Survey
• BBG AutoCAD drawing• Collect control point locations using GPS• Georeference CAD drawing using rubber sheeting• Export CAD entities to GIS feature classes in project
geodatabase• Associate accession numbers with features
• GPS Survey• Only plant centers and mass plantings will be
GPS’d• BBG to provide support staff• Will be performed in winter/early spring to
minimize obstruction of satellite signal by tree canopies
• All data will be post-processed • GPS Equipment and Software
• Trimble ProXH GPS receiver (sub-foot accuracy)• Trimble Nomad outdoor rugged handheld
computer• Trimble Terrasync GIS data collection software• Trimble Pathfinder Office software• Atlanta Advantage Laser Range Finder• Tripod and Reflector Pole
Location Data Sources (cont’d)
Web/Mobile Application Conceptual Design• Prototype Application - Arnold Arboretum’s
Arboretum Explorer (http://arboretum.harvard.edu/explorer/)
• Compatible with web browsers and mobile devices
• Web Framework - ArcGIS API for Javascript • Mobile Framework - jQuery Mobile• Web Server – Existing BBG web server• Database Server – Existing Filemaker Pro
Server• GIS Server – ArcGIS Server or GeoServer
Web/Mobile Application Conceptual Design (cont’d)
Navigation Tools
Pop-Up Window Appears When a
Specimen is Selected
Queries
Takes user to additional
information about
specimen
User Interface Functionality
Web/Mobile Application Conceptual Design (cont’d)
Filemaker ProDatabase Server
Web Server
Mobile Application
Web Application
Geodataba
se
GIS Server
System Architecture
Training and Support
• Instructions and other supporting documentation will be developed
• Training/Q&A session • Telephone and Email• BBG Director of Collections Management
has GIS and database development experience
• BBG may hire a GIS professional to support ongoing GIS and mapping efforts
Costs and Timeline
Photo by aloucha/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Project Costs and Funding
• ArcGIS for Public Gardens Program• ArcGIS Desktop, ArcPad, and ArcGIS Online for
$100• Other software (ArcGIS Server?) available upon
request• GPS Equipment• My employer has agreed to let me borrow GPS
equipment for this project• BBG may need to upgrade GPS equipment to
support future GIS and mapping efforts• IMLS Grant• $150,ooo over 3 years in support of living
collection management
Project TimelineTask DateNeeds Assessment December-January
2014Geodatabase Design and Implementation
January-February 2014
Import Basemap and AutoCAD Data February 2014GPS Survey and Data Import February-March 2014Web/Mobile GIS Application Development
March-May 2014
Develop Instructions and Training Session
June 2014
Presentation at Conference Summer 2014
Potential Conferences• American Public Gardens Association Conference –
June 2014 in Denver, CO• ESRI Mid-Atlantic User Conference – Date and Location
TBD• ESRI International User Conference – July 2014 in San
Diego, CA
ReferencesAlliance for Public Garden GIS (n.d. a). Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Public Gardens: The Geospatial Revolution. Retrieved 11/27/13, from http://publicgardensgis.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Geographic-Information-Systems-GIS-for-Public-Gardens.pdf. Alliance for Public Garden GIS (n.d. b). ArcGIS Public Garden Data Model Metadata. Brooklyn Botanic Garden (2011). Brooklyn Botanic Garden Announces $7.5 Million Leon Levy Foundation Gift. Retrieved 11/24/13, from http://www.bbg.org/press/capital_campaign. Brooklyn Botanic Garden (n.d. a). Gardens and Collections. Retrieved 11/24/13, from http://www.bbg.org/discover/gardens.
deMause, Neil and Berenson, Richard J. (2001). The Complete Illustrated Guidebook to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. New York, New York. Silver Lining Books.
ESRI (n.d.). ArcGIS for Public Gardens. Retrieved 12/1/13, from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwQr0TOjL0StUTVvNkpoeUtXRk0/edit. Morgan, Brian J., Burke, Mary T., & Greco, Steven E. (2008). The ArcGIS® Botanical Garden and Zoological Park Data Model. Retrieved 10/29/13 from http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc08/papers/papers/pap_1125.pdf. Morgan, Brian (2011). GIS for Public Gardens: Tools and Techniques for Collection Management & Research. Retrieved 10/29/13, from http://www.slideshare.net/bjmorgan1026/gis-for-public-gardens. The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (2013). GIS at the Arboretum. Retrieved 10/29/13, from http://arboretum.harvard.edu/plants/gis-at-the-arboretum/.
Wikipedia (2013). Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Retrieved 12/15/13 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden.
Thanks to:Prof. Ken TammingaDr. Douglas MillerBeth KingTony MoroscoErnie SalazarErin Kramer
Photo by jturbanos/CC BY 2.0
Ferris Bueller's Day Off Credit: Paramount Home Video
Questions?
